February 1, 1908 — King Carlos I was shot dead on this day, effectively bringing to an end the Portuguese monarchy which, as the House of Bragança, had occupied the country’s throne since December 1640. He is Portugal’s only monarch ever to have been assassinated.
But it was not a cause of regret for a good number of his subjects. Though cultured, sophisticated and fiercely intelligent – his attributes included being an oceanography expert – Carlos had developed a reputation for extravagance and licentiousness.
They were failings that fanned the flames of republicanism igniting across the country, partly because of the king’s inability to deal with the political and economic problems that beset Portugal at the time.
Born in 1863 under the extraordinary nomenclature of Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Víctor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão, he was the son of King Luis I and Queen Maria Pia of Savoy. She was the daughter of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.
Carlos became King of Portugal in October 1889 after the death of his father and immediately faced economic and political problems. The country declared bankruptcy in 1892 and again in 1902, leading to street protests and widespread criticism of the monarchy.
The king responded by appointing a controversial politician, João Franco, as prime minister and virtual dictator. But his harsh policies and the country’s continuing perilous finances caused mounting unrest.
Carlos insisted that Franco's dictatorship was necessary to end parliamentary corruption, but his words had a hollow ring amid rumours that Franco was illegally using Treasury money to help Carlos pay for his extravagant lifestyle.
All this was set against the notorious 1890 British Ultimatum. Portugal had claimed a large area of land between its colonies of Mozambique and Angola, including most of present-day Zimbabwe and Zambia. But, on the basis of effective occupation, the British also claimed the land and issued an ultimatum demanding withdrawal of Portuguese military forces from the disputed areas.
When Portugal acquiesced it was seen by republicans as a national humiliation and the government and the king were denounced as being responsible.
It was all too much for some and on February 1, 1908, King Carlos, aged 44, and his 20-year-old son Luís Filipe were shot dead as they rode in an open carriage through Lisbon.
Carlos’s younger son, Manuel, aged 18, was immediately declared king, but he reigned only until October 1910, when another uprising forced him into exile in the UK. Portugal was then declared a republic and the 270-year-old monarchy was abolished.
Published: January 20, 2022
Updated: November 23, 2023
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