1897 in Brazil

Events in the year 1897 in Brazil.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Prudente de Morais
• Vice-President: Manuel Vitorino

Governors

• Alagoas:
  • until June 12: José Vieira Peixoto
  • from June 12: Manuel José Duarte
• Amazonas: Fileto Pires Ferreira
• Bahia: Luís Viana
• Ceará: Antônio Nogueira Accioli
• Goiás: Francisco Leopoldo Rodrigues Jardim
• Maranhão:
  • until March 26: Casimiro Vieira Jr
  • from March 26: Alfredo Martins
• Mato Grosso: Manuel José Murtinho
• Minas Gerais: Bias Fortes
• Pará:
  • until February 1: Lauro Sodré
  • from February 1: Pais de Carvalho
• Paraíba: Antônio Alfredo Mello
• Paraná: Santos Andrade
• Pernambuco: Joaquim Correia de Araújo
• Piauí: Raimundo Artur de Vasconcelos
• Rio Grande do Norte: Joaquim Ferreira Chaves
• Rio Grande do Sul: Júlio de Castilhos
• Santa Catarina: Hercílio Luz
• São Paulo:
  • until October 31: Campos Sales
  • from October 31: Peixoto Gomide
• Sergipe: Martinho Garcez

Vice governors

• Rio de Janeiro:
• Rio Grande do Norte:
• São Paulo:

Events

• 6 January – An expeditionary force, consisting of 557 soldiers and officers under the command of Major Febrônio de Brito, who attacks the well-defended village of Canudos. The troops are eventually forced to retreat when confronted with more than 4,000 insurrectionists.
• 7 August – Euclides da Cunha goes to the sertão ("backland"), as war correspondent for O Estado de S. Paulo.
• 2 October – the War of Canudos comes to a brutal end, when a large Brazilian army force overruns the village and kills nearly all the inhabitants.
• 12 October – The city of Belo Horizonte is created and its construction is completely successfully.
• 5 November – President Prudente de Morais suffers an assassination attempt during a ceremony at the War Arsenal (currently the building of the National Historical Museum) in Rio de Janeiro.

Births

• 6 February – Alberto Cavalcanti, film director and producer (died 1982)
• 30 April – Humberto Mauro, film director (died 1983)
• 7 June – Lampião, bandit (died 1938)
• 20 September – Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco, politician (died 1967)
• 4 November – Oscar Lorenzo Fernández, composer (died 1948)

Deaths

• 1 January – Adolfo Caminha, Naturalist novelist (born 1867; tuberculosis)
• 4 March – Antônio Moreira César, army colonel, killed in action
• 22 September – Antônio Conselheiro, religious leader, preacher, and founder of the village of Canudos (born 1830; dysentery)
• 13 November – Francisco de Paula Ney, poet and journalist (born 1858)