A Prince Survives
From “Independência ou Morte: A History of the Empire of Brazil” by Paulo Branco
The birth of Pedro’s son and heir apparent, Dom Alfonso, in 1845, was celebrated throughout the Empire. Alfonso was even nicknamed “o príncipe perfeito”(the perfect prince), just like his father “o magnânimo”(the magnanimous). However, the future Alfonso I’s childhood was not all sunshine and rainbows. On June 11th, 1847, the then two-year-old prince experienced an epileptic attack while playing in the palace library. Luckily, Alfonso’s mother Empress Teresa Cristina was in the vicinity, and managed to bring the prince to the court physician. Dom Alfonso miraculously survived. After the incident, the Emperor became increasingly protective of his son, which some historians believe may have affected Alfonso’s later reign. Had the Prince Imperial not been so lucky, who knows how history may have changed.
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The Empire of Brazil has always interested me. It was a monarchy in a continent of republics, and was a relatively stable emerging great power in a region known for its caudillos and civil wars. However, the Empire was overthrown in a coup, and Brazil would spend the rest of its history as a republic with a tendency towards corruption and instability, no different than the hispanic countries that surrounds it. While the reasons for the Empire’s decline are numerous, its fall was accelerated by Emperor Pedro II’s lack of interest in ruling his country. It is believed that Pedro’s disillusionment with being Emperor was caused by the death of his son and heir apparent Alfonso from epilepsy. In this timeline, Alfonso survives and Pedro never looses interest in ruling, forever changing the history of Brazil and the world.
The birth of Pedro’s son and heir apparent, Dom Alfonso, in 1845, was celebrated throughout the Empire. Alfonso was even nicknamed “o príncipe perfeito”(the perfect prince), just like his father “o magnânimo”(the magnanimous). However, the future Alfonso I’s childhood was not all sunshine and rainbows. On June 11th, 1847, the then two-year-old prince experienced an epileptic attack while playing in the palace library. Luckily, Alfonso’s mother Empress Teresa Cristina was in the vicinity, and managed to bring the prince to the court physician. Dom Alfonso miraculously survived. After the incident, the Emperor became increasingly protective of his son, which some historians believe may have affected Alfonso’s later reign. Had the Prince Imperial not been so lucky, who knows how history may have changed.
**********
The Empire of Brazil has always interested me. It was a monarchy in a continent of republics, and was a relatively stable emerging great power in a region known for its caudillos and civil wars. However, the Empire was overthrown in a coup, and Brazil would spend the rest of its history as a republic with a tendency towards corruption and instability, no different than the hispanic countries that surrounds it. While the reasons for the Empire’s decline are numerous, its fall was accelerated by Emperor Pedro II’s lack of interest in ruling his country. It is believed that Pedro’s disillusionment with being Emperor was caused by the death of his son and heir apparent Alfonso from epilepsy. In this timeline, Alfonso survives and Pedro never looses interest in ruling, forever changing the history of Brazil and the world.