THE YOUNG EMPEROR LOOKS AT THE PROVINCES: THE SOUTHERN JOURNEY OF PEDRO II IN 1845-1846 AND THE HISTORY OF EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

Gorbunov Igor Olegovich

In 1845-1846, the nineteen–year-old Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II, made his first long trip to the southern provinces of his country, Santa Catarina and San Pedro do Rio Grande do Sul. This article reconstructs the course of this journey and analyzes it through the prism of everyday history, microhistory, and age as a socio-political category. Based on the emperor's diaries, official reports, newspaper publications and correspondence, it is shown how the young monarch got acquainted with remote provincial cities, interacted with local society and mastered the role of a mature ruler. Special attention is paid to imperial rituals (ceremonial meetings, ceremonies of “beijo mão” – kissing hands), everyday details of the visit to Dechterra (now Florianopolis) and Porto Alegre, as well as how the trip highlighted the relationship between the center and the periphery. The emperor's visit was accompanied by mass celebrations, public performances, charity events and widespread demonstrations of loyalty. The journey reflected the process of Pedro II's growing up in the eyes of his subjects, revealed local practices (schools, printing houses, scientific interests of the monarch) and demonstrated the unity of the empire after the recently concluded civil war in the south. The article includes a route table, a glossary of terms, and illustrations from open sources.

Keywords:Dom Pedro II; Brazilian Empire; provinces of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul; imperial visit in 1845; history of everyday life; microhistory; center and periphery.