Summary of the history of Brazil during the Empire

The history of Brazil during the Empire is the fascinating story of three men; grandfather, father, and son. Dom João had become the first Emperor of Brazil and Portugal in 1807, when Napoleon’s armies sent the royal court fleeing from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, which temporarily became the capital of the Portuguese Empire.  When Dom João reluctantly returned to Portugal in 1821, he left his son, Dom Pedro, in his place as regent, and Dom Pedro promptly declared Brazil independent from Portugal.  He ruled for nine years, until 1831, when because of many economic and political pressures, he abdicated in favor of his son Dom Pedro II, then five years old.  Brazil was ruled first by a board of three regents, and then, in 1834, by a single regent chosen by Parliament.  In 1841, Dom Pedro II, at age fourteen, was crowned Emperor.  He ruled for forty-nine years and was a scholar and a patron of science.  He was beloved by his people for his human qualities of honesty, tolerance, and public spirit.  My Vovó saw him, late in his sovereignty, in Poços de Caldas