D. Pedro I arrived in Brazil in 1808 together with the Portuguese court after the invasion of Portugal by Napoleonic troops. Son of D. João VI, became direct successor to the throne with the death of his grandmother D. Maria.
After a revolt in the metropolis called the Porto Revolution, which demanded the return of the royal family to Portugal and the return of Brazil to colony status, D. Pedro I decides to remain in the country, being acclaimed Prince Regent. He reigned from the proclamation of independence in 1822 until his abdication of the throne in 1831.
Index
- Historical Context: Independence Process
- day of stay
- First Constitution
- Confederation of Ecuador
- Cisplatin War
- Bottled Night
- Abdication
Historical Context: Independence Process
The proclamation of theindependence of Brazil on September 7, 1822, it was not a very simple process. The attempt to create an independent kingdom disconnected from the Portuguese metropolis had the opposite reaction of internal and external forces.
Relations between Portugal and the Brazilian colony had been shaken since the Liberal Revolution in Porto. On this occasion, the Portuguese were dissatisfied with the loss of the Brazilian trade monopoly and the English meddling in Portuguese affairs.
The dissatisfaction culminated in the revolt that demanded the return of the royal family and increased control over the colony. With the return of D.João VI to the metropolis, D. Pedro I remained in the country as prince regent, this would be the first step towards independence.
In Brazil, two political groups diverged on the direction the country should follow:
O Portuguese Party formed by Portuguese soldiers and merchants supported the return of D. João VI to the metropolis. The other, called Brazilian Party it was formed by Brazilian and Portuguese farmers, merchants and officials, it fought for the political autonomy of Brazil.
day of stay
On January 9, 1822, the decision of D. Pedro I, in remaining in the country, became known as the day of stay, from that moment on, any order coming from Portugal would have to be analyzed by the Prince Regent.
Portugal did not accept this position and sent letters communicating the annulment of any decision by D. Pedro in the country. Guided by the Brazilian party, he proclaimed the country independent of the Portuguese metropolis on September 7, 1822.
The emancipation decision generated conflicts between the Portuguese troops and the Brazilian party. Allies of Portugal in Brazil did not accept independence and were faithful to the metropolis, in addition to this internal resistance, D. Peter also had to overcome external resistance. Portugal would only recognize Brazilian sovereignty in 1825, after paying an indemnity of two million pounds sterling.
See too: The Independence of Brazil
Independence represented the victory of the Brazilian elite, the main objectives of emancipation were to conquer political and commercial autonomy. For the people, everything continued as before: the most underprivileged layers remained without the right to participate in political decisions and slavery continued to be the labor force in driving the economy of the parents.
First Constitution
One of the first decisions of D. Pedro I as Emperor of Brazil, formed a Constituent Assembly in 1823 composed of deputies from various Brazilian provinces.
The attempt to elaborate the first constitution for Brazil it was frustrating, after disagreements between the members of the Assembly, the Emperor opted for its dissolution. Showing an extremely authoritarian attitude, D. Pedro summoned ten people he trusted and set a maximum period of forty days for them to draft the Constitution.
On March 25, 1824 it was granted and among its main features stood out the creation of a power that could be exercised exclusively by the emperor: the Moderator power.
The Constitution reaffirms the Emperor's authority and declares that power will be exercised by him and passed on to his heir. Many Brazilian provinces were unhappy with the authoritarianism of D. Peter I.
Confederation of Ecuador
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The Emperor had to face a serious economic crisis that punished the poorest populations and encouraged the emergence of movements such as the Confederation of Ecuador.
The authoritarian attitude of the Emperor in the repression of the Confederation of Ecuador, increased the unpopularity of D. Peter I. The violent character of his government, coupled with its inability to resolve the growing financial crisis, made its power increasingly unstable.
To solve the crisis, the Emperor resorted to constant loans to foreign banks and increased the issuance of coins, which generated an increase in inflation. The Brazilian trade balance was negative, the empire spent more on imports than it profited from exports, which aggravated the crisis even more.
The culmination of the Emperor's incompetence occurred when the Banco do Brasil created by his father went bankrupt.
Cisplatin War
Another event that contributed to the weakening of the power of D. Pedro I was the Cisplatin War. The Cisplatin region now corresponding to Uruguay was annexed by D. João VI in 1816, the Cisplatinos did not accept Brazilian rule and demonstrated their desire to free themselves from the country.
In an attempt to prevent the region's independence, the Brazilian emperor declared war on Cisplatin. Despite their efforts, the rebels won political autonomy with the support of the Argentines and transformed the region into the Republic of Uruguay.
With the death of D. João VI in 1826, naturally the throne would pass to his son D. Pedro I, but he gave up his right to his daughter Maria da Glória.
A coup commanded by his brother D. Miguel prevented his niece from assuming the throne and this event generated a revolt in the emperor who prepared to reassume power in Portugal. The fight between brothers was viewed with suspicion by Brazilians. These started to accuse D. Pedro is more concerned with issues related to Portugal than with Brazilian problems.
The Brazilian press did not forgive the Emperor, each day new news spread throughout the country about the authoritarian actions of D. Peter contributing to the increase in his unpopularity.
His main critic was the journalist Líbero Badaró, his murder in 1830 was attributed to government supporters. The increase in Brazilians' discontent motivated D. Pedro I to raid the provinces in an attempt to regain his popularity.
Bottled Night
An event that took place in Rio de Janeiro known as Bottled Night, in which Brazilians and Portuguese faced each other due to disagreements about the government, illustrate very well the frustrated attempt of the Emperor.
With the intention of regaining his prestige, D. Pedro I composed a ministry with Brazilians only, which was not enough to contain criticism. In this way he decided to replace the Brazilian ministry with one formed only by his allies in the Portuguese Party.
Abdication
The measure took Brazilians to the streets to ask for the return of the Brazilian ministry. Pressured by the population and the military, the Emperor abdicated to the throne in favor of his son Pedro de Alcântara on April 7, 1831. As the boy was only five years old, from 1831 to 1840, Brazil was governed by regents.
With the abdication D. Peter I returns to Portugal where he died of tuberculosis on September 27, 1834. His remains were brought to Brazil in 1972, being deposited in a crypt inside the Ipiranga monument, in São Paulo.
Also check:
- Timeline of Empire Brazil – First and Second Reigns – Chronology
Lorena Castro Alves
Graduated in History and Pedagogy
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