The Coming of the Royal Family to Brazil

The coming of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil took place on November 29, 1807 and the delegation arrived in Salvador (BA), on January 22, 1808.

The refuge in Brazil was a ploy by the Prince Regent, D. João, to ensure that Portugal remained independent when it was threatened with invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte.

To ensure the success of the transfer, the kingdom of Portugal had the support of England, which also helped to expel the Napoleonic troops.

Why did the Royal Family come to Brazil?

In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte decreed the continental blockade ordering European countries to close their ports to ships from England.

Meanwhile, Bonaparte secretly negotiated the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1807) with the Spaniards that would allow the French to cross through Spain to invade Portugal. In exchange, the Spanish kingdom could seize a piece of Portuguese territory.

Portugal did not join the continental blockade due to the long political and commercial alliance with the British and, for this reason, Napoleon ordered the invasion of Portuguese territory, which took place in November 1807.

Before that, on October 22, 1807, the Prince Regent D. João and the King of England Jorge III (1738-1820) signed a secret convention that transferred the monarchical seat from Portugal to Brazil.

In this same document, it was established that British troops would temporarily settle on Madeira Island. For its part, the Portuguese government committed itself to signing a commercial treaty with England after settling in Brazil.

The Prince Regent, Dom João, determined that the entire royal family would be transferred to Brazil. Ministers and employees would also travel, totaling 15,700 people representing 2% of the Portuguese population.

These numbers are currently being revised, as many historians consider the figure to be exaggerated.

Embarkation of the Royal Family

Eight ships, three frigates, three brigs and two schooners were needed for transport. Another 4 ships from the British fleet accompanied the court.

In addition to people, on November 29, 1807, furniture, documents, money, works of art and the royal library were shipped. Those who remained were advised to receive the invaders peacefully to avoid bloodshed.

General Junot (1771-1813), commander of the invasion, stayed in Lisbon until August 1808 when he was defeated by the British. From then on, Portugal was governed by the Council of Regency made up of nobles from the kingdom.

Crossing and Arrival of the Royal Family

The trip took place in unsanitary conditions and lasted 54 days to Salvador (BA), where he disembarked on January 22, 1808. In the capital of Bahia, they were received with parties and remained there for over a month.

During the period in which he was in Bahia, the Prince Regent signed the Treaty for the Opening of Ports to Friendly Nations and created the Bahia School of Surgery.

On February 26, the court left for Rio de Janeiro, which would be declared the capital of the Empire.

The arrival in Rio de Janeiro took place on March 8, 1808. There were few lodgings available to accommodate the palatial entourage and many residences were requested to receive them. Barracks and convents were also used to accommodate the court.

The houses that were chosen by the nobles had the inscription P.R. on their facade, which meant "Prince Regent" and indicated the departure of the residents to make the property available.

However, the population interpreted the acronym, ironically, as "Put-se na Rua".

Consequences of the coming of the Royal Family

The transfer of the Royal Family and its entourage contributed to significant changes in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro.

With the opening of the ports, all the friendly nations of Portugal were able to trade with Brazil. At first, this meant trade with England.

In turn, Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the kingdom of Portugal and improvements were made and new public buildings were erected in the city.

The same happened with furniture and fashion. With the opening of the ports, trade was diversified, offering services such as hairdressers, hatters, dressmakers.

D. João also opened the Imprensa Régia, from which the Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro emerged. Institutions such as:

• Royal Military Academy (1810),
• Botanical Garden (1808),
• Royal Gunpowder Factory (1808),
• Bank of Brazil (1808),
• Practical-Chemical Laboratory (1812).

Cultural life

Art, however, is among the sectors that most received the impact of the transfer of the court. The Royal Library of Portugal was transferred entirely from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro in 1810.

The initial collection, of 60 thousand volumes, was composed of books, maps, manuscripts, prints and medals and was the origin of the current National Library.

For the entertainment of the members of the court, the Real Teatro São João was founded in 1813, where the João Caetano Theater is currently located.

In music, the Portuguese composer Marcos Portugal and the Brazilian priest José Maurício, wrote at the time, the most beautiful melodies of the Americas.

With the end of the Napoleonic wars, several French artists found themselves without work and turned to Dom João to pursue their careers. Thus begins the so-called French Mission that made it possible to open the Royal School of Arts, Sciences and Crafts.

Treaty of Alliance and Friendship, of Commerce and Navigation

In order to strengthen commercial and political ties with the English, Dom João signs, in 1810, the Treaty of Alliance and Friendship, of Commerce and Navigation with the United Kingdom.

This Treaty established:

• commercial advantages. The import tax on English products would be 15%, that is, Portuguese products, 16%, and other countries, 24%.
• Commitment to ending the slave trade in view of the abolition of slavery;
• the right of extraterritoriality. This allowed English subjects who committed crimes in Portuguese domains to be prosecuted by English magistrates, according to English law;
• permission to build Protestant cemeteries and temples;
• the assurance that the Inquisition would not be implemented in Brazil and, in this way, the Protestants would not be disturbed.

Independence of Brazil

The main consequence of the arrival of the royal family to Brazil was the acceleration of the country's independence process.

In 1815, with the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Brazil was declared part of the United Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves, ceasing to be a colony.

This was necessary, as the European leaders gathered at the Congress of Vienna did not recognize the authority of Dom João in a simple overseas possession.

The permanence of the royal family was decisive to maintain the territorial unification of Brazil, as it brought together part of the elite and the population around the figure of the sovereign.

Dom João's political-administrative measures made England increase its interest in trade with Brazil. This condition becomes clear with the opening of ports to friendly nations.

The process caused Portugal to lose its monopoly on trade with Brazil and the agrarian elite began to dream of independence. On the other hand, Brazil becomes a promising consumer and supplier market for England.

When D. João VI needed to return to Portugal, because of the Liberal Revolution in Porto, his son Dom Pedro, approached the agrarian elite. This was concerned with the possibility of recolonization and the ongoing wars in Spanish America.

The Independence of Brazil is declared on September 7, 1822 by Dom Pedro I who becomes the first emperor of Brazil.

Independent, the country promulgates the first Constitution in 1824 that maintains the monarchic regime, slavery and recognizes the Catholic religion as official.

Summary of the coming of the Royal Family

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