1750-1807 1822-1831







Brazil, 1807-1822



In 1807-1808, Portugal seemed threatened by French occupation. In 1808 the royal family embarked on a ship and moved to Brazil, residing until 1822 in Rio de Janeiro.
The geopolitical situation required adjustments; hitherto, only trade with the motherland Portugal (in the hands of certain companies holding monopolies) was legitimate. Now, Brazil's ports were opened to trading ships of all nations. Earlier decrees banning the manufacture of goods in Brazil were revoked. Factories emerged, a royal museum, a naval academy, a botanical garden were established; Brazil's first newspaper published, the Bank of Brazil was founded, the ban on the import of foreign books lifted. Dom Joao elevated the status of Brazil from that of a colony to that of an equal kingdom, in dynastic union with Portugal.
Brazil imported numerous goods from Britain; an Anglo-Portuguese commercial treaty granted British imports privileged treatment. King Dom Joao continued the practice of exclusively appointing Portuguese (peninsulares) to positions in the higher administration. In 1811 he sent troops into Banda Oriental (Uruguay); they were recalled in 1812; in 1816-1817 another expedition force was sent into Banda Oriental, the region formally annexed in 1821.
The first Masonic lodge had been established in Rio de Janeiro in 1800, one in Recife in 1814. In 1817 a republican revolt, organized by Masons, took place in Recife (Pernambuco); it was suppressed. In 1821, Dom Joao embarked, returning to Portugal. At the request of the Brazilians, he left his son and heir, Dom Pedro, behind.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Columbia Encyclopedia (infoplease) : Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Article from Catholic Encyclopedia : Brazil
Articles from Wikipedia : History of Brazil, Pernambuco, History of, Salvador, Maranhao, Rio de Janeiro, History of, Minas Gerais, History of
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE Boris Fausto, A Concise History of Brazil, Cambridge Concise Histories, 1999, 362 pp.
David Birmingham, A Concise History of Portugal, Cambridge Concise Histories, 1993, 203 pp.
Donald E. Worcester, Brazil, from Colony to World Power, NY : Scribner 1973
Maria Graham, Journal of a Voyage to Brazil and Residence There during Parts of the Years 1821, 1822, 1823 (1824) posted by Gutenberg Library Online



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on October 28th 2007

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