The Establishment of the Kingdom of Brazil

REVOLUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA HIST 1301 | History The Establishment of the Kingdom of Brazil Portugal, known for its close ties to Britain, was unable to abide by Napoleon's 1807 Continental System, which sought to economically destroy Britain and isolate her. Napoleon received authorization from the Spanish Crown to attack Portugal on land in retaliation for Portugal's breach of his naval blockade (the French fleet being unable to combat the British at sea). General Jean-Andoche Junot's French forces stormed into Lisbon after sweeping over the Iberian Peninsula. Lord Strangford, the British ambassador to Portugal at the time, advised the Portuguese royal family to relocate the court to Portuguese America in light of these developments. Although Queen Maria wore the Portuguese Crown, it was her son, Prince Regent João, who made the final decision because it was determined that she was mentally incompetent. When French armies were about to arrive in November 1807, João was eventually persuaded that his only option was to evacuate to Brazil. The Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil in a British-convoyed fleet, together with around ten thousand members of their entourage, as the army neared. The British were granted substantial trade advantages in Brazil in exchange for their support. Following a brief sojourn in Salvador, Bahia, Brazilian colonists greeted the royal family and their courtiers as they left for Rio de Janeiro, located on the country's southeast coast, in 1808. A European monarch, heir, and court had entered their American dominion for the first time in modern history. On April 1, 1808, the Bank of Brazil was founded, all prior industrial bans aimed to safeguard Portuguese industry were lifted, and Brazilian ports were opened to all friendly nations—that is, to Great Britain. Brazil's overall population increased as a result, rising from over three million in 1798 to almost four million in 1818. Because of the Portuguese Crown's propensity to delegate authority to the local planter aristocracy, institutions like hospitals, libraries, schools, and colleges have grown. Important changes were implemented in manufacturing, agriculture, and government. The increasing tax burden put in place to support the royal court's expenses, the growing bureaucracy, the war against France, and Brazil's heavy reliance on Great Britain were all unwelcome, notwithstanding the positive cultural endeavours. However, the Portuguese Crown's presence greatly concentrated power over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, and this centralization eventually proved to be a potent factor in the country's unity. Resolutely, the Portuguese Crown persisted in Brazil even after Napoleon's downfall in 1814 and the restoration of Bourbon rulers in both France and Spain. Brazil received official kingdom status on December 16, 1815. Following her death in 1816, João VI, the monarch of the United Kingdoms of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarve (the southern region of Portugal), was crowned there by her son, Queen Maria I. Along with republican-minded scientists, architects, craftsmen, freemasons, engineers, artists, and officers, Brazil also opened its ports to Bonapartist immigrants who crossed the Atlantic with liberal literature and ideals with the intention of relocating permanently. In March 1816, the French Artistic Mission—a group of Bonapartist painters and craftsmen—was called to Brazil by King Joao VI with the goal of establishing an Arts and Crafts lyceum in Rio de Janeiro. Later, under Emperor Pedro I, the Lyceum was renamed the Academia Imperial de Belas-Artes. Among the group was the renowned French painter Jean-Baptiste Debret, who attended the Academie des beaux-arts in France. Debret created several lithographs and paintings showing individuals going about their daily lives in Brazil as a result of his growing interest in the enslaved and Indigenous peoples. Additionally, he created several pictures of the imperial court. In 1831, Debret rejoined the Académie des beaux-arts upon his return to France. A Picturesque and Historic Voyage to Brazil, or the Sojourn of a French Artist in Brazil (Voyage pittoresque et historique au Brésil or Séjour d’un artiste français au Brésil) was one of three volumes of engravings he had released by the end of the decade. More empathetic towards his Brazilian citizens than King Fernando VII was towards his own in Spanish America was King João VI. Nevertheless, force was used to put an end to rebellions in Brazil. For example, Brazilians from the northeastern coast province of Pernambuco, known for its sugar plantations, declared their province to be an independent republic in 1817 in response to the imprisonment of a liberal military commander. Their experiment was promptly put to a harsh stop by King João VI. Six years after Napoleon's downfall, in 1821, he eventually made his way back to Portugal at the behest of the Portuguese parliament, the Cortes.