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Proclamation of Independence (1822) |
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The irritating opposition of Lisbon's politicians to this state of affairs and the cajoling from close Brazilian advisers attracted the young prince to the cause of independence. Barely a year after the King's return to Portugal, on September 7, 1822, the Crown Prince proclaimed the independence of Brazil as an Empire and had himself solemnly crowned Emperor Pedro I on December 1, 1822. The mastermind behind Brazilian independence was José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, a distinguished Brazilian geologist and writer who had become the most important and trusted of the Prince's advisers. While the Spanish viceroyalties in America had to fight fiercely for their independence (to end up as 18 different republics), Portugal and Brazil settled the matter by negotiation, with Great Britain acting as a broker.
English dominance, already strengthened by the policies of Economic Liberalism, became even more complete after independence. As a condition for the recognition of Brazilian sovereignty, the British government obtained the renewal and expansion of its privileges of 1810, thus confirming the dependence of the Brazilian economy on the world's commercial centre. After a relatively short war of independence (1822-1824) Brazil became an Empire under Dom Pedro I, who, nevertheless, continued to be the heir to the Portuguese throne.
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