Felisberto Caldeira Brant Pontes de Oliveira Horta, the Marquis of Barbacena (19 September 1772 – 13 June 1842) was a Brazilian soldier and statesman of both
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and the
Empire of Brazil
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 ...
.
Life
Brant was born in
Mariana
Mariana may refer to:
Literature
* ''Mariana'' (Dickens novel), a 1940 novel by Monica Dickens
* ''Mariana'' (poem), a poem by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
* ''Mariana'' (Vaz novel), a 1997 novel by Katherine Vaz
Music
*"Mariana", a so ...
, then the Portuguese Colony of Brazil, in 1772. He attended the Royal College of Nobles in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, eventually becoming an officer in the Portuguese army. Early in his career, Brant was sent to
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, where he served as aide de camp to the royal governor there. In 1807, during the
French invasion of Portugal
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, the Prince Regent, Dom
João VI
, house = Braganza
, father = Peter III of Portugal
, mother = Maria I of Portugal
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal
, death_date =
, death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal
, ...
, fled to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
with a large retinue. Brant, who had by then returned to Portugal, accompanied the Prince Regent to South America. There, he became a pioneer in the field of
steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
transportation, developing such an interest in the method that he was granted official authorization to study it.
By 1821, the Prince Regent had returned to Portugal, leaving his son
Dom Pedro I Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an ethn ...
in control of Brazil. Relations between the two regions grew tense, and Brazil broke away from the kingdom. Brant supported Dom Pedro, now the Emperor, being sent on a diplomatic mission to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by José Bonifácio, the minister for both internal and foreign affairs. He met little success during his stay in England, and he returned to Brazil by 1826. During the
Cisplatine War
The Cisplatine War (), also known as the Argentine-Brazilian War () or, in Argentine and Uruguayan historiography, as the Brazil War (''Guerra del Brasil''), the War against the Empire of Brazil (''Guerra contra el Imperio del Brasil'') or t ...
(1825-1828) with Argentina, Brant rose to become commander-in-chief of Brazilian forces. He commanded the Brazilian army during a failed invasion of Argentina, and was fought to a draw in the
Battle of Ituzaingó
The Battle of Ituzaingó, also known as the Battle of Passo do Rosário, was a pitched battle fought in the vicinity of the Santa Maria River, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley into two.
After a two-year series of cont ...
. In 1829, Brant was charged with finding a bride for Dom Pedro. He succeeded in this mission, but fell from grace shortly afterward. He died in 1842.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Senado Federal. Vida do Marquez de Barbacena
Finance Ministers of Brazil
Brazilian generals
Brazilian nobility
1772 births
1842 deaths
People of the Cisplatine War
{{Brazil-noble-stub