Among the early blows struck for independence was a rebellion in the town of Olhão. On 16 June 1808, the townsfolk — armed with little more than ancient swords, spears, and stones — attacked and captured the local French garrison. It's said that a party of local men then set sail from Olhão all the way to Brazil, without maps or navigational aids, to tell the king of the insurrection. The real battle, however, was waged under the leadership of the Duke of Wellington, whose coalition forces expelled the French after two years of bitter fighting. The war left Portugal further weakened, and in 1822 its major empire outpost, Brazil, declared independence. At the same time, a dispute over the crown continually raged between Pedro IV, the absentee monarch who preferred to reign as Emperor of Brazil rather than return to Portugal, and his brother Miguel. The power struggle, with strong overtones of absolutism versus liberalism, excited the interest and intervention of other powers. With British help, Pedro defeated Miguel off Cape St. Vincent in 1833, and his expeditionary force marched to Lisbon. Pedro took the throne, though armed struggle continued for months and the lingering bitterness long after that. By 1892 Portugal, racked by wars and the continuing expense of maintaining its African colonies (including those of Mozambique and Angola), declared itself bankrupt. The seeds of discontent with absolutist rule were sown. Kingdom's End Bloodshed would haunt the remaining years of the Portuguese monarchy. On 1 February 1908, the royal family was riding in an open carriage along the Lisbon river front plaza, Terreiro do Paço, when an assassin opened fire and killed King Carlos and the heir to the throne, Prince Luis Filipe. The prince's younger brother, Prince Manuel, was also hit, but he survived and was thus propelled to the throne at the tender age of 19. Amid republican agitation, a surprise uprising led by elements within the armed forces deposed Manuel in 1910. Having ruled for less than three years, Manuel died in exile in 1932 in England. The sudden end of more than seven centuries of monarchy brought confusion and crisis to the country. Presidents and prime ministers were ushered into and out of office an unbelievable 45 times between 1910 and 1926, until a military revolution suspended Portugal's problematic democracy. 

What happened in the town of Olhão?


 The one person who, by his interference, could have settled all doubts was debarred by circumstances from interfering in the matter.  Wykham Delandre had quarrelled with his sister--or perhaps it was that she had quarrelled with him--and they were on terms not merely of armed neutrality but of bitter hatred.  The quarrel had been antecedent to Margaret going to Brent's Rock.  She and Wykham had almost come to blows.  There had certainly been threats on one side and on the other; and in the end Wykham, overcome with passion, had ordered his sister to leave his house.  She had risen straightway, and, without waiting to pack up even her own personal belongings, had walked out of the house.  On the threshold she had paused for a moment to hurl a bitter threat at Wykham that he would rue in shame and despair to the last hour of his life his act of that day.  Some weeks had since passed; and it was understood in the neighbourhood that Margaret had gone to London, when she suddenly appeared driving out with Geoffrey Brent, and the entire neighbourhood knew before nightfall that she had taken up her abode at the Rock.  It was no subject of surprise that Brent had come back unexpectedly, for such was his usual custom.  Even his own servants never knew when to expect him, for there was a private door, of which he alone had the key, by which he sometimes entered without anyone in the house being aware of his coming.  This was his usual method of appearing after a long absence. 

Did Wykham and Margaret almost come to blows before or after she went to Brent's Rock?


(CNN) -- A Christian evangelical group said Thursday that a Bible school -- backed by American evangelist Franklin Graham -- was destroyed in the latest bombing raid to hit South Kordofan, an oil-rich Sudanese province that borders the newly created independent country of South Sudan. At least eight bombs were dropped in the area Wednesday during the school's first day of classes, according to a statement by Samaritan's Purse, Graham's Christian humanitarian group, which supports the school. Two bombs landed inside the compound -- located in the region's Nuba Mountains -- destroying two Heiban Bible College buildings and igniting grass fires across the area, the group said in a statement No injuries were reported. "It was a miracle that no one was injured," the statement added. Graham, who has called on the international community to take out Sudan's air assets and establish a no-fly zone in the region, said in a statement Thursday that he blamed Sudan's air force for the strike. At least four churches have been destroyed since August, the group said. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare and lives of the people of South Kordofan and we condemn the bombing of churches and Christian facilities," added Graham, son of the famed Rev. Billy Graham. More than 78,000 people have fled South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since August of last year after an armed rebellion took root, the United Nations reported. The Sudanese government is thought to have responded to the rebellion by conducting sustained air raids with the use of Russian-made Antonov bombers, which have raised concerns over civilian casualties. Decades of civil war between the north and south, costing as many as 2 million lives, formally ended with a U.S.-brokered peace treaty in 2005. 


Who did Franklin Graham blame for the bombs that destroyed the Bible school?