Queen Maria abjures her Oath at Belem; 1836. Maria II ascended the throne in 1834. Both she and her consort Ferdinand were entire strangers to Portugal and could exercise little or no control over the turbulent factions whose intrigues made orderly government impossible. On 3 November 1836; the Queen retired secretly to her palace at Belem. There she rallied the army and the court party around her; and abjured the oath which the revolutionists had forced her to take in the previous month. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson; c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.