Pedro II of Brazil

Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil — in full, Pedro de AlcÃÂÃÂ¢ntara JoÃÂÃÂ£o Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula LeocÃÂÃÂ¡dio Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga, By the Grace of God and Unanimous Acclamation of the People, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil — was the second and last Brazilian Emperor.

Comte d'Eu, Dom Pedro II, Teresa and Isabella

Pedro II's family.
From left to right: Comte d'Eu,
Pedro II, Teresa, and Isabella.

He was born on December 2, 1825 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He succeeded his father, Pedro I, upon the latter's abdication on April 7, 1831. Since Pedro II was only 5 years old at the time, government was assumed by a series of regents until July 23 1840, when Pedro was nominated Emperor of Brazil at the age of 14.

Pedro II was married September 4, 1843 to Princess Teresa of the Two Sicilies. Their most famous child was Princess Isabella (Isabel), who married Louis Philippe Marie Ferdinand Gaston, comte d'Eu, son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours.

He was in the United States during the Philadelphia's Exposition of 1876, where Alexander Graham Bell showed him his new telephone. Pedro II probably was the first Brazilian to use the invention He recited Shakespeare's classic line from Hamlet, "To be or not to be" into it, and exclamed, "This thing speaks!".

Ulysses S. Grant and Pedro II at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876

President Ulysses S. Grant and
Pedro II greet the public
from the platform of
a Corliss Steam Engine.
Philadelphia Exposition, 1876.

Photograph of Pedro II in his old age

Liberal in outlook, he took steps to industrialize Brazil and to end slavery. (The final abolition edict was signed in his absence by Princess Isabel, on May 13, 1830.) This progessive stance, however, brought him into conflict with the more conservative elements of Brazilian society. At the same time, the liberal elements, which he encouraged, eventually decided that Pedro was not willing to go far enough and fast enough, so they too rejected his rule. Although Pedro was still popular among the people, he was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a military coup, and the imperial family was exiled.

He died on December 5, 1891 in Paris, France. His and his wife's remains were brought to Brazil in 1922, and were reinterred in PetrÃÂÃÂ³polis, their former summer residence, in 1939.

Table of contents

1 External References
2 Books
3 See also

External References

Books

The Emperor's Beard: Dom Pedro II and His Tropical Monarchy in Brazil, Lilia Moritz Schwarcz (Author), John Gledson (Translator);Hill & Wang Pub; (February 10, 2003), ISBN 0809042193