II2a PORTUGAL 



The Royalist coup was planned for the anniversary of the Republican rising of 1910 

 an insurrection in the North and an invasion were to take place simultaneously. But 

 a premature outbreak at Oporto (September 30) was easily quelled, and no widespread 

 popular movement occurred. Captain Couceiro crossed the frontier on October 3 at 

 the head of about 1,000 men, badly armed and equipped. He occupied the village of 

 Vinhaes near Braganza, but was soon compelled to take refuge in the heights of the rug- 

 ged Serra da Coroa, and by October n had recrossed the frontier, after a few small 

 skirmishes. No further attempt was made in 191 1. 



Dom Manoel and the other claimant to the throne, D. Miguel, met at Dover on 

 February 6, 1912 to concert common action for the restoration of the Monarchy a 

 cause which was now supported by the great wealth of the Miguelites. The exact 

 nature of the compact between the two rival and exiled dynasties has not been made 

 public, though it is certain that Dom Manoel would be accorded a prior claim to the 

 throne, and probable that some matrimonial alliance was contemplated. 



On July 7, 1912 800 Royalists crossed the frontier near Verin, and a further force of 

 400, led by Couceiro and supported by discontented peasants, took the field near 

 Montalegre. But though an alleged Royalist plot was discovered at Torres Vedras at 

 the same time, this invasion was even less successful than those of 1911; and it ended in 

 the withdrawal of the Royalists after three days. An official Portuguese note dated 

 July 1 4th complained strongly of the inaction of the Spanish authorities. Senor 

 Canalejas protested against the terms of the note; but on the i7th, 62 Royalists were 

 arrested by Spanish frontier guards; and on September 3 the Portuguese Government 

 issued a second note stating that all disagreement was at an end. A manifesto was 

 published shortly afterwards by Dom Manoel, thanking Cougeiro and the other Royal- 

 ists, and stating that his claim to the throne would never be abandoned. 



Church and State. The anti-clerical policy initiated when the Provisional Govern- 

 ment was formed evoked opposition in many districts. In February 1911 numerous 

 priests were arrested in the North for reading in the churches a Pastoral Letter of Pro- 

 test signed by all the bishops; and on March 7 an attempt was made by the Lisbon 

 mob to lynch the Bishop of Oporto. The Bishop was removed from his see but granted 

 a pension of 240. 



On April 21 the Government published the Decree of Separation between Church 

 and State, a document of far-reaching importance for the social and religious history of 

 the country. This Decree was the work of Dr. Affonso Costa, the Minister of Justice. 

 It guarantees full liberty of conscience to all Portuguese citizens; declares that the Ro- 

 man Catholic Creed is no longer recognised as the State religion; recognises all faiths as 

 of equal authority; and abolishes all State payments for the maintenance of public 

 worship, and all imposts levied for such a purpose. No public body or functionary is 

 permitted to assume any religious office. Public worship is permitted " in places de- 

 signed for it," and is defined as the meeting of any number of persons for religious 

 purposes in public, or of twenty or more persons in a private house. This definition is 

 held to include religious instruction and all schools where such instruction is given 

 must be open to the public. All churches and other edifices used for public worship are 

 declared to be inalienable without the consent of the Minister of Justice, and may at 

 any time be expropriated for public purposes at their actual value. Members of a 

 congregation or other religious association may only contribute towards the general 

 expenses of their worship through some charitable body exclusively Portuguese, such as 

 the board of a local hospital, asylum or creche, but preferably through the Misericordia; 

 and the corporation acting as trustee must apply at least one-third of the money received 

 to acts of beneficence. No funeral ceremony or other act of worship may be performed 

 outside any recognised place of worship without the consent of the municipal authori- 

 ties. All ecclesiastical buildings and other existing property of the Roman Catholic 

 Church now pertain to the State, which allows free use of them to the various congrega- 

 tions. The existing Roman Catholic Clergy is permitted a like free use of the Episcopal 

 palaces and parsonages. Pensions are granted to all existing members of the priesthood 



