Kingdom of Brazil

Quick Facts: Who was Kingdom of Brazil?

Subject:

Kingdom of Brazil

Known for:

A former constituent kingdom that achieved full independence from Portugal.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Kingdom of Brazil (Portuguese: Reino do Brasil) was a constituent kingdom of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The legal entity of the Kingdom of Brazil was created by a law issued by Prince Regent John of Portugal, Prince of Brazil, Duke of Braganza, on behalf of his mother, Queen Maria I of Portugal, on 16 December 1815, which elevated the State of Brazil to the rank of a Kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves. By a decree issued on 22 April 1821 ahead of his departure from Brazil to Portugal, King John VI appointed his firstborn son and heir, Prince Pedro of Braganza, the Prince Royal of the United Kingdom, as Prince Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil, with delegated powers to discharge the "general government and entire administration of the Kingdom of Brazil" as the King's placeholder, thus granting the Kingdom of Brazil a devolved administration within the United Kingdom. On 7 September 1822, Prince Pedro, Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, Regent of Brazil, declared the Brazilian Independence.

Career & Major Achievements

On 12 October 1822, Prince Pedro became the first Emperor of the newly independent country, thus founding the Empire of Brazil. Brazil's independence was only recognized with the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, in 1825, by which the Kingdom of Brazil, within the larger United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, was formally dissolved and Brazil's independence was recognized and granted by the Kingdom of Portugal. On 8 September 1822, in the first day after the Proclamation of Independence, Prince Pedro issued a decree to adopt for the Kingdom of Brazil a new flag and coat of arms, replacing the Portuguese colours, then white and blue, with new colours, green and yellow (green was chosen for its association with the House of Braganza, Pedro's dynasty; yellow was chosen as it was the colour of the House of Habsburg, in which Pedro's wife, Leopoldina, was born; the new national colours therefore honoured the Royal couple that led Brazil at the foundation of its independence); those new symbols would later pass to the Empire of Brazil when it was founded on 12 October 1822.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The new, post independence symbols, replaced the original flag of the Kingdom of Brazil (a golden armillary sphere on a blue field) and its original coat of arms (a golden armillary sphere with a blue background in the interior of the sphere), that had been designed in 1815. Of course, after independence, upon the adoption of the new flag and coat of arms on 8 September 1822, the coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, adopted in 1815 (featuring a juxtaposition of the traditional coat of arms of Portugal and the Algarves with the original coat of arms of the Kingdom of Brazil in the background, surmounted by the royal crown), also ceased to be used. As per one of the clauses of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, King John VI of Portugal and the Algarves, formerly King John VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, was granted the personal title of titular Emperor of Brazil, thus having stayed monarch of Brazil, in title, until his death in 1826.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1815: 1815 Milestone — The legal entity of the Kingdom of Brazil was created by a law issued by Prince Regent John of Portugal, Prince of Brazil, Duke of Braganza, on behalf of his mother, Queen Maria I of Portugal, on 16 December 1815, which elevated the State of Brazil to the rank of a Kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.
2. 1821: 1821 Milestone — By a decree issued on 22 April 1821 ahead of his departure from Brazil to Portugal, King John VI appointed his firstborn son and heir, Prince Pedro of Braganza, the Prince Royal of the United Kingdom, as Prince Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil, with delegated powers to discharge the "general government and entire administration of the Kingdom of Brazil" as the King's placeholder, thus granting the Kingdom of Brazil a devolved administration within the United Kingdom.
3. 1822: 1822 Milestone — On 7 September 1822, Prince Pedro, Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, Regent of Brazil, declared the Brazilian Independence.
4. 1825: 1825 Milestone — Brazil's independence was only recognized with the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, in 1825, by which the Kingdom of Brazil, within the larger United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, was formally dissolved and Brazil's independence was recognized and granted by the Kingdom of Portugal.
5. 1826: 1826 Milestone — As per one of the clauses of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, King John VI of Portugal and the Algarves, formerly King John VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, was granted the personal title of titular Emperor of Brazil, thus having stayed monarch of Brazil, in title, until his death in 1826.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kingdom of Brazil

True or False: “The initial flag of the Kingdom of Brazil, adopted in 1815, featured a golden armillary sphere on a blue field.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): This original design was later replaced by new national colors—green and yellow—following the declaration of independence.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Ada Lovelace — Historical peer (Born in 1815) (1815): Pioneering mathematician recognized as the first computer programmer.
• Adolph Menzel — Historical peer (Born in 1815) (1815): Pioneering German Realist master, celebrated for his detailed etchings and genre scenes.
• Aleksey Pisemsky — Historical peer (Born in 1821) (1821): A prominent Russian novelist and dramatist, contemporary to Turgenev and Dostoyevsky.
• Arthur Cayley — Historical peer (Born in 1821) (1821): Pioneering English mathematician, instrumental in founding modern algebra and group theory.
• Alexander Mackenzie (politician) — Historical peer (Born in 1822) (1822): Scottish-Canadian stonemason and politician, second Prime Minister of Canada.
• Ali Pasha of Yanina — Historical peer (Died in 1822) (1822): Powerful Albanian ruler who achieved high autonomy in the Ottoman Empire.
• A. P. Hill — Historical peer (Born in 1825) (1825): Confederate general who distinguished himself in the American Civil War.
• Adelaide Anne Procter — Historical peer (Born in 1825) (1825): English poet and philanthropist known for her work on poverty and faith.
• Bernhard Riemann — Historical peer (Born in 1826) (1826): Pioneering mathematician whose work shaped modern analysis, geometry, and number theory.
• Carl Maria von Weber — Historical peer (Died in 1826) (1826): Pioneering German composer, central to the development of German Romantic opera.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kingdom of Brazil