Pedro II of Brazil

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Image:Fala do Trono.jpg Image:Dom-pedro-ii-family-b.jpg Image:Dompedro-II.jpg

Dom Pedro II (pron. IPA /Template:IPA/; Pedro Segundo meaning Pedro "the Second"), Emperor of Brazil (December 2, 1825 – December 5, 1891) was the second and last 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.

1 The Regency
2 Family Life
3 The Liberal Emperor
4 Books
5 See also
6 External links

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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, after violent protests in Brazil against his careless handling of internal affairs, 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 exercise 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.

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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:

Alfonso (1874–1874)
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, who married Louis Philippe Marie Ferdinand Gaston, comte d'Eu, son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours.
Leopoldina (1847–1871), who married Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Pedro Alfonso (1848–1850)

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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, who were strong supporters of slavery.

The key of the political system was in the Poder Moderador (Moderator Power), by which the Emperor could dismiss the Cabinet of Ministers and call for new elections. The new elections were almost always won by the party supported by the Emperor. This allowed the Emperor to cause an alternation of parties in power, and, at the same time, made the whole political system dependent upon the whim of the Monarch.

As Brazil modernised towards the end of the 19th century, the monarchy became more and more an obstacle in the way of the measures demanded by new economic powers of society. With the strong growth of coffee exportation, the rich provinces, like São Paulo, demanded more and more autonomy against the central government. This autonomy was finally seen in the form of federalism, supported by the republicans.

Although Pedro was still popular among the people, he was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a military coup, caused by the alliance between the republicans and the Army. 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.

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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).

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