Pedro I of Brazil

Born in Lisbon in 1798, Pedro fled to Brazil with the Portuguese royal family when Napoleon's troops arrived in 1807. Left as regent in 1821 after his father returned to face revolution in Portugal, he faced down insubordinate troops and mounting pressure from Lisbon to strip Brazil of its autonomy. On 7 September 1822, he declared independence, becoming Emperor by October and crushing loyalist armies by March 1824. He put down the Confederation of the Equator months later, then plunged into the Cisplatine War when southern rebels tried to break away in 1825. In 1826 he inherited Portugal's throne, abdicated it to his daughter Maria II, then watched Brazil lose Cisplatina in 1828 and his brother Miguel usurp Maria's crown. A public affair with Domitila de Castro and years of brutal fights with parliament over who controlled the government left him cornered. On 7 April 1831, he abdicated in favor of his young son Pedro II and sailed for Europe. He invaded Portugal in July 1832, led the liberals through what became a peninsular war against absolutism, and died of tuberculosis in September 1834, months after victory.