Monday, April 25, 2016

Independence of Brazil

Independence of Brazil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A painting depicting a group of uniformed men on horseback riding towards a smaller group of mounted men who have halted at the top of a small hill with the uniformed man at the front of the smaller group raising a sword high into the air
"Independence or Death!" Declaration of Brazil's independence by Prince Pedro on 7 September 1822. His Guard of Honor greets him in support while some discard blue and white armbands that represented loyalty to Portugal
The Independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that occurred in 1821–1824, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Empire. It is celebrated onSeptember 7, the anniversary of the September 7, 1822 date regent Prince Dom Pedro declared Brazil's independence from Portugal. Formal recognition came with a treaty signed by both Brazil and Portugal in late 1825.

Background[edit]

Landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in Brazil, 1500.
The land now called Brazil was claimed by Portugal in April 1500, on the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral. The Portuguese encountered Indigenous nations divided into several tribes, most of whom shared the same Tupi-Guaraní language family, and shared and disputed the territory.
Though the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization was effectively started in 1534, when King John III divided the territory into fifteen hereditary captaincies. This arrangement proved problematic, however, and in 1549 the king assigned a Governor-General to administer the entire colony. The Portuguese assimilated

Emperors of Brazil, Paço Imperial

Paço Imperial

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the former residence of the Emperors of Brazil also called Paço Imperial, see Paço de São Cristóvão.

Paço Imperial
PacoImperial1.jpg
Main Façade of the Paço Imperial
General information
Architectural stylePortuguese Colonial
Town or cityRio de Janeiro
CountryBrazil Brazil
Construction started1738
Design and construction
ArchitectJosé Fernandes Pinto Alpoim
The Paço Imperial (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈpasw ĩpeɾiˈaw]European Portuguese: [ˈpasw ĩpɨɾiˈaɫ]), or Imperial Palace, previously known as the Royal Palace of Rio de Janeiro and Palace of the Viceroys, is a historic building in the center of the city of Rio de JaneiroBrazil. The Paço Imperial was built in the 18th century to serve as residence for the governors of colonial Brazil. From 1808, it was used as a royal residence by King John VI of Portugal as King of Portugal and later also as King of Brazil. In 1822 it became the city palace of the monarchs of the Empire of BrazilPedro I and Pedro II, who used it not as a residence, but as a workplace. It was one of the main political centers of Brazil for nearly 150 years, from 1743 to 1889.
The Paço Imperial is located in the Praça XV in central Rio. Due to its architectural and historical significance, it is one of Brazil's most important historic buildings. Today it serves as a cultural center.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

The current building was constructed by the order of Gomes Freire de Andrade, governor of the Capitania (colonial administrative region) of Rio de Janeiro. The architect was

Monarchy of the United Kingdom

Monarchy of the United Kingdom

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  (Redirected from King of the United Kingdom)
This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom. For information on the other countries which share the same person as monarch, see Commonwealth realm. For the current monarch of the United Kingdom, see Elizabeth II.
"British sovereign" redirects here. For the coin, see Sovereign (British coin).
Queen of the United Kingdom
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Incumbent
Queen Elizabeth II March 2015.jpg
Elizabeth II
since 6 February 1952
Details
StyleHer Majesty
Heir apparentCharles, Prince of Wales
ResidenceList
Websitehttps://www.royal.uk/
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This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the United Kingdom
 United Kingdom portal
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and itsoverseas territories. The monarch's title is "King" (male) or "Queen" (female). The current monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne on the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952.
The monarch and his or her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties. As the monarchy is constitutional, the monarch is limited to non-partisan functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the Prime Minister. The monarch is, by tradition, commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces. Though the ultimate formal executive authority over the government of the United Kingdom is still by and through the monarch's royal prerogative, these powers may only be used according to laws enacted in Parliament and, in practice, within the constraints of convention and precedent.
The British monarchy traces its origins from the petty kingdoms of early medieval Scotland and Anglo-Saxon England, which consolidated into the kingdoms of England and Scotland by the 10th century AD. In 1066, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon monarch, Harold II, was defeated and killed during theNorman conquest of England and the English monarchy passed to the Normans' victorious leader, William the Conqueror, and his descendants.
In the 13th century, Wales, as a principality, became a client state of the English kingdom, while Magna Carta began a process of reducing the English monarch's political powers.
From 1603, when the Scottish monarch King James VI inherited the English throne as James I, both the English and Scottish kingdoms were ruled by a single sovereign. From 1649 to 1660, the tradition of monarchy was broken by the republican Commonwealth of England, which followed the War of the Three Kingdoms. The Act of Settlement 1701, which is still in force, excludedRoman Catholics, or those who marry Catholics, from succession to the English throne. In 1707, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were merged to create the Kingdom of Great Britain, and in 1801, the Kingdom of Irelandjoined to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The British monarch became nominal head of the vast British Empire, which covered a quarter of the world's surface at its greatest extent in 1921.
In the 1920s, five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the Union as the Irish Free State, and the Balfour

Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Mr Gandhi Leader of the Sub Continet

Mahatma Gandhi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Gandhi" redirects here. For other uses, see Gandhi (disambiguation).
Mahatma
Mohandas Gandhi
The face of Gandhi in old age—smiling, wearing glasses, and with a white sash over his right shoulder
BornMohandas Karamchand Gandhi
2 October 1869
PorbandarKathiawar Agency,British India[1]
(now in Gujarat, India)
Died30 January 1948 (aged 78)
New DelhiDelhiIndia
Cause of deathAssassination by shooting
Resting placeAshes scattered in various Indian rivers
Other namesMahatma Gandhi, Bapu, Gandhiji
EthnicityGujarati
Educationbarrister-at-law
Alma materAlfred High School, Rajkot,
Samaldas College, Bhavnagar,
University College, London
Known forLeadership of Indian independence movement,
philosophy of Satyagraha,Ahimsa or nonviolence,
pacifism
MovementIndian National Congress
ReligionHinduism, with Jain influences
Spouse(s)Kasturba Gandhi
ChildrenHarilal
Manilal
Ramdas
Devdas
Parents
  • Karamchand Gandhi (father)
  • Putlibai Gandhi (mother)
Signature
Mohandas K. Gandhi signature.svg
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (/ˈɡɑːndiˈɡæn-/;[2] Hindustani: [ˈmoːɦənd̪aːs ˈkərəmtʃənd̪ ˈɡaːnd̪ʱi]; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Thehonorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable")[3]—applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa,[4]—is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu(Gujarati: endearment for "father",[5] "papa"[5][6]) in India. In common parlance in India he is often called Gandhiji. He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation.[7][8]
Born and raised in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujaratwestern India, and trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, Gandhi first employed nonviolent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, but above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.
Gandhi famously led Indians in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, upon many occasions, in both South Africa and India. Gandhi attempted to practise nonviolence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn hand-spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and social protest.
Gandhi's vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism, however, was challenged in the early 1940s by a new Muslim nationalism which was demanding a separate Muslim homeland carved out of India.[9] Eventually, in August 1947, Britain granted independence, but the British Indian Empire[9]was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and MuslimPakistan.[10] As many displaced Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs made their way to their new lands, religious violence broke out, especially in the Punjab andBengal. Eschewing the official celebration of independence in Delhi, Gandhi visited the affected areas, attempting to

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