Bahia Independence Day: The end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.

Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population and the 5th-largest by area. Bahia's capital is the city of Salvador, on a spit of land separating the Bay of All Saints from the Atlantic. Once a stronghold of supporters of direct rule of Brazil by the Portuguese monarchy, and dominated by agricultural, slaving, and ranching interests, Bahia is now a predominantly working-class industrial and agricultural state. The state is home to 7% of the Brazilian population and produces 4.2% of the country's GDP. It is divided into 417 municipalities. The state has a strong tourism power in several regions of its territory, for example: Salvador, Morro de São Paulo, Porto Seguro, Ilhéus, Alto Cariri National Park, Itacaré, Lençóis-Chapada Diamantina, Bom Jesus da Lapa, São Desidério etc.

Colonial Brazil, sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal. During the 300 years of Brazilian colonial history, the main economic activities of the territory were based first on brazilwood extraction, which gave the territory its name; sugar production ; and finally on gold and diamond mining. Slaves, especially those brought from Africa, provided most of the workforce of the Brazilian export economy after a brief initial period of Indigenous slavery to cut brazilwood.

The siege of Salvador occurred during the Brazilian War of Independence, during which the newly formed Brazilian army, under the command of French general Pierre Labatut, attempted to capture the city of Salvador in Bahia from its Portuguese defenders. The siege lasted from 2 March 1822 until 2 July 1823, finally ending when the Portuguese commander, Madeira de Melo, surrendered his forces to the Brazilians.