Pedro II of Brazil

Pedro II became emperor in 1831 when his father abdicated and left for Europe, leaving a small boy to grow up under regency tutors who drilled duty and intellect into him. The long reign that followed turned a fragile post-colonial state into a stable power: his government ran a working parliamentary system, won wars against Paraguay and Uruguay, settled revolts, and despite fierce opposition from landowning elites, he pushed through the abolition of slavery. He became known internationally as a learned patron of science and culture, but in 1889 military republicans toppled him in a coup with…