Cayenne, Brazilian Invasion of
Cayenne, Brazilian Invasion of
On 22 March 1808, Portuguese forces, aided by the British, invaded the French colony of Cayenne in retaliation for the French invasion of Portugal in 1807. The original purpose of the mission under the count of Linhares was to completely destroy the colony. In May 1809 Dom João (later João VI) made the decision to keep the colony and to build it up for trade and military purposes. With Manuel Marques serving as intendent and Maciel da Costa as civilian administrator, Portuguese rule was relatively enlightened and accepted by the French colonists. However, European powers at the Congress of Vienna forced the return of Cayenne to the French on 8 November 1817.
See alsoJoão VI of Portugal; Portuguese Empire.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pedro Calmon, A história do Brasil, vol. 4 (1963), pp. 1419-1420.
Sérgio Buarque De Hollanda, ed., História geral da civilização brasileira, vol. 1, no. 2 (1963), pp. 283-299; South American Handbook, 67th ed. (1991), p. 1125.
Additional Bibliography
Schultz, Kirsten. Tropical Versailles: Empire, Monarchy, and the Portuguese Royal Court in Rio De Janeiro, 1808–1821. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Soublin, Jean. Cayenne 1809: La conquête de la Guyane par les Portugais du Brésil. Paris: Karthala, 2003.
Robert A. Hayes