General Antônio de Sousa Neto (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtoni.u d(ʒi) ˈsowzɐ ˈnɛtu, ɐ̃ˈtonju -]; 11 February 1803 – 2 July 1866) was a Brazilian military leader of the Riograndense Republic during the Ragamuffin War. On 20 September 1836, Neto declared the independence of the Riograndense Republic.
He was a famous abolitionist and fought for the release of the slaves who had fought during the revolution.
The Ragamuffin War, also known as the Ragamuffin Revolution or Heroic Decade, was a republican uprising that began in southern Brazil, in the province (current state) of Rio Grande do Sul in 1835. The rebels were led by Generals Bento Gonçalves da Silva and Antônio de Sousa Neto with the support of the Italian fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi. The war ended with an agreement between the two sides, known as the Treaty of Ponche Verde, in 1845.
Over time, the revolution acquired a separatist character and influenced separatist movements throughout the entire country such as the Liberal Rebellions in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais in 1842, and the Sabinada in Bahia in 1837.
The Riograndense Republic, often called the Piratini Republic (Portuguese: República Rio-Grandense or República do Piratini), was a de facto state that seceded from the Empire of Brazil and roughly coincided with the present state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was proclaimed on 11 September 1836 by general Antônio de Sousa Neto as a direct consequence of the victory obtained by gaúcho oligarchic forces at the Battle of Seival (1836) during the Ragamuffin War (1835–1845). It had a constitution adopted in 1843 and was recognised only by the United Kingdom, France, and Uruguay.
In 1839, the Riograndense Republic formed a confederation with the short-lived Juliana Republic (Portuguese: República Juliana) which proclaimed its independence in the same year. November 1839, however, saw the war result in the defeat and disappearance of the Juliana Republic. The Riograndense Republic had five capitals during its nearly nine years of existence: the cities of Piratini (for which it is often called Piratini Republic), Alegrete, Caçapava do Sul (official capitals), Bagé (for only two weeks), and São Borja. The war between the Gaúchos and the Brazilian Empire was ended by the Ponche Verde Treaty.
The Ragamuffin War (Portuguese: Guerra dos Farrapos), also known as the Ragamuffin Revolution or Heroic Decade, was a republican uprising that began in southern Brazil during the regency period, centered in the province of Rio Grande do Sul and, for a time, extending into neighboring Santa Catarina. It began on 20 September 1835, when rebel forces seized Porto Alegre, and soon turned into a wider confrontation between Brazil's imperial government and an opposition coalition led by influential regional leaders, such as Bento Gonçalves and Antônio de Sousa Neto, who proclaimed the secession of the province and the creation of the Riograndense Republic following the rebel victory at the battle of Seival in 1836.
The war is often situated within the broader political and institutional instability of Brazil's regency era, when numerous armed conflicts exposed the fragility of imperial authority and intensified disputes over the degree of autonomy between the Court and Brazil's provinces. In Rio Grande do Sul, the tensions unfolded over the region's economy, reliant on livestock and the production of jerked beef. Producers in Rio Grande do Sul complained that local jerked beef was burdened by high export and customs taxation and by import duties on salt, while Uruguay and Argentina benefited from more favorable tax treatment in Brazilian markets, making the local product less competitive within the country, which led to economic grievances with the Imperial government, but also due to a broader desire for greater autonomy and opposition to centralized control over the province. The revolution also influenced other rebel movements throughout the country, such as the Sabinada, in Bahia, in 1837, and the Liberal Rebellions in Minas Gerais and São Paulo, in 1842.