The list of Brazilian Emperors is a short one. The Brazilian monarchy lasted for 67 years, ruled first by a father and then by a son, both bearing the name of Pedro. Of the two, Pedro II ruled Brazil for a far longer period; in fact, he sat on the throne for 58 of those 67 years. During that time, he stabilized Brazil’s political system, represented the nation to the rest of the world as a sort of sophisticated “philosopher king,” and helped bring his homeland into the modern world.

But, in many ways, the fact that Pedro II was an emperor is one of the least interesting things about him. Of all the people ever to hold as much power as he did, few did more than Pedro to ensure that they lived a rich, full life apart from politics. Rarely was this done out of selfishness. Pedro II cared deeply for Brazil, as evidenced by his last words:

“May God grant me these last wishes – peace and prosperity for Brazil…”