Brazilian Independence

We explain to you what the Brazilian independence process was like, its causes and consequences. Also, what was the War of Independence like.

When and how was Brazil's independence?

The birth of Brazil as an independent nation took place at the beginning of the 19th century. The independence It was proclaimed on September 7, 1822 in the context of a series of conflicts that began in 1821. On the one hand, there were those in favor of the independence of Brazil, which had been a Portuguese colony since the 16th century, and on the other, there were those who defended the colonial order of the Portuguese Crown. , under the authority of King John VI of Portugal.

As in the independence processes of the rest of Latin America at the same time, the independence of Brazil It was initially caused by discrepancies in the management of economic relations between the colony and the metropolis. Added to this was the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by Napoleon Bonaparte's troops, which forced the Portuguese royal family to temporarily establish its Court in Rio de Janeiro and gave greater political relevance to Brazil, which added tension to relations. between the colony and the metropolis.

However, unlike the Spanish American independence, the Brazilian independence process was not as long or as violent, and it did not lead to the establishment of a republic. Instead, A liberal-style constitutional monarchy was established, known as the Empire of Brazil whose first emperor was the crown prince of the Portuguese Crown, Pedro I.

The Brazilian War of Independence took place between 1822 and 1824 and pitted the supporters of Pedro I and the independence of Brazil against the troops loyal to what until then had been the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.

It was a brief war and minor clashes, which culminated in the surrender of the last Portuguese soldiers in 1824 and with the recognition of Brazilian sovereignty by the Kingdom of Portugal in 1825 after the signing of an agreement mediated by Great Britain. With this agreement, the new South American nation undertook to compensate for the damages caused to the Portuguese Crown and to reestablish its commercial relations with Portugal. Added to this was another agreement that granted commercial advantages to the British.

Characteristics of the independence of Brazil

The Brazilian independence process was characterized by the following:

• It was less violent than the independence process of the Latin American nations neighbors although it was not exempt from military confrontations and fatalities. In addition, it was led by a member of the Portuguese royal family, Crown Prince Pedro, who subsequently became Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.
• It took place between 1821 and 1824, although the declaration of independence took place on September 7, 1822. However, its antecedents can be traced back to 1808, after the installation in Brazil of the Portuguese royal authorities, who were fleeing the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
• The Braganza dynasty of Portugal played a determining role in the process since the independence side was led by Prince Pedro (future Pedro I), regent of Brazil on the instructions of his father John VI of Portugal, who in 1821 had been forced to return to Portugal, after having held his Court for several years in Rio de Janeiro. Likewise, the influence of Great Britain was important in the recognition of independent Brazil.
• Its culminating stage was marked by the Brazilian War of Independence which took place between the beginning of 1822 and March 8, 1824. However, the independence of Brazil is celebrated every September 7, in commemoration of the so-called “Cry of Ipiranga”, considered the precise moment of the declaration of independence.

Causes of the independence of Brazil

The independence of Brazil had the following causes and antecedents:

• Napoleon's invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1807 which forced the royal family of Portugal to flee to their colony in Brazil and install the Court of the Portuguese Empire there. This deteriorated the relationship between the colony and the metropolis, as it gave a notable political and economic role to Brazilians.
• The transformation of Brazil into a kingdom member of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve, carried out in 1815 by the regent Juan, who the following year was crowned king of Portugal as Juan VI and in 1821 appointed the crown prince Pedro (future Pedro I) as regent of the new Kingdom of Brazil. These events consolidated a political identity of their own in the Brazilian inhabitants.
• Political instability in the Portuguese Empire following the outbreak of the Porto Revolution in 1820, a liberal uprising that led to the Cortes meeting to create the first Constitution of the Portuguese monarchy. These Cortes demanded the return of King John VI to the peninsula in 1821 and abolished Pedro's regency in Brazil, in an attempt to return colony status to the Brazilian kingdom. This led Prince Pedro to support the independence cause defended by many Brazilians.

The Brazilian independence process

The Brazilian independence process It began in 1821, when John VI returned to Portugal and left his son Pedro as regent of the Kingdom of Brazil. According to some interpretations, the king commissioned his son Pedro to remain in America with the instruction that he lead any independence movement that might arise, so that his lineage would remain in power.

Shortly after, An express order came from the metropolis from the Cortes of Lisbon, ending the regency in Brazil and requested the return of the crown prince to Portugal. This unleashed new tensions and discontent in Brazil, as it went from being a participating kingdom of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve to once again being a Portuguese colony. On January 9, 1822, Pedro received a petition with more than 8,000 signatures from Brazilian personalities asking him to stay in Brazil.

Then, the future emperor of Brazil announced to his followers: “If it is for the good of all and the general happiness of the nation, I am ready. Tell the people that I am staying.” This act of disobedience to the Portuguese Cortes was an important step for the consolidation of independence sentiments in Brazil.

This unleashed the first Clashes between politicians loyal to the Portuguese Crown and those who preferred Pedro's government. He formed a new government together with Minister José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, who was later known as “Patriarch of Independence.”

Pedro and José Bonifácio called a Constituent Assembly. Furthermore, they announced that the instructions issued by the Portuguese Cortes would only be followed in Brazil if they had the express approval of Pedro, which was practically equivalent to independence. In response, the Cortes declared the Constituent Assembly of Brazil and the government of the prince regent illegitimate, and requested their immediate return to Portugal.

Upon finding out about it, On September 7, 1822, while on the banks of the Ipiranga River, Pedro announced the formal breaking of the ties that united Brazil with Portugal invited the soldiers accompanying him to take off their bracelets with the colors of the metropolis and, after unsheathing his sword, proclaimed: “Independence or death.” This event It is known as the Grito de Ipiranga and it is considered the moment in which the independence of Brazil was proclaimed.

The separation was made official on September 22, in a letter from Pedro addressed to his father John VI of Portugal. On October 12, Pedro I was proclaimed emperor and the Empire of Brazil was formally born in the middle of the War of Independence. The coronation took place on December 1.

Brazilian War of Independence

Brazil's War of Independence was brief and consisted mainly of minor clashes, with less bloodshed than the Spanish American wars of independence. Its first moments took place before the proclamation of independence with the mutiny in January 1822 of some 2,000 Portuguese soldiers against Prince Pedro in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where the seat of government was located.

Surrounded by 10,000 armed Brazilians, the Portuguese soldiers had no choice but to abandon the city and commit to returning to Portugal. The military delayed their departure, waiting for reinforcements from the metropolis, but they were not allowed to disembark, so the Portuguese troops had to leave, which avoided bloodshed.

The Brazilian political situation was complicated, since not all citizens agreed with the idea of ​​independence, or not in the same terms that were being proposed in 1822. There were clashes in Pernambuco and especially in Bahia whose capital Salvador de Bahía was under the control of the Portuguese and rejected the authority of Rio de Janeiro.

Minas Gerais and São Paulo, on the other hand, added troops to the independence cause, as did the Freemasons, enthusiastic about the possibility of a new parliamentary government.

Pedro won the provinces of Piauí and Maranhão for his cause, although he had to fight important battles there against the sectors favorable to Portugal. Besides, hired British admiral Thomas Alexander Cochrane who had commanded the Chilean independence forces against Spain, and the French general Pierre Labatut who had fought alongside the army of Gran Colombia.

In 1823 the situation of the Portuguese troops was desperate. Then news arrived from the metropolis of the dismissal of the Cortes of Lisbon after a revolt in Portugal that reinstated absolutism. Without hope of receiving reinforcements, the Portuguese soldiers besieged in Salvador de Bahía, led by General Inácio Luís Madeira de Melo, began to retreat towards Portugal and left the city in the hands of the independentists.

After the successive independence victories in Pernambuco, Maranhão and Pará, the War of Independence was practically won. Soon the rest of Brazil joined the newly founded empire and The conflicts ended in March 1824.

On August 29, 1825, the Empire of Brazil was formally recognized by Portugal with the intermediation of Great Britain. The agreement that made this recognition official obliged Brazil to pay compensation of two million pounds sterling to Portugal and grant trade advantages to Great Britain. Furthermore, he stipulated that he must renounce any future annexation of the Portuguese colonies in Africa and put an end to the slave trade business, although the latter did not end slavery in Brazilian territory.

Consequences of Brazil's independence

Brazil's independence had the following consequences:

• The proclamation of the Empire of Brazil an independent constitutional monarchy under the authority of Pedro I and then his son Pedro II, which lasted until 1889. This monarchy had a certain liberal spirit, but at the same time preserved some colonial elements, such as the slavery of people of African origin.
• The recognition of Brazil's independence by Great Britain and Portugal which had a high economic cost, given that the new empire agreed to compensate the Portuguese Crown and assumed a significant external debt. In addition, he was forced to guarantee British economic interests in his territory.
• The outbreak of the Brazilian war or Cisplatina war which between 1825 and 1828 confronted the Empire of Brazil with the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. This war began after the consolidation of Brazil's independence, when some soldiers from the Cisplatina Province (part of the Empire of Brazil, previously called Banda Oriental) decided to separate their territory from the empire and incorporate it into the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The war culminated in the proclamation of Uruguay as an independent nation.

Brazilian Independence Day

In Brazil, National independence is celebrated every September 7 in commemoration of the Cry of Ipiranga, the day when Pedro I proclaimed the breaking of Brazil's relations of subjection to the Portuguese Crown. Because it is the day on which the declaration of independence is celebrated, September 7 is a national holiday.

References

• Faust, B. (2003). Concise history of Brazil. Economic Culture Fund.
• Martins, L. et al. (2024). Independence of Brazil. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain. (sf). Independence of Brazil.Bicentennial of Ibero-American Independence. https://www.cultura.gob.es/
• Pimenta, JP (Ed.). (2021). And it stopped being a colony. A history of Brazilian independence. Flint.