Revolta de 31 Janeiro de 1891, Porto

Portugal’s first republican bid to bring down the monarchy unfolded in Porto on 31 January 1891. The spark was the British ultimatum of 1890: Portugal yielded claims to territory between Angola and Mozambique, and many Portuguese treated that retreat as a national disgrace and proof of a feeble monarchy. In Porto, where republican support ran particularly strong, sergeants and ordinary soldiers led the rising without senior officers behind them.

Before dawn, troops moved toward what is now Praça da República, joined elements of the 10th and 18th Infantry Regiments. The 18th Regiment ultimately stood back after its colonel persuaded it not to join. Rebels then reached today’s Praça da Liberdade, where Augusto Alves da Veiga announced a republic from the City Hall balcony, a provisional government was named, and a red-and-green flag went up.

The attempt collapsed at the steps of Saint Ildefonso Church, where the municipal guard blocked the route to the post and telegraph station. Gunfire broke out; the defenders overwhelmed the rebels, and the holdouts surrendered by 10 that morning. Twelve people were officially recorded killed and 40 wounded. After the republic finally triumphed in 1910, this former Rua de Santo António was renamed Rua de 31 de Janeiro in memory of those events.