Empire of Brazil

The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pedro I and his son Dom Pedro II, both members of the House of Braganza—a branch of the Capetian dynasty. A colony of the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese colonial Empire in 1808, when the Portuguese Prince regent, later King Dom João VI, fled from Napoleon I's invasion of Portugal and established himself and his government in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. João VI later returned to Portugal, leaving his eldest son and heir, Pedro, to rule Brazil as regent.

On 7 September 1822, Pedro declared the independence of Brazil and, after waging a successful war against his father's kingdom, was acclaimed on 12 October as Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil. The new country was huge but sparsely populated and ethnically diverse. Unlike most of its Hispanic republic neighbors, Brazil had political stability, freedom of speech, respect for civil rights and vibrant economic growth. Its bicameral parliament was elected under comparatively democratic methods for the era, as were the provincial and local legislatures. This led into a long ideological conflict between Pedro I and a sizable parliamentary faction over the role of the monarch in the government. He also faced other obstacles; the unsuccessful Cisplatine War against the neighboring United Provinces of the Río de la Plata led to the secession of a Brazilian province (later to become Uruguay) in 1828. Despite his role in Brazilian independence, he became the king of Portugal in 1826 but immediately abdicated in favor of his eldest daughter. Two years later her throne was usurped by Pedro I's younger brother. Unable to deal with both Brazilian and Portuguese affairs, Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and immediately departed for Europe to restore his daughter to her throne.

Pedro I's successor was his five-year-old son, Pedro II. As the latter was still a minor, a weak regency was created. The power vacuum resulting from the absence of a ruling monarch as the ultimate arbiter in political disputes led to regional civil wars between local factions. Having inherited an empire on the verge of disintegration, Pedro II, once declared of age, managed to bring peace and stability to the country, which eventually became an emerging international power. Brazil was victorious in three international conflicts (the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the Paraguayan War) under Pedro II's rule, and it prevailed in several other international disputes and domestic strifes. With prosperity and economic development came an influx of European immigration, including Protestants and Jews, although Brazil remained mostly Catholic. Slavery, which had initially been widespread, was restricted by successive legislation until its final abolition in 1888. Brazilian visual arts, literature and theater developed during this time of progress. Although heavily influenced by European styles that ranged from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, each concept was adapted to create a culture that was uniquely Brazilian.

Despite the fact the last four decades of Pedro II's reign were marked by continuous internal peace and economic prosperity, he personally had no desire to see the monarchy survive beyond his lifetime. As the Emperor grew older, he made no effort to maintain support for the institution. Since he lacked viable heirs (the next in line was his daughter Isabel, and both Pedro II and the ruling classes considered a female monarch unacceptable) the Empire's political leaders believed that there was no reason to defend the monarchy. Despite the lack of enthusiasm among most Brazilians for adopting a republican form of government, on 15 November 1889, after a 58-year reign, the Emperor was overthrown in a sudden coup d'état that had almost no support outside a clique of military leaders whose goal was the formation of a republic headed by a dictator.