Battle of Jenipapo 1823
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 13 March 1823 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1823 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Brazil | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | South America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Brazilian War of Independence | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | -4.7822, -42.1189 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Jenipapo was fought near the Jenipapo river in the then province of Piauí, on 13 March 1823, between the Imperial Brazilian Army and the Portuguese Army during the Brazilian War of Independence.
The battle was decisive for the independence of Brazil and consolidation of its national sovereign. The action involved Brazilian forces from Piauí, Ceará and Maranhão that engaged the Portuguese forces of Major John Fidié José da Cunha, charged with keeping the north of the former Portuguese colony loyal to the Crown. The Brazilians fought with farming tools, and had neither combat experience nor military training. The Piauians lost the battle, but their resistance made the Portuguese troops divert from their original destination. Had Fidié continued the march to Oeiras, the capital of Piauí at that time, the Piauians may not have had sufficient strength to deal with the larger Portuguese forces. It was one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles fought in the Brazilian war of independence.
Though widely cited by the historiography, the battle was largerly forgotten, and few Brazilians know of the incident, even in Piauí, where the events occurred. But, after a campaign led by politicians, historians and the public, the date of the action was added to the flag of Piauí.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Jenipapo (revision 1370444173), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Caxias 1823 · 137 km
- Portuguese conquest of Maranhão · 315 km
Other battles of the Brazilian War of Independence
- Siege of Salvador (1822–1823) 1822
- Battle of 4 May 1823
- Battle of Itaparica 1823
- Siege of Caxias 1823
- Siege of Montevideo (1823) 1823
All 6 battles of the Brazilian War of Independence →
Browse more: battles in Brazil · South America · 19th century battles