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Pedro II of Brazil (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), also known as Pedro the Magnanimous, was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for more than 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro as the seventh son of Pedro I and Maria Leopoldina, Pedro II inherited an empire on the verge of disintegration, but he turned Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation grew to be distinguished from its Hispanic neighbors on account of its political stability, freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth, and form of government – a functional representative parliamentary monarchy. Pedro pushed through the abolition of slavery in Brazil despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. He established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture, and the sciences, and he won the respect and admiration of people such as Charles Darwin, Victor Hugo, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and was a friend to Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others. Historians have regarded Pedro positively and several have ranked him as the greatest Brazilian. This 1872 painting by Pedro Américo depicts Pedro II delivering the speech from the throne in the General Assembly and wearing the Imperial Regalia.
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