Background
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was born on 13 June 1763. He was a member of an important family from the city of Santos in the State of Sáo Paulo, dominated much of Brazilian politics during the early days of independence.
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was born on 13 June 1763. He was a member of an important family from the city of Santos in the State of Sáo Paulo, dominated much of Brazilian politics during the early days of independence.
Educated at Coimbra University in Portugal, Bonifácio in addition to his political activities became a world famous scientist, specializing in minerology.
His influence was pivotal in Dorn Pedro I’s decision to remain in Brazil rather than return to Portugal as demanded by the Portuguese Parliament in 1822. When Pedro 1 broke with Portugal, José Bonifácio was given the unofficial title of “Patriarch of Brazilian Independence.” During the reign of Dom Pedro I (1822-1831), Bonifácio, although appointed a cabinet minister, clashed with the young emperor. Bonifacio wanted more Brazilian participation and elimination of the Portuguese faction that surrounded the young emperor. When Dom Pedro brought his mistress into the Imperial Court and named her the Marquesa de Santos, Bonifácio returned to Santos and cut his relations with the emperor. He left the country and returned in December 1829 when Pedro, in an attempt to bolster his falling popularity, appointed an all-Brazilian cabinet at Bonifácio’s suggestion.
The two men were reconciled, and when the emperor abdicated in 1831 he summoned Bonifácio and turned over his five-year-old son Pedro II to his care, requesting that he tutor and prepare the young man for his duties as emperor of Brazil. Bonifácio carried out this assignment, although many members of the Regency felt he was too conservative politically.