Pedro II and his foreign policy

Pedro II was the second and last emperor of Brazil. His reign lasted nearly 50 years. After his father abdicated the throne, Brazil was ruled by a regency for a few years, one of the most troubling moments in the country’s history. After this period, the young Peter was declared emperor. Like any government or reign, Pedro II faced good and bad moments. He was an eccentric figure but extremely respected around the world, even by great names such as Graham Bell, Friedrich Nietzsche, Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, and Charles Darwin.

A well-known fact is the love of Pedro II for traveling. Throughout his life, he made a few trips abroad, each with its importance for the emperor and, in a certain way, for the country’s history. He was an intellectual, spoke more than 10 languages, and loved to study about countries, and only at the age of 45, he made his first trip to the European continent [1].

Despite loving to get to know new countries, new cultures, and distant places, the biggest problems came from its own neighbors. Brazil has always enjoyed a privileged geographical position on the South American continent and has always been very aggressive in avoiding strengthening other nations on its borders. This strongly influenced the foreign policy adopted by the emperor.

The country’s foreign policy in the period was based on two main points: First on the influence of England, and second, on the conflicts in the South American region. And these two points are inextricably linked.

Mainly during the reign of Pedro I, until the mid-1850s, Brazil was under a condition of submission to the British government, a situation that changed due to the prosperity brought by coffee production.

England, in the 19th century, was interested in increasing its consumer market, and Brazil was one of its main targets. However, England required the abolition of slavery, and this demand was a huge problem for the big landowners. Pedro II had to please both sides, each with opposing requests. His attempt to abolish slavery very slowly and gradually did not please the British authorities, who had created the “Bill Aberdeen law”, allowing the arrest of ships carrying Africans as slaves to Brazil. Several seizures took place, greatly shaking the relationship between the two countries.

But the worst moment in this bilateral relationship was the Christie Question (or Christie Affair). In 1861, the British ship “Prince of Wales” sank off the coast of Brazil, and the cargo was looted. After a while, British sailors out of uniform were arrested in Brazil for misconduct and drunkenness. The government of England considered these arrests a provocation and the British ambassador to Brazil William Christie was authorized at that time to blockade the port of Rio de Janeiro and seize Brazilian ships.

The King of Belgium, Leopold I, became the arbitrator of the dispute and demanded that England make an apology to Brazil. The request was not heeded and Pedro II broke diplomatic relations with England.
Years later, England, concerned about Paraguay’s expansion in South America, reconnects with Brazil.

Now dealing with a regional issue, Brazil participated in three international conflicts in the South American territory. England also influenced the creation of the Triple Alliance between Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, which resulted in the Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, the bloodiest and longest-lasting war in the history of South America, which lasted from 1864 to 1870. I have no interest in elaborating on all the reasons that led to the conflict, however, two are the main and most commented ones: An expansionist policy by Paraguay to gain access to the sea and the other was Pedro II’s opposition to the government of Atanásio Aguirre, of the Blanco party, supported by Solano Lopez.

After the War, Paraguay, which was the only country on the continent to survive without foreign capital, was harshly destroyed, and the Brazilian economy was also shaken, although Pedro II used this war to consolidate the country as the great power of the continent.

By the end of his reign, his support had weakened. The crucial issue was the abolition of slavery. After some attrition, the strength of the union of three groups (Catholic Church, Army, and Landowners) led to the fall of the Monarchy, with the coup against Pedro II. Brazil became a Republic, changing its foreign policy, focusing on the American context, and not so much on the European one, as before.

[1] Everyone already knows that Pedro II was a great admirer of science and met several internationally famous scientists, but an interesting and curious fact is that Pedro II on his first trip to the United States met Thomas Jefferson and Graham Bell and on that occasion was the first person to answer a phone call, during the World Exposition.

Also Read:

FREYRE, Gilberto. Dom Pedro II: Imperador Cinzento de uma Terra de Sol Tropical. Recife: Conselho Estadual de Cultura, 1975.

DORATIOTO, Francisco. Relações Internacionais do Brasil. 2. ed. atual. [S. l.]: Editora Saraiva, 2020. 168 p. ISBN 8571441286.

PATRIOTA, Antonio de Aguiar. Política externa brasileira: Discursos, artigos e entrevistas. Brasília: [s. n.], 2011. 515 p. ISBN 978–85–7631–460–8.