The Sabinada was a regionalist rebellion that occurred in the province of Bahia, Brazil, between November 1837 and March 1838. It took place during the Regency period (1831–1840), a decade of political transition and social instability in the Empire of Brazil following the abdication of Emperor Pedro I.
The movement was named after its primary leader, Francisco Sabino Álvares da Rocha Vieira, a physician and journalist. Unlike many other contemporary Brazilian revolts that involved rural populations or enslaved people, the Sabinada was largely an urban movement. Its supporters primarily consisted of the middle class in Salvador, including military officers, bureaucrats, and professionals who were dissatisfied with the centralized administration in Rio de Janeiro and the appointment of provincial governors by the central government.
On November 7, 1837, the rebels seized control of Salvador and proclaimed the "Bahian Republic." A defining characteristic of the Sabinada was its conditional republicanism; the leaders declared that the republic would be temporary, lasting only until the underage Emperor Pedro II reached his legal majority. This stance reflected a desire for federalist autonomy rather than a total or permanent secession from the Brazilian Empire.
The imperial government viewed the uprising as a threat to national unity and responded with military force. Government troops established a naval blockade of Salvador and conducted a land-based siege. The conflict ended in March 1838 after a series of violent clashes and fires within the city. The repression was severe, resulting in approximately 2,000 deaths and the arrest of thousands of participants. Francisco Sabino and other leaders were captured and subsequently tried; several were exiled to remote regions of the empire.
Historically, the Sabinada is analyzed as part of a series of "Regency Revolts" (alongside the Cabanagem, the Balaiada, and the Farroupilha Revolution) that tested the stability of the Brazilian monarchical system and influenced the eventual decision to declare Pedro II’s majority early in 1840.
