Conselheiro, Antonio (1835-1897)
Conselheiro, Antonio (1835-1897)
Brazilian millennialist and religious leader who prophesied that the world would end in the year 1900. Born Antonio Vicente Medes Macial, son of poverty-stricken landowners in Ceará, Brazil, he left home to become a wandering preacher and acquired the name "Conselheiro" (the Counsellor) from the peasants, who respected his judgment.
His influence spread rapidly, and after the establishment of the Republic of Brazil in 1889, his preaching led to skirmishes with the authorities. After proclaiming the imminent end of the world, he formed a community of the faithful in the remote northern village of Canudos. Several military campaigns were undertaken by the government against his community, but the troops were repelled.
In 1897 Conselheiro became ill (possibly through dysentery) and died. Soon afterward his millenialists were defeated.
Sources:
Cunninghame, Graham R. B. A Brazilian Mystic: Being the Life and Miracles of Antonio Conselheiro. London: Heineman, 1920. Reprint, Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1971.
Levine, Robert M. Vale of Tears: Revisiting the Canudos Massacre in Northeastern Brazil. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 1992.
Macedo, Nertan. Antonio Conselheiro. N.p.: Graf Record, 1969.