Editing John VI of Portugal (section)

=== Road to rule ===
With the death of his mother on 20 March 1816, John assumed the throne as King Dom John VI. However, he was not immediately consecrated as king; he was acclaimed only on 6 February 1818, with grand festivities.<ref name="Dicionário" /> Meanwhile, several political matters came to the fore. John's wife, the ambitious Carlota Joaquina, had begun to conspire against Portuguese interests while still in Europe. Shortly after her arrival in Brazil, she established understandings with both Spaniards and with nationalists of the [[Río de la Plata]] region (now Argentina and [[Uruguay]]) to try to secure a monarchy of her own, perhaps as a regent of Spain, perhaps as queen of a new monarchy created from Spanish colonies in South America, perhaps by deposing her husband. This made any meaningful marriage to John impossible, despite his show of patience, and only the force of convention had them appear together in public. While the Queen gained many sympathizers, her plots uniformly failed. Despite that, she managed to influence her husband to involve himself more directly in Spanish colonial politics. These efforts led to the capture of [[Montevideo]] in 1817 and the annexation of [[Cisplatina]] Province in 1821.<ref>Vicente, António Pedro. "Política exterior de D. João VI no Brasil". In: ''Estudos Avançados'', vol.7 no.19 São Paulo Sept./Dec. 1993. In Portuguese.</ref><ref>Iglésias, Francisco. ''Trajetória política do Brasil, 1500–1964''.  Companhia das Letras, 1993, pp. 103–105. "Política e</ref>

During the same period, problems arose in finding a wife for John's son Dom Pedro, Prince Royal of Portugal (the new title for the heir apparent). Europe at the time considered Brazil distant, backward and unsafe, so it was not a simple task to find suitable candidates. After a year of seeking, the ambassador [[Pedro José Joaquim Vito de Meneses Coutinho, 6th Marquis of Marialva]], finally secured an alliance with one of Europe's most powerful royal houses, the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], after seducing the Austrian court with numerous lies, a display of pomp, and the distribution of gold bars and diamonds among the nobility. Dom Pedro married Archduchess [[Maria Leopoldina of Austria]], daughter of Emperor [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis I]], in 1817.<ref>Wilcken, Patrick. ''Império à deriva: a corte portuguesa no Rio de Janeiro, 1808–1821''. Editora Objetiva, 2005, pp. 225–226. In Portuguese.</ref> The Emperor and his minister [[Metternich]] considered the alliance "an advantageous pact between Europe and the New World," strengthening the monarchical regime in both hemispheres and granting Austria a new sphere of influence.<ref>Lustosa, Isabel. ''D. Pedro I''. Companhia das Letras, 2006, pp. 77–78. In Portuguese.</ref>

Meanwhile, the situation in Portugal was by no means tranquil. With the King absent and the country devastated by the [[Peninsular War]] and the consequent mass hunger and enormous exodus of emigrants,<ref>Gomes, p. 81</ref> Portugal became a ''[[de facto]]'' British protectorate upon the final expulsion of the French. It was administered by [[William Carr Beresford]], who took a high hand in his dealings with the Portuguese government. From the time John ascended the throne, the Portuguese pressed for his return, initiated [[Liberalism|liberal]] rebellions, and formed secret societies with the objective of bringing into session the [[Portuguese Cortes]], which had not met since 1698. Similar liberal agitation occurred in Brazil. In 1817, the [[Pernambucan Revolt]] broke out in [[Recife]], a [[republic]]an movement that established a provisional government in [[Pernambuco]] and spread into other Brazilian states; it was put down severely. Back in Portugal, the [[Liberal Revolution of 1820]] broke out in [[Porto]] on 24 August 1820. A governing [[Military junta|junta]] was set up, with repercussions in Lisbon. It met as the General Extraordinary and Constituent Cortes (''Cortes Gerais Extraordinárias e Constituintes''), formed a government and convened elections for deputies without bothering to consult King John. The movement gained support from the Island of Madeira, the [[Azores]] and reached the captaincy of Grão-Pará and [[Bahia]] in Brazil. It led even to an uprising by the military garrison of Rio de Janeiro itself.<ref name="Cronologia"/><ref name="Iglésias, p. 106"/>

On 30 January 1821, the Cortes met in Lisbon and decreed the formation of a Council of Regency to exercise power in the name of King John. It freed many political prisoners and demanded the King's immediate return. On 20 April, John convoked a meeting in Rio to choose deputies to the Constituent Cortes, but the following day, protests in the plaza were put down violently. In Brazil, the general opinion was that the King's return to Portugal could mean loss of the autonomy Brazil had gained and a return to its prior colonial status. Under pressure, John tried to find a middle way by sending his son Prince Pedro to Lisbon to grant a constitution and establish the basis of a new government. The prince, however, already leaning toward liberal ideas, refused. The crisis had gone too far and there was no turning back. John named Pedro regent for Brazil in his name and left for Lisbon on 25 April 1821 after a stay of thirteen years in Brazil, a country he would always miss.<ref name="Cronologia"/><ref name="Dicionário"/><ref name="Iglésias, p. 106">Iglésias, p. 106</ref>