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Dom Pedro II

Pedro II
Half-length photographic portrait of an older man with white hair and beard dressed in a dark jacket and necktie
Emperor Dom Pedro II around age 61, c.1887
Emperor of Brazil
Reign 7 April 1831 – 15 November 1889
Coronation 18 July 1841
Predecessor Pedro I
Successor Monarchy abolished
First Brazilian Republic
Deodoro da Fonseca, as President
Regents See list (1831–1840)
Prime Ministers See list
Head of the Imperial House of Brazil
Tenure 7 April 1831 – 5 December 1891
Predecessor Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil
Successor Isabel, Princess Imperial
Born (1825-12-02)2 December 1825
Palace of São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Died 5 December 1891(1891-12-05) (aged 66)
Paris, France
Burial Cathedral of São Pedro de Alcântara, Petrópolis, Brazil
Spouse Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
Issue
detail
Full name
Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga
House Braganza
Father Pedro I of Brazil
Mother Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature Cursive signature in ink
Full name
Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga
Styles of
Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil
Coat of arms consisting of a shield with a green field with a golden armillary sphere over the red and white Cross of the Order of Christ, surrounded by a blue band with 20 silver stars; the bearers are two arms of a wreath, with a coffee branch on the left and a flowering tobacco branch on the right; and above the shield is an arched golden and jeweled crown
Reference style His Imperial Majesty
Spoken style Your Imperial Majesty
Alternative style Sire

Dom Pedro II (English: Peter II; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. His father's abrupt abdication and departure to Europe in 1831 left a five-year-old Pedro II as Emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence. Obliged to spend his time studying in preparation for rule, he knew only brief moments of happiness and encountered few friends of his age. His experiences with court intrigues and political disputes during this period greatly affected his later character; he grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country and his people, yet increasingly resentful of his role as monarch.

Inheriting an Empire on the verge of disintegration, Pedro II turned Portuguese-speaking Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation grew to be distinguished from its Hispanic neighbors on account of its political stability, zealously guarded freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth and especially for its form of government: a functional, representative parliamentary monarchy. Brazil was also victorious in three international conflicts (the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the Paraguayan War) under his rule, as well as prevailing in several other international disputes and domestic tensions. Pedro II steadfastly pushed through the abolition of slavery despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. A savant in his own right, the Emperor established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture and the sciences. He won the respect and admiration of scholars such as Charles Darwin, Victor Hugo and Friedrich Nietzsche, and was a friend to Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others.


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