Dom Pedro II he was emperor of Brazil between 1840 and 1889, a period in which the country underwent many transformations. The great events of his reign were the Paraguayan War and the abolition of slave labor. He was deposed in November 1889 in a coup that resulted in the proclamation of the republic. He died in exile in 1891.
read more: Praia Revolution – the only provincial rebellion that took place in the reign of d. Pedro II
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birth and youth
Dom Pedro II, baptized as Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga, was born in Rio de Janeiro, on January 2, 1825. He was part of the Brazilian royal family and, therefore, was the son of d. Pedro I and d. Maria Leopoldina.
Portrait of D. Pedro II when he was around 20 years old.
His father was emperor of Brazil between 1822 and 1831, and his mother was empress between 1822 and 1826. Pedro de Alcântara grew up without the company of parentssince her mother passed away in 1826 and his father left Brazil in 1831, dying in Europe in 1834. Young Pedro, however, was brought up with the greatest possible care, as he was the heir to the Brazilian throne.
Pedro de Alcântara was the youngest son of the royal couple, but he had the priority in succession to the throne because his two older brothers had died in infancy. Her sisters had the right to assume the throne, but the 1824 Constitution stipulated that women would do so only if there was no male heir.
Young Pedro’s education was very good, and he dedicated many hours of his day to his studies. His training was also based on morality, and the purpose of this was to prevent him from repeating the examples of his father, d. Pedro I. The extramarital affairs of d. Pedro I were a major scandal in the First Reign and shook the image of the Brazilian monarchy.
The person responsible for the education of Pedro de Alcântara was chosen by d. Pedro I and was called d. Mariana Carlota de Verna. She was the heir’s handmaiden and remained close to him throughout her life. Pedro de Alcântara had great affection and admiration for her, considering her his second mother and calling her by affectionate nicknames.
Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉
Majority Coup
Pedro de Alcântara’s training took place during the Period Ressential, in which Brazil was governed by regents. This structure would remain until the heir reached the age of majority, which would happen at the end of 1843. The Regency Period was of great importance. instability social and political in the history of the monarchy.
During the Regency Period, Brazil experienced a first experience of decentralized governmentand this decentralization, added to local political disputes and social and economic problems, has led to a series of rebellions in the provinceswhich put the territorial integrity of Brazil at risk.
Political disputes between liberals and conservatives were also a major problem for Brazil during the regencies. This dispute even led the liberals to take to the Senate the proposal to anticipate Pedro de Alcântara’s majority so that he could be crowned emperor ahead of schedule.
The possibility of anticipating the age of majority of the heir to the throne gained strength, he himself accepted it, and, in July 23, 1840, his age of majority was brought forward. This event became known as the Majority Coup, and, at the time, Pedro de Alcântara was only 14 years old. His coronation took place on July 18, 1841, an occasion that officially transformed him into d. Pedro II. To learn more about one of the opening events of Second Reign, read: Coming of Age Coup.
Personal life
Teresa Cristina Maria married D. Pedro II, in 1843, and remained married to him until his death, in 1889.
One of the most unusual moments in the life of d. Pedro II was his wedding. As soon as he became emperor of Brazil, his marriage became a matter of state. Despite the shyness of d. Pedro II to deal with the matter, soon emissaries from the country went to the European continent in search of a princess to marry the emperor.
The issue was not very easy, mainly because the Brazilian royal family had its image damaged after d. Pedro I. Finally, the emissaries of d. Pedro II got the princess of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Teresa Christina Maria, as a possible wife for the emperor. A portrait of her was sent to d. Pedro II, and he approved the union.
O marriage was performed, by proxy, in the city of Naples, in Italy, on May 30, 1843, and the empress only arrived in the country on September 3 of the same year. She was aboard the frigate Constitution, and the anxiety of d. Pedro II, on meeting his wife, was so great that he boarded the vessel.
The two fulfilled all the ritual for that day, but much was said about the Emperor’s reaction to meeting the Empress. The reports of the time account for the frustration of d. Pedro II in relation to his wife. They mention that Teresa was not pretty and that she was still obese and a little limp. That would have displeased d. Pedro II, who felt deceived.
Even against his will, D. Pedro II fulfilled his obligation in marriage. Their home life was stable, and they remained married until the Empress’s death at the end of 1889. They had four children together: Afonso, Isabel, Leopoldine It is Pedro Afonso. Of them, the two boys died in infancy.
Despite the stable relationship with his wife, d. Pedro II also had cases extramarital, just like your father. The difference is that the son managed to be discreet regarding these relationships outside of marriage. It is said that the great love of her life was Luisa Margarida de Barros Portugalthe countess of Barral, known for having been the maid of the emperor’s two daughters.
There are dozens of letters sent by him to the countess that hint at the emperor’s passion for her. Another of his cases, known from letters, was with Anne of Villeneuvethe Countess of Villeneuve, wife of the owner of the Jornal do Commercio. The letters of D. Pedro II to the countess clearly demonstrated the tenor of the relationship between them:
dear anna
How crazy did we do about the big bed with the two pillows. I love you more and more, and I cannot express enough how I feel about you. Thank you, with a thousand caresses, for the photo of your room.
I can’t stop thinking about you. And how many dreams at night! When will the delicious moment come when we can throw ourselves into each other’s arms?
If I could, I would always be near your home to make you enjoy my passion without limits, at least once a day.
Login also: Marquesa de Santos, the best-known mistress of d. Pedro I
second reign
D. Pedro II reigned over Brazil from 1840, the year of the Majority Coup, until 1889, the year of the proclamation of the republic. In these 49 years of reign, a series of remarkable events took place in the country, with emphasis on:
A striking point in the government of d. Pedro II was the war in paraguaya conflict that lasted from 1864 to 1870, marking the end of the peak of his reign and the start from the your decay. From then on, the Brazilian monarchy began to be questioned, the republicanism began to gain strength, and the image of d. Pedro II began to wear out.
To make matters worse, from the 1870s onwards, the emperor apparently lost the will to ruleand personal and health reasons made him absent on three major trips in the 1870s and 1880s. conspiracy, begun in the last decade, sealed the fate of the remaining years of d. Pedro II. If you want to go deeper into this period of the Brazilian Empire, read: Segundo Reignado.
Last years
The 1880s were crisis policy in Brazil. The monarchy gradually lost its political support, and the major groups that acted against this form of government during this period were the republicans and, above all, the military (counted in large numbers).
On November 15, 1889, the coup was initiated by the action of Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca. During that day, the republic was proclaimed by Joseph of Sponsorship. D. Pedro II and the royal family were in Petrópolis, and the emperor was confident that he would resolve the situation as soon as he arrived in Rio de Janeiro.
However, on November 16, he received word that his family should leave Brazil within 24 hours. At dawn on the 17th of November, D. Pedro II and his family embarked towards Portugal. D. Pedro II never returned to Brazil, and died of pneumonia, in France, on December 5, 1891.
image credit
commons
By Daniel Neves
History teacher