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Portugal's Prince Regent John VI arrives in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.

Founded in 1565, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire. In 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Court moved to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal. Under the leadership of her son, prince regent John of Braganza, Maria raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves.

Historical Significance

Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Events Before

  1. Curaçao is taken by the English during the Napoleonic Wars until March 1816

    The Spanish American wars of independence (Spanish: Guerras de Independencia Hispanoamericanas) were a series of conflicts fought across Spanish America during the early 19th century.

  2. London's Pall Mall becomes the first street lit by gaslight

    London's Pall Mall becomes the first street lit by gaslight

  3. Battle of Eylau ends inconclusively between Napoleon's forces and the Russian Empire, first battle Napoleon isn't victor

    Battle of Eylau ends inconclusively between Napoleon's forces and the Russian Empire, first battle Napoleon isn't victorious

  4. US President Martin Van Buren (24) weds high school sweetheart Hannah Hoes (23) in Catskill, New York

    US President Martin Van Buren (24) weds high school sweetheart Hannah Hoes (23) in Catskill, New York

  5. US Congress bans the slave trade within the US, effective January 1, 1808

    The internal slave trade in the United States, also known as the domestic slave trade, the Second Middle Passage and the interregional slave trade, was the mercantile trade of enslaved people within…

Events After

  1. Holland Brigade under Brigadier-General David Hendrik Chassé reaches Madrid during the Napoleonic Wars

    Holland Brigade under Brigadier-General David Hendrik Chassé reaches Madrid during the Napoleonic Wars

  2. First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England

    First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England

  3. La Paz, Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Muril

    La Paz, Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the first independent government in Spanish America

  4. The Royal Opera House opens in London

    The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site.

  5. Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Joséphine by French Senate

    Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across...

More from the 1800s

The dissolution of the Dutch East India Company comes into effect

The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874.

Italian monk Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres

Giuseppe Piazzi was an Italian Catholic priest of the Theatine order, mathematician, and astronomer.

Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy

Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam

Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolut

Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolution; becoming the only state ever founded by formerly enslaved people and without slavery

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 7, 1808?
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire.
Why is Portugal's Prince Regent John VI arrives in Rio de Janeiro significant?
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

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March 7 in HistoryYear 1808