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 ...

Life

Brant was born in Mariana, then the Portuguese Colony of Brazil, in 1772. He attended the Royal College of Nobles in Lisbon, 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 Franc ...

, 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 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 eth ...

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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

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

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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