Dom Pedro I is one of the great names in the history of Brazil. He was one of the drivers of the process of independence, besides having been Brazilian emperor from 1822 to 1831. Son of d. João VI, King of Portugal, Dom Pedro I was known throughout his life for being impulsive and womanizer.
During his reign over Brazil, his great mark was the authoritarianism and, for this reason, his relationship with the elites of Brazil has frayed to the point of d. Peter renounced the throne in 1831. After that, she returned to Portugal, where she fought in the Portuguese Civil War, in defense of her daughter's right. Maria assume the Portuguese throne.
Biography
![Dom Pedro I was emperor of Brazil from 1822 to 1831.[1]](/f/0eb02bcdf0ed6b62a65a4ff5d86cf0ed.jpg)
D. Pedro was one of the most important figures in Brazilian history and was involved in significant events. Heir to the Bragança dynasty, he gave up his right to occupy the Portuguese throne to assume the Brazilian throne.
Full name of d. Peter I
One of the biggest curiosities involving d. Pedro I is his full name, which became quite famous for being a considerably long name:
Pedro de Alcântara Francisco Antônio João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim de Bragança and Bourbon.Also access: Find out what Constitution Day is and what your relationship is with d. Peter I
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Youth
Pedro de Alcântara was born in Lisbon, on October 12, 1798. he was the son of d. John VI and d. Carlota Joaquina, prince and princess of Portugal on the occasion of Pedro's birth (d. João VI and Carlota Joaquina only became king and queen in 1816). the boy was the fourth child of the couple (the second male child), but he ended up becoming the heir to the Portuguese throne when d. Antônio de Bragança, his older brother, died.
Still in childhood, d. Pedro came to Brazil as a result of Court transfer portuguese Here. This happened because Portugal would be invaded by French troops and, to avoid being a prisoner of Napoleon, d. João VI decided to move to Rio de Janeiro. When did this happen, d. Peter was nine years old.
In Rio de Janeiro, d. Pedro was installed in the Palace of São Cristóvão, the place that housed the National museum – recently destroyed by fire. He had a quality education, as was customary for royals, although biographers claim that d. Pedro was little dedicated to his studies. One of his masters, d. Antônio de Arábida, accompanied him throughout his life.
In the passage from childhood to adolescence, d. Peter demonstrated a probable hyperactivity, since he couldn't stay without having some kind of occupation. The biographers of d. Pedro also report that he suffered from occasional seizure attacks, caused by epilepsy. Historian Isabel Lustosa claims that there are records from 1811 that detail convulsions suffered by d. Peter |1|.
weddings
Pedro de Alcantara married Leopoldine from Austria on May 13, 1817. His wife was the daughter of the Austrian Emperor Franz I, and their marriage was intended to secure a very important agreement for both Portugal and Austria.
For Portugal, it was the opportunity to secure the alliance of a nation that was victorious in the fight against Napoleon and that had great influence in the holy alliance (coalition of European absolutist monarchies that fought against Napoleon).
To the Austrians, there was a guarantee of an agreement with a nation that had vast territories in America – mainly due to the fact that Brazil had just been elevated to the status of United Kingdom. With this, the two nations sought to align their interests and bond for mutual commercial development.
![D. Maria Leopoldina, wife of d. Pedro I, had a great influence on the independence of Brazil.[1]](/f/5a790f7ebd08778eb04e00bb1e22f1b9.jpg)
Although the wedding took place in May, Leopoldina only met d. Pedro in November 1817, on the occasion of his move to Rio de Janeiro. Historians' accounts say that the Austrian princess quickly fell in love with her husband. From this marriage, were born seven children: Maria, Miguel, João Carlos, Januária, Paula, Francisca and Pedro.
Despite the initial enchantment, the marriage of d. Peter and d. Maria Leopoldina (as she was named after independence) was extremely difficult for the Austrian. Historians tell of the betrayals committed by d. Pedro, being the case with the Marquesa de Santos the most famous. There are also historians who point to evidence that the empress would have been assaulted for D. Peter.
In 1826, d. Maria Leopoldina died, and d. Pedro decided to marry again only in 1829. After the empress's death, d. Pedro I distanced himself from his mistress, the Marquesa de Santos, and began looking for a new wife among European royalty. In 1829, he married d. Amelia of Leuchtenberg, princess of Bavaria. From this marriage, a daughter was born, called MariaAmelia.
Also access: Discover the story of this important woman in Brazilian history
Death
After abdicating the Brazilian throne in 1831, d. Pedro I returned to Portugal and got involved in the Portuguese Civil War. This conflict was the result of the succession crisis that erupted in the country after the father of d. Pedro I died in 1826. A dispute was started between liberals (they defended a constitutional monarchy) and absolutists (they defended an absolutist monarchy).
Dom Pedro I led liberal troops in defending the right of his daughter, d. Maria II, to govern Portugal. The liberals ended up winning and, with that, the opponent and brother of d. Peter, called d. Miguel was defeated and expelled from Portugal. During the war, d. Peter I got sick and on September 24, 1834, he died of a tuberculosis.
Also access: See how many coups have taken place in Brazil since independence
Independence of Brazil
The relation of d. John VI and d. Peter I he had some problems. D. Pedro respected his father, but how did he know that d. João VI was warned by his advisers to keep his son away from the government, he ended up criticizing his father's comments. This situation ended up being radically modified by events that began in Portugal.
In 1820, it broke out in Portugal the Porto Liberal Revolution, a revolution of a liberal character, organized by the Portuguese bourgeoisie, to replace Portugal as the administrative center of the kingdom. One of the demands of the Portuguese Cortes (political institution that emerged with this revolution) was the returnimmediatefrom the king to Portugal.
Because of pressure from the Portuguese on d. João VI, the king swore loyalty to the Portuguese Constitution on February 26, 1821. On that day, the king also ended the removal of d. Pedro from government affairs, and this marked the prince's involvement, politically speaking, with the crisis that led to Brazil's independence.
On March 7, a decree determined that d. Pedro would be regent of Brazil. On April 23, 1821, another decree stipulated what were his attributions in this function. This decree determined that:
The prince was left with the right to confer offices, ranks and decorations. He was even authorized, in urgent cases, to wage war or admit a truce. D. Pedro would deliberate with the help of four ministries, the Kingdom and Foreigners, the War, the Navy and the Treasury […]. In the event of the regent's death, would rule d. Leopoldina, with a Regency Council.|3|
From that moment on, d. Peter was a key piece during the events that led to the independence of Brazil. In 1821, the idea of independence was not yet fully consolidated, but the intransigence of the Cortes and the attempts to recolonize Brazil changed this picture.
The decisive event that mobilized the independence movement happened on September 29, 1821, when orders from Portugal demanded the return of the conductor to Lisbon and revoked a series of measures implemented by d. John VI. Pedro de Alcântara was convinced of his return to Portugal, but his wife, d. Leopoldina, acted considerably to convince him to stay.
Parallel to the action of the princess, a group of Brazilians – defenders of independence – began to organize themselves in a movement that demanded the permanence of the regent. This group, called ClubgivesResistance, formulated a document arguing why the regent remained in Brazil and handed over to d. Peter on January 1, 1822.
Between the 8th and 9th of January, d. Pedro received a petition with 8,000 signatures from people who defended his permanence in Brazil. Motivated by this, d. Pedro supposedly announced the phrase that marked the day of stay:
“As it is for the good of all and the general happiness of the nation, I am ready; tell the people I'm staying.”|4|
The relationship with Portugal wore out over the months. Between August and September 1822, there were three groups with different proposals for the directions of Brazil.
The Portuguese installed here were the firstgroup and wanted that d. Pedro return to Portugal and that the decisions taken by the Cortes be implemented here. O secondgroup it was led by Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo and defended independence and the implementation of a republican model in the country. O thirdgroup was supported by José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, a person of great influence over d. Pedro, and defended the installation of a constitutional monarchic regime.
![On September 7, on the banks of the Ipiranga River, Brazil's independence was declared.[1]](/f/5f100e0fda1a55ef5f8b0bf1366243f6.jpg)
Dom Pedro ended up declaring Brazil's independence in September 7th 1822, on the banks of the Ipiranga River, in São Paulo. On that occasion, d. Pedro was on a trip to negotiate with political leaders in São Paulo to support the independence movement. During the trip, a letter with new orders from Portugal arrived.
The regency of Brazil, in the absence of d. Peter, it was transmitted to d. Leopoldine. She, after updating herself, called a council on an emergency basis and, in that council, she decided on independence. Subsequently, letters were sent to d. Pedro, and the messenger, called Paulo Bregaro, found him at the height of the Ipiranga River.
The occasion for Brazil's declaration of independence, however, was far from grandiose. Reports say that d. Peter was suffering severely from dysentery on the trip to São Paulo.
Also access: See five fun facts about Brazil's independence
first reign
After independence, a internal war against those who were still loyal to Portugal. Dom Pedro was acclaimed as emperor of Brazil, and his coronation it happened on December 1, 1822. It was necessary to organize the new country, secure international recognition and defeat those who still refused to accept independence.
O first reign it was marked by the emperor's excessive desire to centralize power. O authoritarianismof d. Peter I it was a problem that strained his relationship with the country's elites, created internal conflicts, and led him to renounce the throne in favor of his son on April 7, 1831.
The great events that marked the First Reign were:
Grant of the Constitution of 1824: d. Pedro did not accept the original text of the Constitution, which had been completed in 1823. He wanted to have broad powers and, therefore, ordered the enclosure and dissolution of the Constituent Assembly.
Confederation of Ecuador: separatist and republican revolt that broke out in the Northeast and was harshly repressed at the behest of the emperor.
Cisplatin War: declared war on the United Provinces (present-day Argentina) on account of the Cisplatine Revolt, which began in 1825. Brazil's involvement in this war was a mistake, as it harmed the country's already weak economy and increased the number of people dissatisfied with the reign of d. Peter I.
The involvement of d. Pedro I's issues regarding the succession to the Portuguese throne and his busy private life reinforced the dissatisfaction of many with his reign. The situation became untenable in 1831, when, during a trip to Minas Gerais, a rumor spread that the emperor was planning to dissolve the Congress again.
When the emperor returned to Rio de Janeiro, tempers were so high that a argumentwidespread between the defenders of the emperor and his opponents it began and lasted for days, in March 1831. The emperor, pressed, is over renounced to the throne on April 7, 1831 in favor of his son, Pedro de Alcântara, future d. Pedro II.
Grades
|1| LUSTOSA, Isabel. D. Pedro I: a hero with no character. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2006.
|2| Same, note 1.
|3| Same, note 1.
|4| SCHWARCZ, Lilia Moritz and STARLING, Heloísa Murgel. Brazil: A Biography. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2015, p. 212.
Image credits:
[1] commons
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
