Manuel II of Portugal - Dover Pact

Dover Pact

After the failure of the first monarchist incursion, and what appeared Manuel's apparent disinterest in restoring the monarchy (and his abandonment of armed counter-revolution), another group of royalists attempted to legitimize the claims of the descendants of the pretender Miguel to the throne. Miguel's line had been excluded from the line of succession, owing to Miguel's usurption of the throne and subsequent civil war. In order to counter this, the ex-monarch entered into direct negotiations with Miguel's representatives: he attempted to fix himself as rightful King and re-recognize the descendants of Miguel as secondary heirs to the throne of Portugal, thereby reestablishing their rights and Portuguese citizenship. In fact, there was an encounter between Manuel II and Miguel II, in Dover, England, United Kingdom on 30 January 1912, where both exchanged protocols. The results of this meeting remains controversial: although there was an accord on challenging the republic, there remained no clear agreement on hereditary lines of succession, and Manuel still retained his right to the throne. A secondary Paris Pact was attempted but failed.