Speech Act and Image Act

The Relaçao de tudo o que se passou is the earliest report of what happened on the first of December in 1640 in Lisbon. It is dedicated to the fidalgos and reads like a who's who of the conspirators, whose names are listed in an appendix. Subsequent texts recounting the events did so with little variation, so that the initial report's accounts of the events remained authoritative.

The conspirators agreed upon Saturday, 1 December, as the day that the revolt would take place. On Friday, they prepared themselves spiritually, fortifying their resolve by going to confession. On Saturday morning, shortly before nine o’clock, they gathered on the Terreiro do Paço, the area in front of the Tejo palace. They arrived by coach, on horseback and by foot, spreading out across the square. As the bell rang the hour, they commenced the storming of the palace: the clueless German Guard was easily overpowered; one man was killed and one wounded. The civil judge Francisco Soares de Albergaria was also murdered by the conspirators as they penetrated into the palace's interior. He had dared to counter the “vivat” proclaimed for the new Braganza king with another “vivat” for Philip IV. From a balcony, the new king, John IV, was quickly proclaimed, a literal speech act meant to establish a new fact in the midst of the revolt's tumult. In this performative utterance, the formulation of intention and execution of the act were masterfully brought together.