Transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil
Fleeing Junot’s army, which had invaded Portugal, the Prince Regent John, together with Queen Maria I, the court and the government — several thousand people — sailed from Lisbon under the escort of the British fleet and settled in Rio de Janeiro. For the first time in history a colony became the seat of a European monarchy.
- Date
- 29 November 1807 – 8 March 1808exact date · duration: ≈ 3 months
- Place
- Rio de Janeirotoday: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · Latin America
- Route
- Lisbon → Salvador (Bahia) → Rio de Janeiro
- Participants
- Kingdom of Portugal, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, First French Empire, John VI of Portugal
- Threads
- The world in the Age of Revolution, French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, History of Portugal since the Battle of Aljubarrota
Portugal, Britain’s long-standing ally, never fully complied with Napoleon’s demands that it join the Continental System, and in November 1807 Franco-Spanish troops under General Junot invaded the country. The fleet carrying the court left the mouth of the Tagus on 29 November, and the next day the French entered Lisbon. On 22 January 1808 the prince regent arrived in Salvador, where he opened Brazil’s ports to trade with friendly nations; on 7 March his ship entered Guanabara Bay, and on 8 March the court went ashore in Rio.
For thirteen years Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the Portuguese monarchy: a printing press, a public library, a military academy and the Bank of Brazil were founded there, and in 1815 Brazil was raised to the status of a kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The return of John VI to Lisbon in 1821 opened the way to Brazilian independence in 1822.
Connections
Causes and preconditions
- Continental System21 November 1806 – 11 April 1814 · Western and Central EuropePortugal delayed joining the blockade of Britain, and Napoleon sent Junot’s army against it
Consequences
- Liberal Revolution of 182024 August 1820 · Western and Central Europethe rebels demanded the return of the court, which had been in Rio de Janeiro since 1808
- Independence of Brazil7 September 1822 · Latin Americathirteen years of the court in Rio raised Brazil to the rank of a kingdom
Related events
- Treaty of Windsor9 May 1386 · Western and Central Europein 1807 the navy of Portugal’s oldest ally escorted the royal family to Brazil
- Peninsular War2 May 1808 – 17 April 1814 · Western and Central Europethe invasion of Portugal in November 1807 was the prelude to the Peninsular War
Same participants
- Lisbon earthquake1 November 1755 · Western and Central Europevia Kingdom of Portugal
- Slave Trade Act 180725 March 1807 · Western and Central Europevia United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Treaties of Tilsit25 June (7 July) 1807 · Western and Central Europevia First French Empire
- Battle of Wagram5–6 July 1809 · Western and Central Europevia First French Empire
Adjacent events in the thread
- Rum Rebellion26 January 1808 · Southeast Asia and Oceania
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within a year of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Treaties of Tilsit25 June (7 July) 1807
- Slave Trade Act 180725 March 1807
- Finnish War9 (21) February 1808 – 5 (17) September 1809
- Continental System21 November 1806 – 11 April 1814
- Peninsular War2 May 1808 – 17 April 1814
Balkans and Anatolia
- First Serbian Uprising14 February 1804 – 7 October 1813
Africa
- Jihad of Usman dan Fodio21 February 1804 – 1808
Southeast Asia and Oceania
- Rum Rebellion26 January 1808
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil
- Wikipedia (English): John VI of Portugal
- Wikipedia (Russian): Переезд португальского двора в Бразилию
- Wilcken P. Empire Adrift: The Portuguese Court in Rio de Janeiro, 1808–1821. — London: Bloomsbury, 2004.
- Wikidata: Q2670007