Inconfidência Mineira (The Revolution of Minas Gerais)

The political movement known as Inconfidência Mineira (The Revolution of Minas Gerais) (1789) started in the town once known as Vila Rica, and today called Ouro Preto, in the state of Minas Gerais. The movement involved a conspiracy against the rule of the Portuguese Crown and was inspired by the libertarian ideals which prevailed at the time and which unleashed the French Revolution and the Independence of the United States. Among the its followers were judges, members of the clergy, the military forces as well as poets. Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes (literally the "tooth puller" due to him being a dentist), one of the leaders of the movement, admitted responsibility in the conspiracy and was arrested and condemned. He was condemned to death by hanging and executed on the 21st April 1792. His head was displayed in the main square of Vila Rica and the other parts of his body left hanging in different locations along the road, which linked Minas Gerais with Rio de Janeiro. The cruelty of the punished inflicted on him, instead of frightening the people, intensified the desire for independence in the colony and turned Tiradentes into a national martyr.