Brazil’s “imperial family” does not give up after 200 years of independence

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s independence process differed from the processes of other Latin American nations by being characterized as a peaceful transition and led by members of the Portuguese royal family.

After the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1808 forced the exile of the colonial royal family, the Portuguese Empire would move its metropolis to South America, more specifically to Rio de Janeiro.

On September 7, 1822, under the influence of the proclamation ‘Independence or Death’, also known as the ‘Grito de Ipiranga’, Pedro IV of Portugal became recognized as Pedro I of Brazil, thus becoming the emperor of Brazil.

The giant of South America would go from being a colony of the kingdom of Portugal to an Empire, a constitutional monarchy, which, over time, became the most relevant and long-lasting independent monarchic regime in Latin America until its decline in 1889.

WHO WOULD BE THE CURRENT SUCCESSOR TO THE IMPERIAL THRONE IN BRAZIL?

Through publications on their website, the descendants of the Brazilian imperial family propose the restoration of the Brazilian imperial monarchy as the guardians of the nation’s immaterial principles, beyond a left or right-wing solution.

The imperial family maintains that the establishment of the Republic in Brazil -on November 15, 1889-, was a coup d’état, but that nevertheless, they maintain ‘as the most precious of legacies’, loyalty to their historical mission, where “they always gave notorious proof of this fidelity and never abstained from fulfilling the duties intrinsic to the condition of members of the Imperial Family”, states the portal.

The figure of the current emperor of Brazil – because it should be noted that it would be an empire, not a kingdom -, would fall on the shoulders of Prince Don Luiz de Orleans e Bragança, “current depositary of the rights to the Throne of the Crown of Brazil”.

The “current imperial monarch” was born in 1938 in the French seaside resort of Mandelieu-la-Napoule (south), being the first of the 12 children of his father, Prince Don Pedro Henrique de Orleans e Bragança, head of the Imperial House of Brazil.

A chemical engineer by profession, he assumed the role of leader of the imperial family after his father’s death in 1981, where he exercised the petition to eliminate the ‘stone clause’, a punitive constitutional device that leaves ‘monarchists’ outside the law, in a famous letter to the members of Brazil’s 1987 Constituent Assembly.

IMPERIAL BICENTENNIAL

Last January 11, on the occasion of the beginning of the 200th anniversary of Brazil’s monarchist independence proclamation, Prince Don Bertrand de Orleans e Bragança – brother of Prince Luiz – addressed the ‘monarchist people’ of Brazil.

In the message, he assured to be moved by the displays of affection from the old and young monarchists, who demonstrated “loyalty and appreciation” in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

“In this year that we celebrate the Bicentennial of Independence, we continue to observe a broad current that cries out ‘I want my Brazil back,’ that is, an ordered nation. May the worthy patriots know that they can always count on the esteem, support, and work of the Imperial family”, said the second in the line of succession of the Brazilian Empire.

BASIC PROPOSALS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE MONARCHY IN BRAZIL

In 2015, the ‘Monarchic Charter’ was written, a document that has 16 basic proposals for the return to the Empire and the “final defeat of that nightmare called Republic”.

Among the proposals poured in the ‘imperial’ document, it is worth highlighting:

• Restoration of the Monarchy along the general lines of the Constitution of March 25, 1824, making the necessary adaptations to the current Brazilian reality.
• Hereditary monarchy in the Imperial House of Brazil, with the consequent recognition of His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Don Luiz de Orleans e Bragança, Head of the same House, legitimate holder of the rights to the Crown.
• Moderator Power as an attribution of the emperor. The executive power is exercised through the Prime Minister, together with the other members of the Cabinet, who enjoys the confidence of the emperor and the Cortes, following the parliamentary system that prevailed, so successfully, throughout the reign of Dom Pedro II.
• A bicameral legislature, composed of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, elected by universal suffrage.
• Maintenance, concerning the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, of the conditions of independence of the respective members: life tenure, irremovability, and irreducible salaries.
• Council of State, the respective members, being elected by the emperor, among the exponential figures of the various sectors of national life.
• Maintenance of the federative system, including the possibility that the Courts of the Empire could divide the existing ones into new federative units, always through popular plebiscite consultation with the interested populations.
• Expansion of the municipalities’ autonomy within the political organization of the states.
• The family, mother cell of society, and foundation of Christian civilization must also be effectively protected. Parents should be informed about the actual rights and purposes of the family so that in their eyes, the sublime mission of safeguarding the life of their children, which is a fundamental condition of domestic well-being, is valued.
• Following the principle of subsidiarity, the family is primarily responsible for the education of its children. The Public Power will put all its efforts into developing the private education network and, in addition, will complete, through the collaboration of the public education network, what is necessary to comprehensively provide the national population with an adequate educational level.
• To value the great mission of the Armed Forces as guardians of the nation. On their prestige and efficiency rests the social peace and the internal and external security of our country, as well as their deserved protagonism in the international scenario. Its members must have all the conditions to live with dignity, free of material concerns that affect their morale and keep them away from total dedication to their military duties.
• The Military Police and the Military Fire Brigade, legitimate reserves of the Armed Forces, shall be considered, recognized, and highlighted for their non-transferable role in the country’s public security and territorial defense. The Federal and Civil Police, responsible for the preservation of public order and the safety of persons and property, shall be guaranteed treatment in accordance with their essential and non-delegable role, especially in defense of citizens and in the fight against crime in all its forms.
• Respect for the system of free trade unionism, in accordance with the commitment assumed by Brazil when signing the ILO charter.
• Following the example of what happened during the long reign of D. Pedro II, the media should enjoy the broadest possible powers to play their essential role in informing and forming public opinion. The exercise of this freedom must be understood with its social function, being assured to all Brazilians and civil society, the right to defend their honor and family or social morality under the terms of the law.
• Being, par excellence, the monarchic form of government the closest to the family model that should be the matrix of all human societies, the restoration of the Empire must be accompanied by broad fraternization of all Brazilians around a common goal, forgetting their hatreds, ill wills, and divisions of any kind. Thus, the campaign for the restoration of the monarchy – a true national crusade – conducted at high levels will not aim to reach individuals, organizations, and parties, leaving propaganda and debate mainly at the level of ideas.