Porto Leste Declaration

Salvatore Renzi and his close advisors delivering the declaration in 1821.

The Porto Leste Declaration (Lusitan: Declaração de Porto Leste, Vespasian: Dichiarazione di Porta d'Est), officially the Declaration of Mariranan Sovereignty of the Island of Manassa was an official statement issued by the Second Republic of Marirana under Salvatore Renzi that preceded the Mariranan military occupation of the colony of Maracao, then under Lusitan rule, on April 19, 1821. It sought to publicise the event and notify the populace of the change in sovereignty of the island, and was issued as a personal address by Renzi to garner political power he would later attempt to use during the Mariranan Revolutionary Wars.

Background

Discussions regarding the purchase of Maracao between Lusitan and Mariranan diplomats had reportedly been taking place as early as 1818, and since the abolition of the slave trade it was made clear to Mariranan military officers that Lusitan hold over the island was no longer becoming a priority, although they still wished to maximise profit from the sale of the island. Negotiations for a purchase broke down in 1820, when Renzi made it clear the island would face invasion and the Lusitans thrown into a war in the Arucian if the island was not ceded within two years. The island's cession was agreed in 1821 with Renzi surrounding the island with military force to signify Marirana's presence.

Purpose

The Porto Leste Declaration was delivered as a personal speech and statement instead of being publicly signed via a treaty to increase political support for the ongoing Mariranan Revolutionary Wars in Eldmark and Nuxica, which at the time was successful for the Mariranan forces. Renzi targeted a weak polity in the Lusitan state to confidently project power without the risk of a major colonial conflict, with Maracao also being a strategically suitable island for Marirana to project its power in the Arucian, and would give them a strong foothold in Arucian trade. The declaration itself was successful in conveying Renzi's new position of power over the island, and saw a relatively peaceful transition of Maracao, overseen by Mariranan military forces.

Text of the declaration

"I, faithful President of the Republic, Salvatore Renzi, declare solely and wholeheartedly the immediate transferral of sovereignty of the island of Maracao, henceforth known as Manassa, to the direct rule of the Second Republic of Marirana. The declaration conveys the hope of myself and the Mariranan peoples that recognition of Marirana's interests in the region will be solemnly granted by the powers it may concern, and decree those who object to the free will of the Mariranan state to be counter-revolutionary, and the opposite of the ideals the people of Marirana and myself strive for on this great continent. With expectations previously outlined with the Lusitan crown, commands will be given out in due course to remove the forces of the crown from the island, effective immediately, and to be replaced with military garrisons of the Republic, commencing Mariranan sovereignty over the island."

Consequences

While the Porto Leste Declaration was seen as an unlawful seizure of land by many states, no major states and few states at all protested the incorporation of the island into Marirana, many of whom dissuaded by Renzi's ongoing success in the Revolutionary Wars. Mariranan occupation over the island would lead directly to the formation of early Maracan independence movements under Adelmar de Estremoz and would further influence the politics of later revolutionaries such as Renato Guimarães and Josué Couto.

See also

• Mariranan military rule of Maracao
• Adelmar I of Maracao
• Liberação