The Arrival of the Royal Family in Brazil

The transfer of the Portuguese Royal Family to Brazil in 1807 was a milestone in Brazilian colonial history. Driven by the Napoleonic wars and the continental blockade imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte, this move triggered profound political, economic, and social transformations that shaped modern Brazil. This article explores the international scenario that led to the transfer, the context in the colony before the Court's arrival, the challenges faced during the journey, and the lasting consequences of this historical movement.

1. Historical Context

Napoleonic Wars and the Continental Blockade

In the early 19th century, Europe was immersed in the Napoleonic wars, with Napoleon's France facing England in a struggle for continental dominance. In 1807, Napoleon imposed the Continental Blockade, a strategy to weaken the British economy by interrupting trade between England and the European continent. Portugal, a traditional English ally, represented a significant breach in this blockade, becoming a target of Napoleonic aggression.

Faced with imminent French invasion, Prince Regent Dom João made the strategic decision to transfer the Portuguese Court to Brazil. Between November 25 and 27, 1807, approximately 10 to 15 thousand people boarded Portuguese ships, protected by the British fleet. This exodus included ministers, counselors, judges, clergy members, and a vast bureaucracy. Additionally, the royal treasury, government archives, printing presses, and libraries were transported — which would later give rise to the National Library of Rio de Janeiro.

The Colony Before the Court's Arrival

Before the arrival of the Royal Family, Brazil was experiencing the height of the gold cycle. Mining dominated the economy, although sugar cane, livestock, and the emerging coffee cultivation also played significant roles. Portugal's delay in the Industrial Revolution led to considerable indebtedness to England, which was paid off with gold extracted from Brazil.

On the administrative level, the colony was governed by a Governor-General, whose centralizing authority, established in 1548, replaced the Hereditary Captaincies system. The relationships between governors-general and grantees were often tense, highlighting the conflict between central power and regional administrations.

2. The Royal Family in Brazil

The Portuguese Court's crossing to Brazil was marked by numerous challenges that tested the travelers' resilience. During the journey, a severe storm split the fleet, resulting in overcrowded ships and shortages of essential supplies such as food and water. The British navy, which protected the squadron, provided improvised supplies for changing clothes. Despite these setbacks, the Royal Family's arrival at Guanabara Bay on March 7, 1808, was received with great enthusiasm by the population of Rio de Janeiro.

DEBRET, Jean-Baptiste. Study for the Arrival of Dona Leopoldina in Brazil, 1818.

The arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in Rio de Janeiro in 1808 brought profound political and economic transformations to the colony. Dom João VI, acting as Prince Regent, centralized power in the capital and decreed the opening of ports to "friendly nations," ending Portugal's commercial monopoly. This measure allowed Brazil to establish direct trade relations with England, benefiting rural landowners by eliminating restrictions imposed by the metropolis. However, it also increased Brazil's economic dependence on England, as tariff policies favored English manufactured products, hindering the development of local industries and permanently shaping the colonial economy.

Dom João VI promoted a series of urban improvements and infrastructure investments to accommodate the court and strengthen governmental institutions. Additionally, urban expansion resulted in the paving of new streets, widening of roads, and significant improvements in water supply, sanitation, and public lighting.

The Hand-Kissing Ceremony

The hand-kissing ceremony was a public act that established direct contact between the monarch and his subjects, symbolizing the king's authority and paternal role. During the ritual, the subject would approach, kneel before Dom João VI, and kiss his extended hand before withdrawing. The monarch's direct presence at ceremonies represented a significant change in the Brazilian court's symbolic practices. Previously, the viceroy conducted the ceremony on behalf of the regent. With the arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family, Dom João VI began to actively participate in these rituals, centralizing the royal family in official events. Friends and future allies of the king eagerly awaited the arrival of new court members, wishing to integrate into the royal circle and participate in the ceremonies.

Beyond its symbolic value, the ceremony influenced practical aspects of Brazilian society. In 1817, due to Dom João VI's frequent trips to Santa Cruz Farm for the ritual, Brazil's first public transportation system was established, creating a coach service that connected the city to the royal residences. This innovation, later maintained by Dom Pedro I and Dom Pedro II, demonstrated how monarchical practices could impact urban infrastructure.

Dom João VI's Administration - Prince Regent - in Brazil

With the establishment of the Portuguese Court in Brazil, the country became the new de facto and de jure seat of political power of the Lusitanian Kingdom. Dom João VI promoted several significant changes and improvements, among which stand out:

• Establishment of Manufactures: The authorization to create manufactures in Brazil, including the production of ammunition and weapons, allowed the country to export these products to Portugal. This fostered industrial development in the colony and reduced its dependence on imports from the metropolis.

• Creation of Cultural and Financial Institutions: The Academy of Fine Arts, São João Theater (now João Caetano), National Museum/UFRJ, Astronomical Observatory, Botanical Garden, National Library, Bank of Brazil, and Royal Press were founded.

• Royal Military Academy: Its creation institutionalized regular science education in Brazil. Although initially focused on military science, the Academy became a center for mathematical and observational sciences.

• Elevation of Brazil to United Kingdom of Portugal and Algarves: Brazil ceased being a colony and gained the same political status as Portugal, earning the right to send deputies to the Courts of Lisbon. This change was crucial for the territory's political emancipation and helped Portugal contain revolutionary movements.

• Central Archive: Created to gather maps, geographical charts of Brazil, and public works projects.

• Educational and Research Institutions: Schools of Surgery and Naval Academy (1808), Medical-Surgical Academy (1813), and Chemistry Laboratory (1818) were established, boosting scientific development in the country.

• The French Mission: Arrived in Rio de Janeiro on March 26, 1816, to create the Imperial Academy and School of Fine Arts. Composed of painters, sculptors, architects, and craftsmen, the mission revolutionized the Fine Arts landscape in the country. It introduced the academic higher education system and strengthened Neoclassicism. The group, led by Joachim Lebreton, included renowned artists such as Jean-Baptiste Debret, Nicolas-Antoine Taunay, his son Félix Taunay, and Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny. The presence of these and other foreign professionals — such as botanists, zoologists, physicians, ethnologists, and geographers — brought new information to Brazil and made it better known internationally through publications in books, newspapers, and magazines.

Impacts of the Royal Family's Arrival in Rio de Janeiro

The arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in Rio de Janeiro in 1808 caused profound transformations in the city's urban and social structure. To accommodate the court's entourage, the Count of Arcos instituted a boarding system that, in practice, requisitioned local residents' homes to house the nobility. This process resulted in the display of the letters "PR" (Prince Regent) on house doors, which the population interpreted as an order to move to the streets.

Between 1808 and 1822, Rio de Janeiro's area tripled, reflecting the rapid population growth driven by the court's arrival. The massive influx of people exacerbated urban problems such as housing shortages, deficient water supply, inadequate sanitation, and lack of public security. The Portuguese nobility criticized the precarious conditions of accommodations compared to the luxurious residences in Lisbon. Meanwhile, the poorest population was relegated to marginalized areas like Catumbi and Mata-Porcos, where they lived in cramped huts between hills and the sea, highlighting the profound social inequality.

Family customs were also changing, breaking the home seclusion for women, who began to frequent public spaces such as streets and theaters, and also devoted themselves to reading books and studying other languages. Fashion shops and hairdressers multiplied, frequented by wealthy ladies who didn't want to look bad in front of the court ladies. Another measure by the prince regent allowed anyone to open primary schools, which mostly operated in the teacher's own house. Children from wealthy families were educated at home by tutors. However, slave labor remained, necessary for manual activities in the houses, townhouses, and country estates of the masters.

Many slave owners, however, didn't use them only for domestic service. To increase their income, they employed their slaves as "negros de ganho" (wage-earning slaves) and "rental slaves." The wage-earning slaves worked in the streets, being forced to share their earnings with their masters. The rental slaves were leased to other people, to whom they provided services. Some sold all kinds of merchandise door to door: poultry, vegetables, produce, sweets, liquors, etc.; others set up their stalls at busy street corners, on church steps, and in squares, shouting to offer their goods for sale. This use of slaves yielded good profits for their masters, and because of this, some of them had more than 40 slaves in these conditions.

Despite the advances promoted by the presence of the Royal Family, economic expansion also brought negative consequences. The slave trade intensified significantly, with the number of captives tripling between 1808 and 1822, which intensified exploitative colonial practices. Furthermore, the centralization of power and urban improvements, while modernizing the capital and benefiting the elite, widened social inequalities. The poor population was displaced to marginalized areas, facing precarious living conditions, while the Portuguese nobility complained about the accommodations, considering them inferior to those in Lisbon. These social dynamics illustrate the complex interactions between economic development and social inequality during the Brazilian colonial period.

Beyond the physical changes, the court's presence catalyzed cultural and scientific flourishing in Rio de Janeiro. However, these improvements also accentuated social inequalities: while the elite enjoyed the new institutions and infrastructure, the poor population faced precarious living conditions in marginalized areas. These dynamics reflect the complex interaction between urban development and social disparities during the Brazilian colonial period.

3. The Return of the Royal Family to Portugal

On April 26, 1821, Dom João VI, accompanied by Queen Carlota Joaquina and Prince Dom Miguel, began his journey back to Portugal, leaving Brazil after more than a decade of royal administration. The royal entourage, comprising approximately four thousand people, departed discreetly and hastily, reflecting the climate of political uncertainty that permeated both Brazil and the metropolis. Dom João VI's quiet departure symbolized his political weakening, as he returned to Portugal already under pressure from the Portuguese Courts to reestablish colonial control and reverse the concessions made during his stay in Brazil. The absence of the Portuguese Court in Rio de Janeiro left the heir Dom Pedro de Alcântara as leader, whose good relationship with the agrarian elite and pro-independence leadership was crucial for the advancement of the emancipation movement.

The Liberal Revolution of Porto in 1820 was a crucial milestone that led to the convening of the Portuguese Courts to draft a new constitution and implement reforms that included restoring the Portuguese commercial monopoly over Brazil and demanding Dom João VI's return to Portugal, reestablishing Lisbon as the capital of the Kingdom. These impositions were met with resistance by Brazilian political leadership, who viewed the Courts' decisions that threatened to reverse previously obtained concessions with disdain.

Dom João VI's return to Portugal intensified tensions between the Portuguese Courts and Brazilian leadership, exacerbating discontent in provinces that yearned for autonomy. The Courts, determined to reestablish Portuguese commercial monopoly and centralize power, implemented measures aimed at reversing economic and political reforms beneficial to Brazil. The imposition of new troops, the transfer of governmental institutions to Lisbon, and the demand for Dom Pedro's return to Portugal catalyzed Brazilian resistance. The Resistance Club and a petition with eight thousand signatures pressured Dom Pedro to remain in Brazil, culminating in the "Day of Stay" on January 9, 1822. This decisive act marked the definitive break with Portugal and accelerated the independence process, resulting in Brazil's emancipation. Thus, the Royal Family's return not only symbolized the attempt to reassert colonial dominion but also strengthened the desire for autonomy and national identity among Brazilians, paving the way for independence in 1822.

4. Conclusion

Brazil's independence process was accelerated by the tensions between Dom João VI's reforms and the demands of the Portuguese Courts. Decisive events such as the Pernambuco Revolution of 1817 and the Day of Stay in 1822 were crucial. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals and discontent with the centralization of power and high costs imposed on the colony, these movements paved the way for Brazil's political emancipation. The leadership of Dom Pedro I and José Bonifácio was essential in consolidating independence, resulting in Brazil's formation as a sovereign nation and the development of a unique national identity.

The arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in Brazil not only transformed the colony's administrative and economic structure but also laid the groundwork for the cultural and scientific development that would define modern Brazil. The reforms and institutions established during this period left a lasting legacy, preparing the ground for independence and profoundly shaping the country's historical trajectory. As we celebrate more than two centuries of independence, it is crucial to recognize the importance of this period in shaping Brazilian identity and institutions, reflecting on the achievements and challenges that forged the nation we know today.

5. Mind Map

• ABREU, M. de A. The Urban Evolution in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: IPP, 2008.

• ASSUNÇÃO, Paulo de. Rhythms of Life: effusive moments of the Portuguese royal family in the tropics. Rio de Janeiro. Ed. National Archive, 2008.

• DEBRET, Jean-Baptiste. Picturesque and Historical Voyage to Brazil, Paris, 1834-39, 2, pls 30 and 24

• FAPESP. A Cut in Brazil's History. Bicentennial of the Royal Family's Arrival Demands Historiographical Reflection. 2008. Available at: https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/um-corte-na-historia-do-brasil/

• FAUSTO, Boris. History of Brazil / Boris Fausto. São Paulo. University of São Paulo Press, 2006.

• MALERBA, Jurandir. The Court in Exile: Civilization and power in Brazil on the eve of Independence (1808-1821), Cia das Letras, São Paulo, 2000.

• MARTINS, Ismênia de Lima. "Johannine Court". In: NEVES, Lúcia Bastos Pereira das; VAINFAS, Ronaldo. Dictionary of Johannine Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. Objetiva, 2008.

• MULTIRIO. Life at court and the transformations in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Available at: https://multirio.rio.rj.gov.br/index.php/historia-do-brasil/brasil-monarquico/8854-a-vida-na-corte-e-as-transformações-na-cidade-do-rio-de-janeiro