In 1829, Thomas Ludwell Lee Brent, chargés d’affaires to Portugal decided unilaterally to suspend all diplomatic relations with the the throne of Portugal. In his 1829, State of the Union address Andrew Jackson referred to this as a "peculiar state of things", but after receiving further information about the events of 1829 in Portugal, he ordered Diplomacy returned. What was the "peculiar state of things" in Portugal that Jackson was referring to?
Portugal held a special place in the hearts of Americans because in 1792, Portugal became the first neutral country to recognize the United State when President George Washington appointed David Humphreys as U.S. Minster Resident. Throughout the next 30 years, Portugal was represented by some of the most prominent men of the times, including John Quincy Adams who replaced Humphreys in 1796 as Minister Plenipotentiary. Then, in 1825, after the appointment of Henry Dearborn Sr, a hero of both the Revolutionary war and War of 1812 was terminated at his own request, President John Quincy Adams appointed Thomas Ludwell Lee Brent as the chargés d’affaires. At this point, President Adams deemed that the U.S. interests in Portugal no longer warranted the appointment of a new ambassador, and instead commissioned Brent as a chargés d’affaires. A chargés d’affaires is a diplomat who heads the us the embassy in the absence of an ambassador. For thirty years between 1824 and 1854 there was no minister representing the U.S. in Lisbon. This is due to the fact that after the Napoleonic wars, Portugal had become a place torn apart by recurring conflicts between liberals who wanted to restrict the power of the monarchy, and Conservatives intent on preserving the absolute power of the monarchy. Portugal had become a place where comfort was scarce, and danger was plentiful.
Then in 1828, diplomatic relations were suspended by Brent in what President Andrew Jackson called a "peculiar state of things". In his State of the Union address, Jackson shared some generalities about the suspension when he announced that over the summer recess, diplomatic relations with Portugal had been resumed.
"During the recess of Congress our diplomatic relations with Portugal have been resumed. The peculiar state of things in that country caused a suspension of the recognition of the representative who presented himself until an opportunity was had to obtain from our official organ there information regarding the actual and, as far as practicable, prospective condition of the authority by which the representative in question was appointed. This information being received, the application of the established rule of our Government in like cases was no longer withheld."But what was this "peculiar state of things? Jackson was referring to the actions of Don Miguel who had seized the throne of Portugal on July 7, 1828 when he was acclaimed as absolute ruler. Miguel was an avowed conservative who was first challenged by the liberals in the 1820 Portugal revolution. Miguel and the Queen were both interested in overthrowing the parliamentary system and returning Portugal to an absolutist monarchy like that in Spain, but in 1824 Don Miguel was exiled to Vienna by his own father the current King of Portugal. During Miguel's exile, there were rivalries in the council and revolts in Lisbon that led his Miguel's brother Prince Peter to resolve to turn over the kingdom to Miguel. On January 13, Miguel departed London to return back to Lisbon, where on February 25, in the Ajuda Palace in front of both Chambers of the Cortes, the Royal Court and the diplomatic court, Don Miguel was presented with the written oath to defend the Constitutional Charter of Portugal. Then, on March 1st, some citizens of Lisbon gathered at the palace to acclaim Miguel as the "Absolute King" and within a week he began dismissing many moderate army officers and replaced princes who were liberalist sympathizers. On July 7, Miguel was acclaimed absolute ruler. When this occurred, Thomas L.L Brent resolved to suspend all diplomatic relations with any government proceeding from the occupation of the throne of Portugal by Don Miguel and sent a dispatch informing the President Jackson of his actions. On July 24, he received an initial dispatch that Jackson approved of this action. But, both Spain and the United States recognized Miguel as King and Brent was then instructed to re-establish diplomatic relations with Portugal under the throne of Don Miguel. The "peculiar state of things" that caused Thomas L.L. Brent to suspend recognition of Miguel as the valid ruler of Portugal had been resolved, and "the application of the established rule of our Government in like cases was no longer withheld." Meanwhile, the struggle between the absolutist Don Miguel and his liberalist brother Peter continued with the major states of Europe intervening in the quarrels (as displayed in the photo above). In December, 1834 Don Miguel and all his descendants were banned from Portugal by the Portuguese Cortes just one month after Thomas L.L. Brent mission as Chargé d'Affaires was terminated.
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). Andrew Jackson: First Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29471 [Accessed 22 Aug. 2018].
Clay, H., Hay, M., Winslow, R. and Seager, R. (2015). The papers of Henry Clay. [Place of publication not identified]: University Press of Kentucky, p.459.
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Miguel I of Portugal. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_I_of_Portugal [Accessed 24 Aug. 2018].
Woolfley, H. (2013). A Quaker Goes to Spain. Lanham: Lehigh University Press, pp.139-140.
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Miguel I of Portugal. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_I_of_Portugal [Accessed 24 Aug. 2018].
Woolfley, H. (2013). A Quaker Goes to Spain. Lanham: Lehigh University Press, pp.139-140.
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