When Brazil Held The Crown Of The United Kingdom Even many casual observers have some understanding of Brazil’s former role as a Portuguese colony. “Oh right,” they’ll observe, casually. “I forgot, they speak Portuguese and not Spanish.” Then they’ll go back to their jobs or the ball game or other more pressing issues. But what many people don’t know is that Brazil was at one time not only elevated by Portugal as its equal, but was where the Portuguese royal court lived and governed for a time. It all started in 1808 when Napoleon, the root cause of many a 19th Century European yarn, decided he’d like to add the Iberian Peninsula to his personal collection of conquered lands. Spain and then Portugal were toppled by France, in spite of help from the British. As a result, Portugal’s Prince Regent and future King John VI decided to skip town with his mother and head to his country’s enormous South American colony for safe harbor. The Prince set up shop in Rio de Janeiro, and like many a visitor to the cidade maravilhosa, became rather enchanted with it. So much so that by the time Napoleon’s forces were pushed out of Portugal and Spain in 1815 and Lisbon could once again be the seat of power, John demurred on the point that the Prince Regent of Portugal needed to be in Portugal. Probably because he bolted when the chips were down, and because Brazilians tend to love foreign visitors that love Brazil, his monarchy was more popular in the New Land than back home. “I’ll probably get back in 1816 or 1817,” he’d write to the Governors of Portugal. “Right now I’m kind of finding myself and just really living life, you know? It’s like, these people get it.” The Portuguese, frankly, didn’t get it, nor that a king would have the audacity to rule a kingdom from a backwater satellite colony. Luckily when you’re a sovereign your job description carries a lot of latitude, so John simply proclaimed that thereafter he’d be Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves (his African territories). This elevated those two formerly submissive lands to equals in the empire, and kept the seat of government in Brazil. They even whipped up a new flag and coat of arms, and ordered new stationery. Eventually John did return to Portugal, in 1821 following a wave of constitutional liberalism that swept that country. He left his heir Pedro in charge as Regent in Brazil. Portugal’s parliament, the Cortes, was drafting a constitution, but as it turned out it was not interested in extending its new-found enlightenment across the Atlantic. The Cortes drafted language that empowered it not only to revoke Brazil’s equal status with Portugal, but to restore it to a vassal state with little to no self-determination. Talk of governmental structure is one thing, but when you’re about to take a hit to the wallet, things get serious. It turned out part of Portugal’s plan was to impose serious trade restrictions on Brazil. “You can trade with us,” they said. “That’s about it.” That didn’t sit well with Brazilians, who tended to enjoy profiting from their hard work as they – and not Lisbon – saw fit. Sensing the winds of change, Dom Pedro defied an order to return to Europe, staying put and ruling by fiat as “Perpetual Defender of Brazil.” Indeed, a fever of independence was gripping Brazil, and that fever was spread by the mosquito bite of self-determination. On September 7, 1822, Brazilian independence was declared. The Empire of Brazil was a constitutional monarchy with Pedro at the helm, and in spite of a few battles in Brazil’s northeast (won handily by the host country), it enjoyed a relatively peaceful separation from the erstwhile United Kingdom. Portugal entered a stage of denial that lasted a few years, as it tried to convince its European buddies to ignore the nascent South American nation. “You’re not seriously going to talk to those jerks, are you?” Portugal would ask its allies rhetorically, attempting to invoke the age old code placing the priorities of fellow empires ahead of insubordinate colonies (or “Bros Before Cos”). But for the rest of Europe, the siren song of trade with Brazil was too tempting to resist. By 1825, Portugal decided to let bygones be bygones and set about establishing diplomatic relations with Brazil, probably owing to serious coffee withdrawal. Thus ended the short-lived United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves; the name was truncated to its simpler Kingdom of Portugal form. And thus did Brazil set out on its own in the world, a blooming adolescent nation now out of its parents’ colonial basement and settling into the cozy two-room studio of young statehood. It was now the Empire of Brazil, and it would remain so until 1889. As for the Algarves? I’m pretty sure they ran away from home and were never seen again.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 19:03:18 +0000
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