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[PORTUGUESE “BELENZADA AFFAIR”]. Manuscript Account (by an Unnamed British Marine) of Queen Maria II’s (1819-53) Counter Revolution. [Lisbon, November 3-10, 1836]. Primary source account of the Belenzada Affair, by a British marine serving on HMS Cornwallis (1813) and participating in the event at Lisbon, describing daily and hourly actions taking place during the counter-revolution begun by Queen Maria II. Text in English. Annotated by a contemporary transcriber who seems to be a friend of the diarist and presumably the recipient of the original letter, to front upper margin: “Extract Private letter” and to the end leaf: “Novr. 3d 1836 Revolution at Lisbon Copy of Wms Report of it”. 8vos. 7 pages in manuscript. Two double leaves measuring approximately 8 ¼ x 10 ½”. Occasional creasing, soiling, very minor loss to first leaf, not affecting legibility of content, otherwise in very good condition. The Belenzada, also known as the Belém Affair, was an attempted coup in November 1836 by Queen Maria II of Portugal and her husband Prince Ferdinand II, to remove the liberal government which had been established by the September Revolution, and to reinstate the Constitutional Charter of 1826. Despite enjoying diplomatic support from the United Kingdom and Belgium, the attempt was frustrated by the determination of the National Guard, the regular army and the general population of Lisbon. This primary source document provides a superbly detailed chronical of events of one counter-revolution in Imperial Portugal, initiated by Queen Maria II herself, as a response to the uprising of the Setembrismo and Cartismo movement to end the political “devorismo” (‘devourism’) as it was termed at the time. The event is all-but-forgotten by Western historians, albeit said to be one of the three most important of conspiracies or plots executed during this period of unrelenting political conflict. Several Portuguese notables appear in the document, as direct participants in the event, apart from the Queen herself, and her husband Prince Ferdinand whose quick and decisive pursuit of an insurgent was most notable for a royal. Among them are João Carlos Gregório Domingos Vicente Francisco de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha, (1790-1876) who was made Minister of War and President of the Council but resigned the same year. After the revolution of 1836, which he had instigated he went into exile until recalled in 1846. Full description available upon request.