Brazil’s last emperor is deposed. After a 49-year reign, Pedro II, Brazil’s second and last emperor, is deposed in a military coup. The Brazilian monarchy was born in 1822 when the Portuguese reigning prince Dom Pedro defied his parliament and proclaimed Brazil’s independence under his rule. The Brazilian empire, however, did not get off to a good start, and in 1831, Emperor Pedro I abdicated in favor of his five-year-old son and returned to Portugal. Pedro II was crowned emperor in 1841 and proved a far more capable ruler than his father. During his fifty-year reign, Brazil enjoyed unprecedented stability, and its troubled economy began to balance out and grow. Later, however, the emperor lost the favor of certain sectors of society, including the military and the growing urban middle class. After his deposition, Pedro II went to Europe, where he died in exile two years later.
