Background
Varnhagen was born in 1816, in the city of Iperó, Brazil. He was the son of Maria Flávia de Sá Magalhães and Friedrich Ludwig Wilhelm Varnhagen, a German-born military engineer
Varnhagen was born in 1816, in the city of Iperó, Brazil. He was the son of Maria Flávia de Sá Magalhães and Friedrich Ludwig Wilhelm Varnhagen, a German-born military engineer
At an early age, he was sent to Lisbon, where he studied at the Colégio Militar, and in the future, he would serve as a volunteer in the 1831-1834 Portuguese Liberal Wars.
He is the patron of the 39th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He received his primary education in Rio de Janeiro. His first History work would be Notícia do Brasil, written between 1835 and 1838.
His research would lead him to find Pedro Álvares Cabral"s long-lost grave at the Igreja da Graça, in Santarém.
He was admitted at the Sciences Academy of Lisbon and graduated in military engineering at the Academia Real de Fortificação, Artilharia e Desenho. He returned to Brazil in 1840, entering at the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute in 1841.
In 1844 he obtained Brazilian citizenship, and could apply to a diplomatic career. He would publish the first volume of his masterpiece, História Geral do Brasil, in 1854.
Its second volume was published in 1857.
In 1872, Emperor Pedro II would give him the title of Baron of Porto Seguro, being elevated to Viscount two years later. His final diplomatic service was in Vienna, Austria, where he was serving as a minister when he died in 1878. His remains were transported to Santiago, Chile, but would be years later removed to a monument erected in honor of him at the city of Sorocaba.
Participant of his library was acquired by bibliophile José Mindlin.
Academia Brasileira de Letras.