Emperor Pedro I abdicated in Rio de Janeiro in favor of his five-year-old son, Pedro II. Because the new emperor was a minor, Brazil entered the Regency Period, governed by appointed regents.
The Acto Adicional (Additional Act) amended Brazil’s 1824 Constitution, decentralizing aspects of imperial governance by creating provincial legislatures and replacing the three-person regency with a single regent (regência una).
The Cabanagem began in Grão-Pará when insurgents seized the provincial government in Belém, launching a prolonged and extremely violent struggle (1835–1840) that exposed the fragility of imperial authority during the regency.
A major urban revolt led largely by African Muslim (Malê) enslaved people and freedmen broke out in Salvador, Bahia. Though suppressed quickly, it became one of the most significant slave uprisings in Brazilian history and intensified repression and surveillance in Bahia.
Brazil held an election to choose a sole regent, as envisioned by the 1834 Additional Act. The contest selected Diogo Antônio Feijó, inaugurating a new phase of regency government structured around a single executive regent.
The Ragamuffin War (Farroupilha Revolution) began when rebels captured Porto Alegre, escalating into a decade-long regional conflict (1835–1845). It became the most sustained separatist challenge to the imperial state in the regency era.
Diogo Antônio Feijó assumed office as sole regent, replacing the earlier triumviral model. His administration faced intense factional conflict and mounting provincial revolts during a period of high instability.
Facing fierce opposition and political deadlock, Feijó resigned as regent. His departure marked a turning point toward more conservative control over the regency government.
After Feijó’s resignation, Pedro de Araújo Lima assumed regency functions as interim regent under the Additional Act’s succession provisions, stabilizing executive control while a new regent was selected.
The Sabinada erupted in Bahia as rebels proclaimed a separatist Bahian republic intended to last until Pedro II reached majority. The revolt highlighted continuing provincial resistance to regency authority and centralization.
Araújo Lima formally began his term as elected regent, consolidating the shift toward conservative “regresso” policies that sought to strengthen the center and curb provincial autonomy.
The Balaiada began in Maranhão as a broad social revolt involving marginalized free people and enslaved participants. It became one of the major regency-era conflicts, underscoring socioeconomic tensions alongside elite factional disputes.
The Interpretative Law of the Additional Act reversed parts of the 1834 decentralizing reforms by increasing central control (notably over police and judicial administration), reinforcing the conservative program of re-centralization.
Brazil’s General Assembly declared 14-year-old Pedro II legally of age in the Declaration of Majority (often called the Golpe da Maioridade). The decision ended the Regency Period and initiated the Second Reign.
Regency Period (1831–1840)
