Kingdom of Brazil

The Kingdom of Brazil was created on 16 December 1815, when the Portuguese prince regent John raised the colony of Brazil to the status of a kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The change reflected the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro in 1808, after the French invasion of Portugal, and gave Brazil a standing equal to the European kingdom. Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the united monarchy, and Brazil gained its own administration, courts and diplomatic representation. In 1821 John VI returned to Portugal and left his son Pedro as regent in Brazil. Portuguese attempts to reduce Brazil's autonomy provoked widespread resistance, and on 7 September 1822 Pedro proclaimed independence. He was crowned emperor on 12 October, creating the Empire of Brazil, and Portugal recognised the separation in the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro of 1825. The short-lived kingdom thus marks the legal transformation of colonial Brazil into an independent American monarchy.