Emperor Pedro I

King João return to Portugal in 1821. Both João and his son, Pedro (1798 - 1834), recognized that too much had changed to return to the days when Brazil was a colony. Thus, as he left for Portugal, João advised his son to be ready to seize the crown of Brazil if demands for independence accelerated. Under pressure from the Portuguese Côrtes and Portuguese troops in Brazil, Pedro issued his "fico" or declaration that "I am staying" on January 9, 1822. He created a new government with some Brazilian advisors then announced "Independence or Death" on September 7, 1822. Three months later he was crowned Pedro I and became a more-or-less constitutional Emperor, who, nonetheless, had the power to dissolve the national assembly.