Thread by @marinamaral2

Pedro then became Emperor Dom Pedro II.

Upon leaving the country, Emperor Pedro I selected three people to take charge of his son and daughters.

The first was José Bonifácio de Andrada, his friend and an influential leader during Brazilian independence, who was named his guardian.

The second was Mariana de Verna, who had held the post of aia (governess) since the birth of Pedro II. As a child, the then-Prince Imperial called her "Dadama", as he could not pronounce the word dama (Lady) correctly.

The third person was Rafael, an Afro-Brazilian veteran of the Cisplatine War. He was an employee in the Palace of São Cristóvão whom Pedro I deeply trusted and asked to look after his son—a task that he carried out for the rest of his life.

Pedro II spent his days studying, with only two hours set aside for amusements. Intelligent, he was able to acquire knowledge with great ease. However, the hours of study were strenuous and the preparation for his role as monarch was demanding.

All that coupled with the sudden loss of his parents gave Pedro II an unhappy and lonely upbringing. The environment in which he was raised turned him into a shy and needy person who saw books as a refuge and retreat from the real world.

The possibility of lowering the young Emperor's age of majority, instead of waiting until he turned 18, had been floated since 1835. His elevation to the throne had led to a troublesome period of endless crisis.

The regency created to rule on his behalf was plagued from the start by disputes between political factions and rebellions across the nation.

When asked by politicians if he would like to assume full powers, Pedro II shyly accepted.

He was acclaimed, crowned and consecrated on 18 July 1841.

Removal of the factious regency brought stability to the government. Pedro II was seen nationwide as a legitimate source of authority, whose position placed him above partisanship and petty disputes.

He was, however, still no more than a boy, and a shy, insecure and immature one.

His nature resulted from his broken childhood, when he experienced abandonment, intrigue and betrayal.

The Brazilian government secured the hand of Princess Teresa Cristina of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. She and Pedro II were married by proxy in Naples on 30 May 1843.

Upon seeing her in person, the Emperor was noticeably disappointed.

Teresa Cristina was short, a bit overweight and though not ugly, neither was she pretty. He did little to hide his disillusionment. A witness stated that he turned his back to her, another depicted him as being so shocked that he needed to sit. It is possible that both occurred.

That evening, Pedro II wept and complained to Mariana de Verna, "They have deceived me, Dadama!"

It took several hours to convince him that duty demanded that he proceed.

By 1846, he had grown into a man who, at 1.90 meters (6 ft 3 in) tall with blue eyes and blond hair, was seen as handsome. With growth, his weaknesses faded and his strengths of character came to the fore.

Pedro became self-assured and learned to be not only impartial and diligent, but also courteous, patient and personable. He kept "his emotions under iron discipline, was never rude and never lost his temper. He was exceptionally discreet in words and cautious in action."

His first challenge came in confronting the trade in illegally imported slaves. This had been banned in 1826 as part of a treaty with Great Britain.

Trafficking continued unabated, however, and the British government's passage of the Aberdeen Act of 1845 authorized British warships to board Brazilian shipping and seize any found involved in the slave trade.

While Brazil grappled with this problem, the Praieira Revolt erupted on 6 November 1848. This was a conflict between local political factions within Pernambuco province, suppressed by March 1849.

The Eusébio de Queirós Law was promulgated on 4 September 1850 which gave the Brazilian government broad authority to combat the illegal slave trade. By 1852 the crisis was over, and Britain accepted that the trade had been suppressed.

Pedro II around age 22, circa 1848.
This is the earliest surviving photograph of the Emperor.

Internationally, Europeans began to regard the country as embodying familiar liberal ideals, such as freedom of the press and constitutional respect for civil liberties.

Its representative parliamentary monarchy also stood in stark contrast to the mix of dictatorships and instability endemic in the other nations of South America during this period.

At the beginning of the 1850s, Brazil enjoyed internal stability and economic prosperity. Pedro II's reforms aimed to promote less political partisanship and advance infrastructure and economic development.

The nation was being interconnected through railroad, electric telegraph and steamship lines. The general opinion, both at home and abroad, was that these accomplishments had been possible due to Brazil's "governance as a monarchy and the character of Pedro II".

Pedro II aged 25, circa 1851.

The Emperor's more notable political successes were achieved primarily because of the non-confrontational and cooperative manner with which he approached both issues and the partisan figures with whom he had to deal.

He did not have the constitutional authority to force acceptance of his initiatives without support, and his collaborative approach towards governing kept the nation progressing and enabled the political system to successfully function.

The Emperor respected the prerogatives of the legislature, even when they resisted, delayed, or thwarted his goals and appointments.

The marriage between Pedro II and Teresa Cristina started off badly. With maturity, patience and their first child, Afonso, their relationship improved. Later Teresa Cristina gave birth to more children: Isabel, in 1846; Leopoldina, in 1847; and lastly, Pedro, in 1848.

However, both boys died when very young, which devastated the Emperor.

Beyond suffering as a father, his view of the Empire's future changed completely. Despite his affection for his daughters, he did not believe that Princess Isabel would have any chance of prospering on the throne.

He increasingly saw the imperial system as being tied so inextricably to himself, that it would not survive him. Isabel and her sister received a remarkable education, although they were given no preparation for governing the nation.

Pedro II excluded Isabel from participation in government business and decisions.

Sometime around 1850, Pedro II began having discreet affairs with other women. The most famous and enduring of these relationships involved Luísa Margarida Portugal de Barros, Countess of Barral.

Throughout his life, the Emperor held onto a hope of finding a soulmate, something he felt cheated of due to the necessity of a marriage of state to a woman for whom he never felt passion.

This illustrates his dual identity: one who assiduously carried out his duty in the role of emperor which destiny had assigned to him and another who considered the imperial office an unrewarding burden and who was happier in the worlds of literature and science.

"I was born to devote myself to culture and sciences," the Emperor remarked in his private journal during 1862.

Subjects which interested him were wide-ranging: anthropology, history, geography, geology, medicine, law, religious studies, philosophy, painting, theater, music, astronomy, among others.

That's one of the reasons why the collection of the National Museum was so vast.

By the end of his reign, there were three libraries in São Cristóvão palace containing more than 60,000 books. A passion for linguistics prompted him throughout his life to studying new languages.

He was able to speak and write not only Portuguese but also Latin, French, German, English, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Chinese, Occitan and Tupi.

Pedro II became the first Brazilian photographer when he acquired a daguerreotype camera in March 1840. He set up a laboratory in São Cristóvão devoted to photography and another to chemistry and physics. He also demanded the construction of an astronomical observatory.

The Emperor considered education to be of national importance. He remarked: "Were I not an Emperor, I would like to be a teacher. I don't know of a task more noble than to direct young minds and prepare the men of tomorrow."

His reign saw the creation of the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute to promote research and preservation in the historical, geographical, cultural and social sciences.

The Imperial Academy of Music and National Opera and the Pedro II School were also founded, the latter serving as a model for schools throughout Brazil. The Imperial Academy of the Fine Arts, established by his father, received further strengthening and support.

Pedro II provided scholarships for Brazilian students to study at universities, art schools and conservatories of music in Europe. He also financed the creation of the Institute Pasteur.

His efforts were recognized both at home and abroad. Charles Darwin said of him: "The Emperor does so much for science, that every scientific man is bound to show him the utmost respect".

Pedro II became a member of the Royal Society, the Russian Academy of Sciences, The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium and the American Geographical Society.

In 1875, he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences, an honor previously granted to only two other heads of state: Peter the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.

He exchanged letters with scientists, philosophers, musicians and other intellectuals. Many of his correspondents became his friends, including Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur, Louis Agassiz, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Arthur de Gobineau.

Victor Hugo told the Emperor: "Sir, you are a great citizen, you are the grandson of Marcus Aurelius," and Alexandre Herculano called him a "Prince whom the general opinion holds as the foremost of his era because of his gifted mind"

In the 1870s progress was being made in both social and political spheres, and all segments of society benefited from the reforms and shared in the increasing prosperity. Brazil's international reputation for political stability and investment potential greatly improved.

At that time, few Brazilians opposed slavery and even fewer openly condemned it. Pedro II, who did not own slaves, was one of the few who did oppose it. Abolition, however, was a delicate subject.

Slaves were used by everyone, from the richest to the poorest. Pedro II wanted to end the practice gradually to soften the impact to the national economy.

The photo below was taken in 1885, in Brazil.

His first open move occurred back in 1850, when he threatened to abdicate unless the General Assembly declared the Atlantic slave trade illegal.

Pedro II openly asked for the gradual eradication of slavery in the "Speech from the Throne" of 1867.

He was heavily criticized, and his move was condemned as "national suicide." Critics argued that "abolition was his personal desire and not that of the nation."

He consciously ignored the growing political damage to his image and to the monarchy. Eventually, a bill pushed through by Prime Minister José Paranhos was enacted as the Law of Free Birth, under which all children born to slave women after that date were considered free-born.

Photo: Auguste Mariette (seated, far left) and Pedro II (seated, far right) with others during the Emperor's visit to the Giza Necropolis at the end of 1871.

Pedro II (seated, right) at Niagara Falls, 1876.

During the 1880s, Brazil continued to prosper and social diversity increased markedly, including the first organized push for women's rights.

Photo: Rio de Janeiro, 1880.

On the other hand, letters written by Pedro II reveal a man grown world-weary with age and having an increasingly alienated and pessimistic outlook.

He remained respectful of his duty and was meticulous in performing the tasks demanded of the imperial office, albeit often without enthusiasm. Because of his increasing "indifference towards the fate of the regime" and his lack of action in support of the imperial system...

... once it was challenged, historians have attributed the "prime, perhaps sole, responsibility" for the dissolution of the monarchy to the Emperor himself.

Elder statesmen began to die off or retire from the government until, by the 1880s, they had almost entirely been replaced by a newer generation of politicians who had no experience of the early years of Pedro II's reign.

To them, Pedro was merely an old and increasingly sick man who had steadily eroded his position by taking an active role in politics for decades. Many young politicians had become apathetic toward the monarchic regime and, when the time came, they would do nothing to defend it.

Pedro II's achievements went unremembered and unconsidered by the ruling elites. By his very success, the Emperor had made his position seem unnecessary.

The lack of an heir who could feasibly provide a new direction for the nation also diminished the long-term prospects of the Brazilian monarchy.

The Emperor loved his daughter Isabel, but he considered the idea of a female successor as antithetical to the role required of Brazil's ruler. Resistance to accepting a female ruler was also shared by the political establishment.

Even though the Constitution allowed female succession to the throne, Brazil was still very traditional, and only a male successor was thought capable as head of state.

By June 1887, the Emperor's health had considerably worsened and his personal doctors suggested going to Europe for medical treatment. While in Milan he passed two weeks between life and death.

While on a bed recovering, on 22 May 1888 he received news that slavery had been abolished in Brazil.

The Lei Áurea (Golden Law) was signed by Isabel, his daughter, an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Dom Pedro II.

With a weak voice and tears in his eyes, he said, "Great people! Great people!"

Pedro II returned to Brazil and disembarked in Rio de Janeiro in August 1888. The whole country welcomed him with an enthusiasm never seen before.

With the devotion expressed by Brazilians upon the return of the Emperor and the Empress from Europe, the monarchy seemed to enjoy unshakable support and to be at the height of its popularity.

The nation enjoyed great international prestige during the final years of the Empire, and it had become an emerging power within the international arena. Predictions of economic and labor disruption caused by the abolition of slavery failed to materialize.

Although there was no desire in Brazil among the majority of the population to change the form of government, the civilian republicans began pressuring army officers to overthrow the monarchy.

They launched a coup d'état, arrested Prime Minister Afonso Celso, Viscount of Ouro Preto and instituted the republic on 15 November 1889.

During the ordeal, Pedro II showed no emotion.

He dismissed all suggestions for quelling the rebellion.

When he heard the news of his deposition he simply commented: "If it is so, it will be my retirement. I have worked too hard and I am tired. I will go rest then."

He and his family were sent into exile in Europe on 17 November.

Teresa Cristina died three weeks after their arrival in Europe, Isabel and her family moved to somewhere else, while Pedro settled first in Cannes and later in Paris.

Pedro's last couple of years were lonely and melancholic, as he lived in modest hotels without money and writing in his journal of dreams in which he was allowed to return to Brazil.

He never supported a restoration of the monarchy, once stating that he had no desire "to return to the position which I occupied, especially not by means of a conspiracy of any sort."

Eventually, he caught an infection that progressed quickly into pneumonia. Pedro rapidly declined and died at 00:35 on 5 December 1891 surrounded by his family.

His last words were "May God grant me these last wishes—peace and prosperity for Brazil".

While the body was being prepared, a sealed package in the room was found, and next to it a message written by the Emperor himself: "It is soil from my country, I wish it to be placed in my coffin in case I die away from my fatherland."

Isabel wished to hold a discreet and private burial ceremony, but she eventually agreed to the French government's request for a state funeral. On 9 December, thousands of mourners attended the ceremony at La Madeleine.

Aside from Pedro's family, these included: Francesco II, former king of the Two Sicilies; Isabel II, former queen of Spain; Philippe, comte de Paris; and other members of European royalty.

Nearly all members of the Institut de France were in attendance. Other governments from the Americas and Europe sent representatives, as did Ottoman Turkey, China, Japan and Persia.

Following the services, the coffin was taken in procession to the railway station to begin its trip to Portugal. Around 300,000 people lined the route under incessant rain and cold.

The journey continued on to the Church of São Vicente de Fora near Lisbon, where the body of Pedro was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza on 12 December.

The Brazilian republican government, "fearful of a backlash resulting from the death of the Emperor", banned any official reaction. Nevertheless, the Brazilians were far from indifferent, and repercussions in Brazil were also immense, despite the government's effort to suppress.

The positive view of Pedro II, and nostalgia for his reign, only grew as the nation quickly fell into a series of economic and political crises which Brazilians attributed to the Emperor's overthrow.

His remains, as well as those of his wife, were returned to Brazil in 1921 in time for the centenary of the Brazilian independence. The government granted him dignities befitting a head of state.

A national holiday was declared and the return of the Emperor as a national hero was celebrated throughout the country.

Thousands attended the main ceremony in Rio de Janeiro where the "elderly people cried. Many knelt down. There was no distinction between republicans and monarchists. They were all Brazilians."

Tomb of Pedro II and Teresa Cristina in the Cathedral of Petrópolis, Brazil.

*Done*

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The National Museum, which caught fire last weekend, was Pedro II's official residence. Many of the items destroyed belonged to his personal collection - the mummies included.