The “War of the Emboabas ” was an armed dispute that took place between the years 1707 to 1709, for the right to explore the gold mines, recently discovered by the pioneers of São Paulo in the region of Minas Gerais.
Indeed, under the leadership of Manuel de Borba Gato, head guard of the mines and leader of the Paulistas, the pioneers claimed the exclusive right to exploit the gold deposits in the region of the mines.
However, the "emboabas" (a pejorative name given to outsiders who wore boots), led by the wealthy merchant Manuel Nunes Viana and composed mainly of Portuguese and migrants from other territories of the colony, challenged the authority of the pioneers, who were defeated and expelled.
To learn more:Brazil Colony
Main Causes and Consequences
First of all, we must point out that the discovery of gold in the region of Minas Gerais in the 17th century attracted tens of thousands of people to mining centers. Therefore, most of these miners were from the northeast region, where Portuguese superiority was greater. However, that region was part of the Captaincy of São Vicente, dominated by the pioneers of São Paulo, who did not want to share the gold.
Nevertheless, the large number of people led to a supply crisis , which was also perceived as a profit opportunity by traders, who wanted the monopoly of trade in foodstuffs to supply the villages, with emphasis on the supply of animals for slaughter and consumption. Therefore, the monopoly in the exploration of gold mines, as well as in the commercialization of first-rate goods, were the main causes of the conflict.
On the other hand, the Emboabas War had as consequences :
- Separation of the captaincies of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo
- São Paulo becoming a city
- The Portuguese Crown takes over the exploration of gold in the region of Minas Gerais
- The defeated São Paulo pioneers settled in the regions of Goiás and Mato Grosso, where they discovered other gold mines
- Regulation of the distribution of mines (mining lots)
- Institution of charging the fifth of all gold extraction
To learn more:Hereditary Captaincies and the Gold Cycle
Historical Context
From 1707 onwards, the Emboabas began to carry out military expeditions against the Paulistas to weaken their hold over the mining regions. Consequently, the population of São Paulo, composed mainly of Mamelukes and Indians who barely spoke the Portuguese language, was subjugated by the Emboabas, who began to control the commerce that supplied the mines.
In November 1708, the Emboabas launched a major attack against the Paulistas established in Cachoeira do Campo, district of Ouro Preto, Captaincy of Minas Gerais, expelling the pioneers and taking control of two of the three main mining areas of the colony. Subsequently, they named their leader, Nunes Viana , governor of the mining region, which provoked the reaction of the Portuguese Crown.
In 1709, with the intervention of the Crown and the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Antonio de Albuquerque Coelho de Carvalho , Nunes Viana was deposed and expelled from the mining region, taking refuge on his farm on the São Francisco River, ending the conflict definitively.
To learn more:Brazilian Indians