The Revolt or the Juazeiro Sedition, was a popular conflict that took place in 1914 during the Old Republic (1889-1930) in the city of Juazeiro do Norte, in the hinterland of Cariri, Ceará.
Marechal Hermes da Fonseca (1855-1923) held the position of president of the country, who adopted measures of political intervention, known as the “Salvations Policy”, in order to combat political leaders (at the time, the colonels) that made it difficult to acting of power.
As a result, Marcos Franco Rabelo (1851-1940) was appointed by the president as Governor of Ceará (1912-1914), which greatly displeased the colonels, who united with the aim of overthrowing the government.
It is important to point out that the population was already very uncomfortable with the terrible living conditions, aggravated by poverty and hunger.
Thus, the Juazeiro Revolt acquired a messianic character, since the population, imbued with religious beliefs, believed they were participating in a “holy war”, with the religious and political leadership of Father Cícero. In this sense, it is important to highlight the fusion that was established between the clergy (church) and the farmers of Ceará.
Unsurprisingly, the Revolt was violent between the colonels (commanded by the gaucho senator José Gomes Pinheiro Machado) and the state forces, resulting in the withdrawal of political intervention by the state power, which, in turn, was handed over again to the Ceará oligarchies. Finally, Franco Rabelo was deposed.
Coronelismo and the Pact of Colonels
The coronelismo was a term coined to explain the great influence that the colonels had in the interior of the country, since the Proclamation of the Republic, in 1889.
The colonels' pact, signed on October 4, 1911, was intended to combat the "policy of salvation", proposed by the federal government, as well as to ensure the return of the Acyoli family to power.
This pact brought together 17 political leaders from various places in the hinterland of Cariri, namely:Crato, Juazeiro, Santana do Cariri, São Pedro do Cariri (Caririaçu), Missão Velha, Araripe, Jardim, Milagres, Porteiras, Assaré, Várzea Alegre, Brejo Santo, Campos Sales, Aurora, Lavras da Mangabeira, Barbalha and Quixará (Farias Brito).
Father Cicero
Father Cícero Romão Batista (1844-1934), popularly called “Padim Ciço”, was born in Ceará and was one of the most important leaders of the Juazeiro Revolt.
Mystical figure, much respected and loved, alongside the traditional Acyoli family, led by Colonel Antônio Pinto Nogueira Accioly, then president of Ceará, who had great power at the time, Cícero called on the population to fight against the State and claim power, which was previously dominated by the oligarchies of Ceará.
In 1911, with the support of the farmers, he was elected Mayor of Juazeiro, and he became a symbol of the Revolt, being considered a saint, prophet and protector of the northeast.
Franco Rabelo, as governor of the state, deposed Cicero from office and had him arrested. The doctor Floro Bartolomeu, a great friend of his, helped lead the Revolt by being the chief executor of the event. With the end of the Revolt, Father Cícero and his friend return to the political scene of Ceará, being elected vice-governor of Ceará.
Father Cicero was punished by the Vatican in 1894, which excommunicated him from the Catholic order, being accused of manipulating popular belief.
Worshiped by the population of Ceará, Father Cícero became a "popular saint". With his death on July 20, 1934, devotion to him increased even more.
Curiosities
In honor of the central figure of the Revolt, a Statue of Father Cícero was erected on Horto Hill, in Juazeiro do Norte, inaugurated in 1969. It is currently a pilgrimage point for many faithful.
On All Souls' Day, pilgrimages from different parts of the northeast are carried out to visit the tomb of Father Cícero, located in the Church of Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro and his statue, located on Colina do Horto, in the city of Juazeiro.
According to the stories of the faithful, Father Cícero was considered a "Saint", since in 1889 he performed a miracle during a mass, turning a host into blood.
Parallel to the Juazeiro Revolt, in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, it followed the Contestado War (1912-1916).
Read Also :State of Ceará.