First Civil War

From Iscoun

The first civil war of Iscoun was a conflict between Wemberley and the English colonies of Georgeland, Octavia and Brunswick from 1890 through to 1895.

Handover of Braganza

As part of the 1890 British Ultimatum in Africa, the British government also requested that King of Portugal, Carlos I hand Braganza to the United Kingdom. King Carlos I, not wishing to damage the alliance between Portugal and Britain agreed to the demand and on 1 October 1890, Braganza became Wemberley under British rule. The British sent nationalist Michael Thirlmire to be the new colony's governor and he immediately began a policy of "Englishisation" as called by the Portuguese settlers.

Thirlmire's first move as governor was to rename the colony Wemberley as it was a more "English" sounding name. He also renamed the towns of São Cristóvão, Migueles, Belem and Palmela.

Frustrations among Citizens

At the time the English took over the Colony of Braganza, about ninety percent of its population were of Portuguese descent. These citizens were not concerned about becoming subjects of the United Kingdom but were concerned about the erasure of the colony's history. A group of concerned citizens called the Braganza Citizens for Preservation (BCP), led by José Eduardo Tavares Silva formed with the intention of reversing the "Englishisation" of the Colony.

Newpapers in Wemberley soon began publishing articles about the BCP which angered Governor Thirlmire. To counter the BCP's influence, Thirlmire announced that he had successfully gained self-government from Queen Victoria and that elections would be held.