Brazil was once a colony of which European country?

Portugal established its first colony in Brazil in 1530. Colonists created sugarcane plantations along the coast and sent diamonds and gold back to Europe. Soon, people from West Africa were brought to Brazil to work as slaves. The discovery of large inland gold reserves brought thousands of people from the coasts and as far away as Europe to the interior of the country.

In 1789, Brazilians tried to kick out their Portuguese rulers. The rebellion was soon put down, but it started a movement toward independence. By 1822, Brazil was a sovereign nation. Kings of Portuguese blood ruled until 1888, when military leaders and landowners expelled the king, and Brazil became a federal republic.

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83 Comments

Rhoda Welker Adam

The comments are more interesting than the question.

Leda Beck

Actually, the Portuguese arrived in Brazil in 1500, when they started exploring the coastal forests for Brazil wood (which produced a red dye much better then the one already explored in India). The first colony was founded in 1532, Vila de São Vicente, in the current state of São Paulo. The first sugar plantation was in São Vicente, but the Northeast of the country became the main producing region —and sugar became the most lucrative trade for Portugal in the sixteenth- and seventeenth centuries. But gold and diamonds were only found in the 18th century, in the state of Minas Gerais (literally, "General Mines"). Heavy taxation from the Portuguese Crown inspired a group of intellectuals, and one military, to attempt independence. It was a very isolated movement, doomed to fail...The conspiracy was soon found, all participants were exiled in Africa, and the one military officer was executed. It is true that Independence came in 1822, but it had nothing to do with the aborted conspiracy in Minas 30 years before... In 1806, when Napoleon was about to invade Portugal, the whole court fled to Brazil, king and all. They proclaimed then the Empire of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves. But succession problems in Portugal soon took the king João VI back to his country, and his son declared the independence, becoming Pedro I of the Empire of Brazil. All these actions were within the succession struggle in Portugal. Pedro I soon went back to Portugal too, where he became Pedro IV of Portugal, while his son, Pedro II of Brazil, ruled until 1889 (not 1888), when a coup d'État led by the military, with support of landowners, sent the emperor and his family into exile. What happened in 1888 was the abolition of slavery. Brazil was the last country in the world to abolish slavery.

Don Woodworth

In the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) Pope Alexander the 6th divided the new lands outside of Europe between the two great Catholic kingdoms, Spain and Portugal. Spain had most of the Americas but the tip of Brazil was in the Portuguese territory giving them a foothold in the Americas.

Mrs. Marci

Great Question! I only deduced the correct answer because Portuguese is one of their languages. Thanks to your answer, Sandra Ziesmer, I now know why.