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Joined: 13 Mar 2011
Posts: 198
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 Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:48 am Post subject: The courtiers |
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The politicians who had risen to power during the 1830s had by then become familiar with the difficulties and pitfalls of power. According to historian Roderick J. Barman, by 1840 "they had lost all faith in their ability to rule the country on their own. They accepted Pedro II as an authority figure whose presence was indispensable for the country's survival."[26] Some of these politicians (who would form the Conservative Party in the 1840s) believed that a neutral figure was required—one who could stand above political factions and petty interests to address discontent and moderate disputes.[27] They envisioned an emperor who was more dependent on the legislature than the constitutional monarch envisioned by Pedro I, yet with greater powers than had been advocated at the beginning of the Regency by their rivals (who later formed the Liberal Party).[28] The liberals, however, contrived to pass an initiative to lower Pedro II's age of majority from eighteen to fourteen. The Emperor was declared fit to rule in July 1840.[29]
[edit] Consolidation
A photograph of a young bearded man seated in a armchair with his right hand tucked into the front of his double-breasted jacket
Emperor Dom Pedro II around age 25, c.1851, by which time he had fully consolidated his authority and pacified the country.
To achieve their goals, the liberals had allied themselves with a group of high-ranking palace servants and notable politicians: the "Courtier Faction". The courtiers were part of the Emperor's inner circle and had established influence over him,[30] which enabled the appointment of successive liberal-courtier cabinets. Their dominance was short-lived, though. By 1846, Pedro II had matured physically and mentally. No longer an insecure 14-year-old swayed by gossip, suggestions of secret plots, and other manipulative tactics,[31] the young emperor's weaknesses faded and his strength of character came to the fore.[31] He successfully engineered the end of the courtiers' influence by removing them from his inner circle without causing any public disruption.[32] He also dismissed the liberals, who had proved ineffective while in office, and called on the conservatives to form a government.[33]
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