1808: The Flight of the Emperor: How A Weak Prince, A Mad Queen, And The British Navy Tricked Napoleon And Changed The New World by Laurentino Gomes (PDF)

Description

In a time of terror for Europe’s monarchs—imprisoned, exiled, executed—Napoleon’s army marched toward Lisbon. Cornered, Prince Regent João had to make the most fraught decision of his life. Protected by the British Navy, he fled to Brazil with his entire family, including his deranged mother, most of the nobility, and the entire state apparatus. Until then, no European monarch had ever set foot in the Americas. Thousands made the voyage, but it was no luxury cruise. It took two months in cramped, decrepit ships. Lice infested some of the vessels, and noble women had to shave their hair and grease their bald heads with antiseptic sulfur. Vermin infested the food, and bacteria contaminated the drinking water. Sickness ran rampant. After landing in Brazil, Prince João liberated the colony from a trade monopoly with Portugal. As explorers mapped the burgeoning nation’s distant regions, the prince authorized the construction of roads, the founding of schools, and the creation of factories, raising Brazil to kingdom status in 1815. Meanwhile, Portugal was suffering the effects of abandonment, war, and famine. Never had the country lost so many people in so little time. Finally, after Napoleon’s fall and over a decade of misery, the Portuguese demanded the return of their king. João sailed back in tears in 1821, and the last chapter of colonial Brazil drew to a close, setting the stage for the strong, independent nation that we know today, changing the New World forever.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From Booklist Portugal’s royal court, plus about 10,000 support staff, sailed from Lisbon in 1807, expelled by an invading French army. Taking refuge in Brazil, the exiles stayed until 1821. Gomes relates this episode and its significant ramifications from a variety of perspectives: from the positions and personalities of the king, João VI, and his consort, Carlota Joaquina; from observations by visitors to Brazil during those years; and through narratives of political events in the home country and its huge tropical colony. Though João was not, avers Gomes, an impressive figure, the presence of his court promoted a unity that Brazil did not previously possess, while his sanction of free trade connected the colony to world commerce, including commerce in African slaves. Describing the populaces of Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities, Gomes renders a society in flux, contrasting it with Portugal’s sufferings from war and political turbulence. The latter resulted in a constitution, marking João VI as Portugal’s last absolute monarch. Gomes’ work, a best-seller in Brazil, will engage readers interested in a formative phase of the country’s history. –Gilbert Taylor Review The author of this study has produced a book that is enjoyable to read. .. .it does a fine job and gives casual readers a valuable overview. The book is a bestseller and has drawn a lot of popular attention to an important period of Atlantic World colonial history, which is of course desirable and impressive. .. .If one were asked to recommend the book as light reading for a popular audience, one would do so enthusiastically. -Historian ― HistorianAn Amazon.com History BestsellerWinner of the Jabuti PrizeA Brazilian Academy of Letters Best Work of NonfictionCritical Acclaim for 1808: The Flight of the Emperor”This vivid portrait of an unkempt, self-preserving king provides insight into the obscure history of Brazil. … A meticulous and encyclopedic account of life in the colony of Brazil, as well as the doings of the Portuguese royalty in their new home … 1808: The Flight of the Emperor offers important knowledge for understanding how modern-day Brazil, a diverse mix of the ancestors of Europeans, slaves, and natives, was created. … Gomes tells that story completely, with vivid accounts from historians as well as original sources.”—Foreword”Highly readable … a well-researched, engaging history.”—Kirkus Reviews”Good airline reading on your next flight to Rio.”—Library Journal”Fascinating.”—Publishers Weekly“A light and informative history … Gomes offers a broad perspective on the period, portrayed in bright colors.”—Folha de São Paulo “A rare portrait … Gomes’s research shines . . . in his ability to recreate with unparalleled flair a portrait of daily life in the colonies and how this all changed with the arrival of the Portuguese.”—Estado de São Paulo“This is a book that you will read with a broad smile. … The result of ten years of research, 1808 is a veritable guidebook through all the events that formed part of this little-known episode of history. … It conjures up a delicious blend of good humor and erudition to create a broad portrait of events and people that crossed paths during the thirteen-year adventure in the tropics. … Through short, cinematic chapters, Gomes successfully sets up a jigsaw puzzle in which each piece fits right into the preceding one. … In addition to supporting the historical record with primary source documents and with more recent studies, he makes the people of the era jump off the page. … 1808 reveals these events with grace and weightlessness. … It’s a historical synthesis that shines for the clarity of its explanations and for the interest of the past it projects onto the present. It’s a well conceived idea sustained by a flawless methodology.”—Veja magazine About the Author Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐If you want to understand the present and the possible future, you have to understand the past. 1808 is one of the most important moments of the History of Brazil. Everything changed! The next 205 years from than was unfolded to our days because a weak Prince, a mad Queen and the British Navy tricked Napoleon. As funny at it looks this is an amazing story that seeks for the, sometimes, unbelievable truth. This reading experience is a delicious journey through a story that seems as a brilliant fiction, but is the closest thing to the reality of that time. Laurentino searches as an investigative journalist and writes like a novelist that you can’t stop reading. I loved the book and all the extensive indications of “what is where”. It inspire me to spend some time browsing the internet to learn more about some of the incredible moments of our world history. Last thing (promise I’ll stop): History is usually written by the “winners”, so heroes and villains are completely out of integrity and their actions make no sense. In 1808 you understand the “who’s” and the “why’s” with no good or bad label. This is all happening today… Who is spying who? What Republicans has to do with Republic? What Democrats has to do with Democracy? Why Brazil is destroying there forests? Sorry for this last part… Enjoy the book!

⭐I first heard about this book many months ago when I was visiting South America and met a Brazilian who had read the Portuguese version and shared several funny anecdotes from the book with me. I was fascinated by the fact that the nation of Brazil owes its creation and independence to the only ever relocation of a Royal Court to a Colony (Lisbon to Rio) in recorded history. When I discovered that an English version of this book was coming out, I was quick to preorder a copy.Having nearly finished the book, I can honestly say that it is a great primer for anyone wanting to learn more about the nation of Brazil. The book is filled with interesting (and often hilarious) anecdotes about the years leading up to the relocation and the roughly 13 years the Royal Court spent in Rio de Janiero after the flight from Lisbon. I’ve especially enjoyed reading the first-hand accounts of the lives of people that lived in Rio at this time. The author has done a great job of tracking down many primary sources to help the reader better understand the period and context of events.The English version is topnotch and I have encountered zero spelling errors or grammar issues. Kudos to the translator and editors. I’m very much looking forward to the English version of the sequel “1822”!

⭐This is an excellent history about how Brazil became Brazil. Well researched, it tells the story of the only XIX century European monarch to ever set foot in his colonies. Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of curiosity about how the New World developed and became what it is today.I hope the other two books in the series, 1822 and 1889, are also translated some day.These are three very important years in Brazil’s history: 1808, when the Portuguese monarch moved to Brazil to escape Napoleon; 1822, when Brazil gained its independence from Portugal; and 1889, when the Empire became the Republic.

⭐Fascinating look at Brazilian and Portuguese history which is totally unknown to most Americans. After visiting Brazil last spring I think it is a place we in the US should be paying more attention to. Their history parallels ours in many ways but diverges in others.

⭐Histories, well written and researched, can be informative, entertaining, and enlightening. Laurentino Gomes has accomplished this. As an historian I am grateful for this well-documented read. The presentation of the cultural impact the fleeing monarchy had on Brazil is most rewarding. Gomes humanizes this history and moves beyond the mere informative of who and how and into the world of the impact human choices have on the world. If there is any weakness to the work it is the lack of maps, contemporary or historical.This is a book worth reading twice.

⭐I could not put this book down. It was beautifully written and the anecdotes used by the author were very interesting. I was born in Brazil and brought up in the US and to be honest, I never found Brazilian history that interesting until I read this book.Due to Mr. Gomes’ background as a journalist, he is able to present historical facts in a way that engages the reader. The narrative is never dull or overwhelming.Lastly, this is a great read, not only for Brazilians but anyone who is interested in history or Latin America.

⭐Amazing information about the flight of the royal family of one of the world’s great empires. Didn’t know they were dirt poor, as was Portugal, despite all its colonies and slave-trade. Two VERY interesting chapters in the middle about the slave trade, exposing this as the largest genocide in human history.

⭐Wonderful and readable history of the years when the seat of government of Portugal fled Napoleon for Brazil. Well written and fair coverage of the people and events of the time. Attitudes and actions are quite revealing.

⭐great book, very good quality

⭐Historical detail covered clearly in relation to Brazil, with reference and links to Brazilian historicial rsearch, with the just the correct amount of information to encourage further reading if so desired.

⭐Very good book to understand Brazilian’s history.

⭐but written in a boring style with not much seeming to happen

⭐Super interesting book

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