Pedro II of Brazil
From Freepedia
Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil (December 2, 1825 – December 5, 1891) was the second and final Brazilian Emperor. His name in full was Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Bragança, By the Grace of God and Unanimous Acclamation of the People, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil.
He was born on December 2, 1825 in Rio de Janeiro, making him Brazil's only native-born monarch.
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The Regency
When he was a boy of five, he became the emperor of Brazil. His father Pedro I abdicated the throne on April 7, 1831 to fight a civil war in Portugal. The aim of the war in Portugal was to restore the throne of Portugal to Maria II, older sister of Pedro II.
As a result of caring for his children's interests, in 1834, the warrior father Pedro I had a daughter of 15 on the throne of Portugal and a son of 9 Pedro II who was emperor of Brazil.
During the Emperor's childhood, a series of regents administered the government, in accordance with Constitution. In 1840, before the minor Emperor attained the age of 18 years that was required for him to assume personal excersise of the imperial functions, the Brazilian Imperial Parliament, or General Assembly, voted to transfer full authority to the boy, declaring him to be of age. The regency was thus abolished and the 14 year old Emperor began his personal government. Emperor Pedro II was consecrated and crowned on July 18, 1841.
Family Life
Dom Pedro II was married September 4, 1843 to Princess Teresa of the Two Sicilies (b. 1822 – d. 1889), the youngest daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1777 – d. 1830) and had four children:
- Alfons of Brazil (1874–1874)
- Isabella (Isabel), who married Louis Philippe Marie Ferdinand Gaston, comte d'Eu, son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours.
- Leopoldine of Brasil (1847–1871), who married Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
- Peter Alfons of Brazil (1848–1850)
The Liberal Emperor
Pedro II ruled Brazil for 49 years under the slogan "União e Indústria" (Union and Industry). The period saw the beginnings of industrialization, the first paved roads, the first steam-engine railway, a submarine telegraphy cable, and the introduction of the telephone.
He traveled to the United States and attended the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, where Alexander Graham Bell showed him his new telephone. Pedro II probably was the first Brazilian to use the invention. He recited Shakespeare's classic line from Hamlet, "To be or not to be" into it, and exclaimed, "This thing speaks!".
Liberal in outlook, Pedro II took steps to end slavery; the final abolition edict was signed in his absence by his daughter Princess Isabel, on May 13, 1888. This progressive stance, however, brought him into conflict with the more conservative elements of Brazilian society. At the same time, the liberal elements, which he encouraged, eventually decided that Pedro was not willing to make reforms fast enough, so they also rejected his rule. Although Pedro was still popular among the people, he was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a military coup, and the imperial family was exiled.
He died on December 5, 1891 in Paris, France. His and his wife's remains were brought back to Brazil in 1922, and were reburied in Petrópolis, their former summer residence, in 1939.
Books
- The Emperor's Beard: Dom Pedro II and His Tropical Monarchy in Brazil, by Lilia Moritz Schwarcz , trans. John Gledson (2003).
- Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891, by Roderick J. Barman (1999).
- The Brazilian Empire: Myths and Histories, by Emilia Viotti Da Costa (2000, 1985).
- American Emperor: Dom Pedro II of Brazil, by Rose Brown (1945).
See also
External links
- Dom Pedro II Curiosidades
- Historical Text Archive
- Brazilian Senate webpage (in Portuguese)
- Old Postcards from Brazil, D. Pedro II by Nadar
| Preceded by: Pedro I | Emperor of Brazil 1831-1889 | Succeeded by: Deodoro da Fonseca as President of Brazil and Isabel as Titular Empress of Brazil |
Categories: History of Brazil | Brazilian monarchs | Knights of the Garter | House of Capet | Ouster by coup
