Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Minister for National Defence,
Mayor of Chaves,
Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff,
Colonel in Command of the 19th Infantry Regiment,
Soldiers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In this my first visit to Chaves as President of the Republic, I begin by addressing a warm greeting to all the people of this county. I cannot forget the warm welcome with which I have always been received by the citizens of Chaves when exercising other offices. I keep alive in my memory my last visit here in early 2006.

Today, When we commemorate the two hundred years of reconquering Chaves we recall a military feat which is simultaneously an act of patriotism and a gesture of sacrifice for freedom.

The great happenings of Military History are commemorated because they represent moments of collective mustering, in which the people support the Armed Forces, in defence of the integrity of the land or of the values which solidify the national community. When reconquering Chaves, the joint efforts between the military and the people were determining to achieve victory as well as a valuable contribution for the lack of success of the invading armies.

I am not exaggerating when stating that 25 March 1809 was the presage of the defeat of the French forces. We owe to the courage of the people of Trás-os-Montes and to the patriotism of our Armed Forces a feat that, two centuries hence, deserves being commemorated.

As I have stated on several occasions, there is only sense in extolling the past when it is possible to discover a sense for the future. In the case of the bicentenary of the reconquer of Chaves, this sense for the future is self evident.

Lead by a great native of Trás-os-Montes, General Francisco da Silveira, our forces knew how to honour Portugal, valiantly and courageously facing the powerful Napoleonic armies. As so often happened in our History, success was not guaranteed from the start. On the contrary, the war machine commanded by Marshal Soult was a fearful enemy, equipped with means that had the battle been direct and frontal would have possibly resulted in his being the victor.

The talent of our soldiers resided precisely on opting for a military conduct marked by subtlety and intelligence: observe and lash the invader on the nether side of the border; follow, with continuous pressure, his march through the Chaves Meadows; allow the progress of the invasion in the direction of Braga and Porto and, finally, reconquer Chaves, the base of the French liaison to Galicia, and cut the line of communications.

The military art that permitted this feat of arms ennobled the «Chaves Frontiersmen», at the time the 12th Infantry Regiment, of which the 19th Infantry Regiment is the legitimate heir and whose patriotism is well woven into its motto «Always Excellent and Valorous».

This was equally the motto of the people of Chaves who fought for the freedom of their land. Two hundred years ago, those who faced the foreign invader here were «Always Excellent and Valorous».

I am certain that these values have not been lost and, such as two centuries ago, the people of Chaves will always be «excellent and valorous». Our forebears showed us how to conquer adversities and achieve victory in difficult times. We have to be deserving of their example. We have to measure up to their spirit of sacrifice and to their will to win. We have to honour their love for the Fatherland.

Precisely two hundred years ago we regained the Fort of São Francisco. We must not forget that this conquest was achieved, in great measure, with the support of the people, since General Silveira only had available a few hundred regular troops. He did not have thousands of soldiers neither the modern weapons of his enemy.

But he had with him something far superior: the love of the Fatherland that linked the people to the armed forces, which was the reason for all to feel that it was the time to support the soldiers in battle.

We thus commemorate the recognition we all owe to our Armed Forces. We commemorate the intelligence and the subtlety of those who were capable of vanquishing an apparently stronger enemy. We commemorate the tenacity and the courage shown by the people of Trás-os-Montes who two hundred years ago fought for the freedom and independence of Portugal.

The Chaves victory was a lesson of patriotism and of being Portuguese. With my presence here, today, my sole intention is to say that we have to measure up to our forebears. In the name of Portugal, in the name of those who preceded us and in the name of the coming generations, our time is also a time of demand and struggle. Just as we conquered two hundred years ago, so we must be able to conquer today.