A Guerra dos Botocudos 1808 — Quando a Coroa Declarou Guerra Oficial a um Povo Inteiro

In 1808, a few months after arriving in Brazil fleeing Napoleon, Dom João signed a document declaring official war on an entire people: the Botocudos of the Rio Doce valley. On paper, it was called a "just war." In practice, it was authorization to hunt, enslave, and seize the lands of those who had lived there for centuries. The decree appointed commanders, organized expeditions, and allowed the enslavement of any captured indigenous person for ten years. It lasted until 1824. The Botocudos—who called themselves Borum—were decimated, but not erased: their descendants exist to this day. Research based on indigenous legislation organized by Manuela Carneiro da Cunha and the original text of the Royal Charter of 1808. Subscribe. The Brazil they didn't tell you about continues here.