The crown of Pedro I is the first imperial crown of Brazil and was made for emperor

Pedro I of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he List of ...

. It was made in 1822 for his coronation and was the symbol and emblem of Brazilian imperial power until it was replaced in 1841 by the crown of his son and successor Pedro II. It is one of the jewels of the

Brazilian Empire The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...

and is now on display at the Imperial Museum in Petrópolis.

History

In 1807, fearing Napoleonic invasions in Portugal, Prince Regent John decided to transfer the government to Brazil to be safe and keep his most valuable colony. The court acclimated so well to this state that in 1815, as the threat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

receded to

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, the regent decided to remain in Brazil and make it a kingdom in its own right within the

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil w ...

.Warren Dean, "Brazil: 1808–1889" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'', vol. 1, p. 420. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. However, in 1820 a serious

political crisis Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

broke out in Portugal, forcing John VI to return to Lisbon. Before leaving, he appointed the crown prince Pedro as regent of Brazil. Concerned about the evolution of Brazil, the Portuguese political elites wanted to return it to its former colonial status and dissolve its government. However, when they ordered Pedro to return to Portugal, he decided to stay during the ''Dia do Fico'', and supported the break with the Portuguese metropolis. Pedro declared the

independence of Brazil The Independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Brazilian Empire. Most of the events occurre ...

by the

cry of Ipiranga Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

on 7 September 1822, accepting to become emperor of Brazil only on October 12, and was crowned as such on December 1. There followed three years of struggles that ended with the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro by which Portugal officially recognized Brazilian independence.

The Brazilian aristocracy had its wish: Brazil made a transition to independence with comparatively little disruption and bloodshed. But this meant that independent Brazil retained its colonial social structure: monarchy, slavery, large landed estates, monoculture, an inefficient agricultural system, a highly stratified society, and a free population that was 90 percent illiterate.

In 1841, for the coronation of Pedro II, son and heir of Pedro I, a new imperial crown was created as if to mark a new beginning. For this purpose, the diamonds on the crown of Pedro I were removed and placed on the new model. After that, the first crown was only shown as a symbol of the foundation of the empire and no longer played a real role in imperial propaganda. The last real political use of the crown took place in 1972 during the repatriation of the remains of Pedro I to Brazil, where it was displayed on a cushion.

Manufacture

The crown was made in 1822 by Brazilian silversmith Manuel Inácio de Loiola in Rio de Janeiro, and was first exhibited to the public on 8 July 1841, just days before Pedro II's Coronation that took place on July 18 of that same year. The crown is first composed of a gold ring serving as a base. Decorated with engraved motifs of tobacco branches and coffee trees in bloom and a frieze on its upper edge; it bears alternating shields bearing the coat of arms of the Brazilian Empire or medallions containing large diamonds. A decoration in the form of acanthus leaves and stylized scrolls covers the entire ring, but rises in the alignment of the shields. In the center of the acanthus leaves is encrusted a solitary diamond. Large arches rise behind these leaves and taper along their rise, until they close at the top of the whole. These arches are adorned with engraved palm leaves and bear small diamonds on the center line. At the top, an armillary sphere adorned with a diamond-encrusted cross reminiscent of the Order of Christ overlooks the whole. This crown weighs , has a diameter of and is high.

Usage

The crown was only used on special occasions: the coronation, official occasions, great festivities or throne speech.Eduardo de Oliveira, "O império da lei: ensaio sobre o cerimonial de sagração de D. Pedro I (1822)", vol. 13, p. 133-159. Niterói: Tempo, 2007. During the annual opening and closing sessions of the General Assembly (the Brazilian Imperial Parliament), the emperor appeared in full imperial regalia and played his role as constitutional arbiter, recalling the difficulties experienced by the country and the priority problems. This ritual, inaugurated by Pedro I in 1823, continued throughout the Empire, unlike other ceremonies.

In heraldry

Before it was replaced by the crown of Pedro II, the imperial crown of Pedro I appeared on the flag and the various coats of arms of the Empire of Brazil. However, there is a particular heraldic and vexillological rule concerning the color of the crown's lining: when the crown is represented on the crest or when it crowns the shield, it must be

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

. Except when it is a coat of arms or emblems of the imperial family, where it must be

vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme vers ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Imperial Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial Crown Of Brazil Brazilian monarchy Empire of Brazil Brazil National symbols of Brazil