War of Canudos
1897 · Canudos (modern Bahia, Brazil) · World · Modern
The first three expeditions were repulsed; the fourth besieged Canudos for months before taking it, and the community was destroyed
Belligerents
Brazilian Republican army
- Commanders
- Moreira César, Artur Oscar
- Strength
- Several thousand to over 10,000 in the fourth expedition
Canudos community
- Commanders
- Antônio Conselheiro
- Strength
- Several thousand armed residents
Background
Canudos, in the backlands of Bahia, drew tens of thousands of poor peasants who followed Conselheiro, and the republican government saw it as a threat.
Course of the battle
- First setbackIn 1896 small forces of police and troops were sent against it twice, and both were repulsed
- Famed general killed in battleIn March 1897 Moreira César led the third expedition; he was killed and his force collapsed
- Main army lays siegeThe fourth expedition massed large forces and artillery and laid siege for months from June
- The city fallsConselheiro died in September, and in early October Canudos fell; nearly all its defenders were killed
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1897 |
|---|---|
| Place | Canudos (in today's Bahia, Brazil) |
| Result | The first three expeditions were repulsed; the fourth besieged Canudos for months before taking it, and the community was destroyed |
| Winner | Brazilian Republican army |
| Casualties | Deaths are estimated at 15,000 to 25,000 (including residents) |
| Territorial change | Canudos community destroyed |
Impact
The War of Canudos exposed the vast gulf between city and countryside in the early Brazilian Republic, and Euclides da Cunha drew on it to write his classic Os Sertões (Rebellion in the Backlands).
See the world in 1897 on the map →