Bárbara de Alencar

Bárbara Pereira de Alencar (11 February 1760 – 18 August 1832) was a Brazilian merchant and revolutionary. She was a major figure in the Pernambucan revolt. She was briefly the president of the Republic of Crato, which was set up in revolt against the Brazilian government. Within 8 days she was captured and tortured by the monarchy, making her the first political prisoner in the history of Brazil.

In 1817, Bárbara participated in her first armed revolt — the Revolution of Crato, which aligned with the broader Pernambucan Revolution and opposed the Portuguese Crown. Together with her sons, the Alencar family ousted the local Portuguese authorities and replaced them with revolutionaries. This new government lasted eight days before Portuguese forces reclaimed control. The consequences for Alencar and her sons were harsh. They were imprisoned under inhumane conditions. After years of legal petitions, letters to the king, and even bribery attempts, they were released in 1820.

She was the mother of José Martiniano Pereira de Alencar and grandmother of the writer José de Alencar and diplomat Leonel Martiniano de Alencar. The writer Paulo Coelho is her sixth-generation descendant.