The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that
broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil. Its
government was a representative parliamentary constitutional
monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pedro I and his son
Dom Pedro II, both members of the House of Braganza—a
branch of the thousand-year-old Capetian dynasty. A colony of the
Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese
colonial Empire in 1808, when the Portuguese regent, later King Dom
João VI (John VI), fled from Napoleon I's invasion
of Portugal and established himself and his government in the
Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. João VI later returned to
Portugal, leaving his eldest son and heir, Pedro, to rule Brazil as
regent.
On 7 September 1822, Pedro declared the independence of Brazil and,
after waging a successful war against his father's kingdom, was
acclaimed on 12 October as Pedro I, the first Emperor of
Brazil. The new country was huge but sparsely populated and
ethnically diverse. Unlike most of its Hispanic republic neighbors,
Brazil had political stability, freedom of speech, respect for
civil rights and vibrant economic growth. Its bicameral parliament
was elected under comparatively democratic methods for the era, as
were the provincial and local legislatures. This led into a long
ideological conflict between Pedro I and a sizable parliamentary
faction over the role of the monarch in the government. He also
faced other obstacles; the unsuccessful Cisplatine War against the
neighboring United Provinces of South America led to the secession
of a Brazilian province (later to become Uruguay) in 1828. Despite
his role in Brazilian independence, he became the king of Portugal
in 1826 but immediately abdicated in favor of his eldest daughter.
Two years later her throne was usurped by Pedro I's younger
brother. Unable to deal with both Brazilian and Portuguese affairs,
Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and immediately departed for
Europe to restore his daughter to her throne.
Pedro I's successor was his five-year-old son, Pedro II.
As the latter was still a minor, a weak regency was created. The
power vacuum resulting from the absence of a ruling monarch as the
ultimate arbiter in political disputes led to regional civil wars
between local factions. Having inherited an empire on the verge of
disintegration, Pedro II, once declared of age, managed to
bring peace and stability to the country, which eventually became
an emerging international power. Brazil was victorious in three
international conflicts (the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the
Paraguayan War) under Pedro II's rule, and it prevailed in
several other international disputes and domestic strifes. With
prosperity and economic development came an influx of European
immigration, including Protestants and Jews, although Brazil
remained mostly Catholic. Slavery, which had initially been
widespread, was restricted by successive legislation until its
final abolition in 1888. Brazilian visual arts, literature and
theater developed during this time of progress. Although heavily
influenced by European styles that ranged from Neoclassicism to
Romanticism, each concept was adapted to create a culture that was
uniquely Brazilian.
Despite the fact the last four decades of Pedro II's reign
were marked by continuous internal peace and economic prosperity,
he personally had no desire to see the monarchy survive beyond his
lifetime. As the Emperor grew older, he made no effort to maintain
support for the institution. Since he lacked viable heirs (the next
in line was his daughter Isabel, and both Pedro II and the
ruling classes considered a female monarch unacceptable) the
Empire's political leaders believed that there was no reason to
defend the monarchy. Despite the lack of enthusiasm among most
Brazilians for adopting a republican form of government, on 15
November 1889, after a 58-year reign, the Emperor was overthrown in
a sudden coup d'état that had almost no support outside a clique of
military leaders whose goal was the formation of a republic headed
by a dictator.