D. Pedro II is not just a biography, but a reflection on the role of the monarchy and the legacy left by the then emperor. In this revised and updated edition, Paulo Rezzutti offers us a rich and revealing reading that contributes to a deeper understanding of the history of Brazil and the figure of D. Pedro II in the year that marks the 200th anniversary of his birth.
In Dom Pedro II: The Untold Story , Paulo Rezzutti invites us to delve into the life of one of the most enigmatic and admired rulers in Brazilian history. The book delves into previously unseen and underexplored aspects of the monarch and highlights not only his political greatness but also his complex character, presenting a deeply human man, with passions, insecurities, and virtues, who was declared of age at 14 to assume the throne of an empire.
Rezzutti recalls episodes from the emperor's personal life, from details of his childhood at Quinta da Boa Vista—how he was left by his parents before he was 6 years old, his love of ice cream, his interest in theater and science, his war games with his friends—to the central role he played in the great transformations of Brazil in the 19th century.
Using unpublished sources and reports that until then were marginalized in historiography, the author presents not only the military face of the emperor who achieved victory in the wars against Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and commanded the country during the main revolts of the century, but also of the man who valued the education of the population and modern inventions, being responsible for the arrival of telephone lines and the spread of photography in Brazil.
Pedro II faced challenges that led him to a difficult and dramatic position regarding the country's future. Whether through his leading role or as the embodiment of attacks on a regime, it is impossible to dissociate his name from events that shaped the course of the imperial period, such as the abolition of slavery and the Proclamation of the Republic, which are addressed here with a critical eye and attentive to the choices and consequences that affected the nation's future.
“In the bicentenary year of the birth of Dom Pedro de Alcântara, Dom Pedro II : The Untold Story, by Paulo Rezzutti, is a contribution to a broader understanding of the life of this unique figure in national history.” – from the preface by Maurício Vicente Ferreira Jr., director of the Imperial Museum and full member of the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute.
