The Assassination of the Crown Prince of…

The Assassination of the Crown Prince of Portugal (1908)

On February 1, 1908, Crown Prince Luís Filipe of Portugal was assassinated in Lisbon, alongside his father, King Carlos I. The attack, carried out by republican conspirators, marked a pivotal moment in Portugal’s political crisis, hastening the downfall of the monarchy.

The Lisbon Regicide: A Fatal Ambush

• As the royal family traveled in an open carriage through the Praça do Comércio, two republican gunmen, Alfredo Costa and Manuel Buíça, opened fire.
• King Carlos I was killed instantly, while Crown Prince Luís Filipe, the heir to the throne, was mortally wounded and died minutes later.
• Prince Manuel, the king’s younger son, survived with a minor injury and was immediately proclaimed King Manuel II.

Impact and the Road to Revolution

• The regicide shocked the nation, deepening Portugal’s political instability.
• Republican opposition had been growing due to dissatisfaction with the monarchy’s corruption, economic struggles, and colonial losses.
• King Manuel II, inexperienced and unprepared, struggled to restore confidence in the monarchy.
• Just two years later, in 1910, the monarchy was overthrown in the 5 October Revolution, and Portugal was declared a republic.

The assassination of Crown Prince Luís Filipe was thus a crucial turning point, directly contributing to the collapse of the Portuguese monarchy and the establishment of the First Portuguese Republic.