Diplomat, editor, journalist, political analist, politician, writer
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João Pinheiro Chagas (1 September 1863 – 28 May 1925; Portuguese pronunciation:[ʒuˈɐ̃wpiˈɲɐjɾuˈʃaɣɐʃ]) was a Portuguese politician, literary critic, propagandist, editor, and journalist.[2][3] He was heavily involved in several rebellions condemning the monarchy and disseminating materials via pamphlets and newspaper in support of the Portuguese Republican Party.[4][5] He was among the leaders of the 5 October 1910 revolution and the Lisbon Regicide, and later served as Ambassador to Paris, and twice as interim prime minister of the Portuguese First Republic.[4][6]
Biography
Early years
Chagas was born 1 September 1863 in Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil to João Pinheiro Chagas and Maria Amélia Rosa Pereira.[4][7] His father was a Portuguese emigrant with ancestral ties to Portuguese refugees from Beiras who fled to Brazil during the Liberal Wars.[8] On his paternal side, Manuel Pinheiro Chagas was his cousin and his son Mário was his first cousin once removed.[8] His mother was an Indigenous American.[8] The family relocated to Lisbon when Chagas was a child and he was orphaned at a young age.[8][2]
Writing career
Chagas could not afford to attend university, so he moved to Porto at age 16 and began his writing career.[8][4] At times, he wrote under the pseudonym João Rimanso or Ivan.[9] His first publication was in O Primeiro de Janeiro in Porto; he later moved back to Lisbon to collaborate with Temps,Correio da Manhã, and O Diá.[4][10][8]
At the end of the 19th century, Chagas founded La Marseillaise (1896—1898), O Berro (1896), Branco e Negro (1896—1898), A Paródia (1900—1907), and A República Portuguesa,[8][6] and became director of Brazilian newspaper O Paiz (1898) and the Portuguese publications A Lanterna (1899) and Batalha (1900).[4][8] While incarcerated in Angola, he headed the prison's newspaper (1896—1897).[8]La Marseillaise closed in 1898 due to censorship laws and Chagas' known allegiance to the Republican Party.[8] When he returned from exile, he founded A Portuguesa (1893), which he considered a revival of La Marseillaise.[6]
All of the newspapers he founded, directed, and contributed to were anti-monarchy propaganda tools; his articles were extremely controversial and led to him being arrested several times.[6][5]
Political activism
During his early years in Porto, he met and befriended several members of Life's Vanquished.[6] He became more critical and more deeply involved with the Republican Party as a result.[6] In 1891, he published an article in A República Portuguesa that was controversial enough to get him arrested and jailed for 10 days.[7] Within days, he participated in and helped plan a rebellion, and his sentence was increased to 4 years in prison or 6 years in exile.[6][4][11] Chagas was originally bound for Luanda but was transferred to Moçâmedes after one day.[11] He escaped within a few months and traveled to Paris before returning to Portugal in 1892, where he was arrested again.[11][7] While in prison, he continued to petition against governmental oppression of rights and wrote extensively about his experiences, making him the only primary source from a Portuguese prisoner from that period.[11][6]
He was freed from prison in 1893 due to an amnesty resulting from the 1890 British Ultimatum.[10] He lived in Porto, Brazil, and Madrid for varying lengths of time before being arrested again in 1896, and again in 1908 for his involvement in the Lisbon Regicide.[8][6][7] He participated in the 5 October 1910 revolution not long after.[10]
A 1900 postcard featuring Chagas
Political career
The Portuguese First Republic was established in 1910, and Chagas' governmental career began.[6] His first role was an ambassador to Paris; he did, however, resign twice due to political disagreements with his supervisors.[6][10] He served as both prime minister and Interior Minister for 70 days in late 1911 and again in 1915.[4][10][2] While in Paris, he continued to keep a critical eye on Portugal's political decision-making.[2] During the Republic's early days, Chagas met with Sir Lancelot Carnegie of Britain, Portuguese War Minister Freire de Andrade, and French diplomat Émile Daeschner to keep himself informed.[2] He was very critical of Portugal's lack of involvement when World War I broke out and was one of the delegates who led the Republic to join the war in 1916.[6][2]
Final years and death
Following the 1915 May 14 Revolt, Chagas was nominated to succeed Manuel de Arriaga's role as president of Portugal.[6] Senator João José de Freitas disagreed with this decision and attempted to assassinated him.[4] He shot several times at a car Chagas was traveling in with his wife in Entroncamento.[4][10] Chagas' head was shaved and he lost an eye in the attack.[10] He withdrew from politics during his recovery and turned down the presidential nomination, preferring instead to continue working as an ambassador in Paris.[7][6] He kept this role until he retired in 1924, with the exception of 1917—1918 during the period of Sidónism.[10][2][6] Chagas died on 28 May 1925 in Estoril, Cascais, Portugal.[4][6]
He is the namesake for a road in Lisbon and a garden in Porto.[14][15]
Bibliography
During his lifetime, Chagas wrote at least 15 books and many more journal articles and pamphlets:[5]
Year
Original title
Title in English (Approx.)
1894
Diario de um condemnado politico
Diary of a Political Convict
1897
De Bond. Algunas aspectos da civilisaçaõ brasileira
Some aspects of Brazilian culture
O crime da sociedade
Society's crime
1898
Na Brecha (Pamphletos)
The Gap (Pamphlets)
1900
Trabalhos forçado
Forced labour
1905
Bom-Humor
Good spirits
Homens e Factos 1902—1904
Men and Facts 1902—1904
1906
As minhas razões
My reasons
Posta-restante (Cartas a toda a genta)
Remaining notes (Letters to everyone
Vida Litteraria (ideias e sensacoes
Literary life: Ideas and sensations
1907
João Franco. 1906—1907
1908
1908. Subsidios criticos para a historia da dictadura
1908. Critical subsidies for the history of the dictatorship
1908—1910
Cartas Politicas
Political notes
1915
A ultima crise. Comentários a situação da Republica Portuguesa
The last crisis: Comementary on the Portuguese Republic
Portugal perante a Guerra. Subsidios para uma pagina da Historia Nacional
Portugal before the war. Subsidies for a page in National History
In 1929, four years after his death, Diario de João Chagas was published.[5] He wrote the prefaces for Guedes d'Oliveira's 1890 Gazetilhas; and Luciano Fataça's 1895 A revolução de Cuba.[5] He co-wrote Historia da revolta do Porto de 31 de Janeiro de 1891 (depoimento de dois cúmplices) with Ex-Tenente Coelho.[5] He was also a translator; works included prose from Jacques Offenbach's operetta Os Bandidos and Adolphe d'Ennery's play Martyr.[6][5]
^Oliveira Marques, A. H. de (1985). Delta (ed.). Dicionário de Maçonaria Portuguesa. Lisboa. p. 335.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
