National Guard
Original title: Guarda Nacional
The National Guard in Madeira was a citizen militia organised after the Liberal victory in 1834. A battalion of caçadores was formed in 1836, and the guards were dissolved in 1846.
By a royal decree (alvará) of the Prefect and Military Governor of Madeira, dated 1 September 1834, a commission was appointed to carry out the census and nominal enrolment of all individuals who, under the decree of 29 March of the same year, were to serve in the National Guard. By the end of 1835, however, this guard had still not been properly organised, even though its officers had already been elected and approved by the competent authorities.
It seems that in the early days there was a certain reluctance to supply arms to the members of the National Guard (Guarda Nacional), because it was suspected that not all of them were loyal to the constitutional cause.
The ministerial order (portaria) of 19 March 1835 ordered the formation in Madeira of a battalion of Caçadores (Portuguese light infantry) of the National Guard. It was definitively constituted in 1836, its officers and non-commissioned officers having been elected on 10 January of that year at a meeting held in the Praça da Constituição (‘Constitution Square’).
The Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) sent the Governor the list of elected officers so that he could submit it to the Government for approval. Elections were held every two years, and the first commander of the battalion of Caçadores of the National Guard was Valentim de Freitas Leal.
The National Guard of Funchal had a flag presented by Dona Ana Mascarenhas e Ataíde on 14 January 1835.
The national guards were dissolved by the law of 7 October 1846.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 04-
A decree set out who was to serve in the National Guard.
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The prefect and military governor appointed a commission to enrol men in the National Guard in Madeira.
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D. Ana Mascarenhas e Ataíde presented a flag to the Funchal National Guard.
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A portaria ordered the formation of a National Guard caçadores battalion in Madeira.
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The officers of the National Guard battalion were elected at a meeting in the Praça da Constituição, Funchal.
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A law dissolved the national guards.
Place
Places mentioned · 02
- Funchal
Seat of the National Guard that received the flag.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Praça da Constituição
Funchal. The square where the battalion's officers were elected in January 1836.
The Praça da Constituição was a former square in Funchal, earlier called Passeio Público, named after the liberal constitution proclaimed there on 28 January 1821. It was called Praça Real under D. Miguel, became Praça da República in 1911, and disappeared in 1914 when the Avenida Oeste was built. It adjoined the Municipal Garden and was a terminus of the tramway.
People
People mentioned · 02-
Lady who presented a flag to the Funchal National Guard on 14 January 1835.
- Valentim de Freitas Leal1790–1879
First commander of the Madeira National Guard caçadores battalion.