The French came to Lisbon, and the Royal family fled to rio. What did they do there, the only refugee monarchs in the western Hemisphere? They ruled, and tried to ignore the convulsions of Europe while creating a european capital city. When Napoleon was gone, some of them didn't want to come home. A book that fills in a niche for the completist. ( )

This is a first-class look at a neglected corner of history. I had no idea how fascinating the Brazilian monarchy was. In 1807, the Portuguese court (that's the entire court encluding its massive and creaky political, social, economic, and even clerical bureaucracy) decided to flee Napoleon's advancing armies. They headed for their then colony of Brazil. The culture shock on both sides when they landed in fetid and steamy Rio was immediate. The ineffectual Prince-Regent (his mother, the reigning queen was insane) Dom Joao, had little understanding of his new surroundings but that didn't prevent him from installing a ramshackle version of a European monarchy with all of the trappings in what then became the seat of the Portuguese empire. His harridan wife, Dona Carlotta, was seldom in a good mood but never less so than when she landed with head shaved to stave off an affliction of lice incurred on the voyage. The ill-matched pair stayed in Rio for ten years before returning unwillingly to Lisbon. Those years were filled with adventures of all kinds for both the royal family and the colonial Brazilian community that was their sometimes unwilling host. This is a fascinating tale and author Patrick Wilcken tells it well. His excellent solid scholarship is enlivened by a lively and often witty narrative style. I just plain loved this book and recommend it to anyone who is willing to venture a bit beyond the realm of mainstream history. ( )

The history of the Portuguese court in Brazil makes a Verdi opera look like Margaret Drabble. Even if you have not the slightest interest in 19C Brazil, this delightful book reads as smoothly as a novel. I loved it. ( )

Escrita leve para uma tarefa difícil .Um trabalho de divulgação muito bem feito para leitores comuns! ( )

All be it read in translation - I was too lazy to order the original - this was one of the best books of the year. ( )