Snapshot · The Rest Is History
When Napoleon invaded Portugal in November 1807, the entire Portuguese royal family, court, and most of the political elite — about 15,000 people — sailed to Brazil on British ships.
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At 13:56 · chapter starts 12:00
In 1808, Brazil is home to about 2.5 million people, a third of them enslaved, governed from a chaotic, potholed, and violent Rio de Janeiro that one British visitor called 'one of the dirtiest congregations of human beings under the sun'. But Rio's fortunes are about to change dramatically. Napoleon Bonaparte, furious at Portugal's refusal to join his Continental System blockade of Britain, dispatches French and Spanish forces to invade in November 1807. By the time they reach Lisbon, they find it empty: the entire Portuguese royal family, court, and political elite — approximately 15,000 people — have sailed to Brazil on British ships under Sir Sidney Smith. [1] — Dominic Sandbrook "15,000 people fled Portugal to Brazil in 1807: When Napoleon invaded Portugal in November 1807, the entire Portuguese royal family, court, …" 13:56 It is an unprecedented moment in imperial history: for the first time, an empire is being governed not from its metropolis but from a colony in both the Western and Southern Hemisphere. Heading the migration are the Queen of Portugal Dona Maria (suffering severe mental illness), her son and regent Dom João, and Dom João's young son Pedro. They establish their court in Rio and run their empire in exile — a remarkable transfer of power from Europe to the Americas that will have enormous consequences for Brazil's future.
When Napoleon invaded Portugal in 1807, some 15,000 people — the entire royal court — fled across the Atlantic to Brazil on British ships. For the first time in history, an empire was governed not from Europe but from a colony in the Western and Southern Hemisphere. A king who loved birdsong and sacred music now ruled Portugal from Rio.
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