Diogo Antônio Feijó was ordained Roman Catholic priest on 25 Feb 1809. He was elected (1821) to the Portuguese Côrtes to represent Brazil. Along with other Brazilian deputies Feijó refused to sign the Portuguese Constitution and later criticized the authoritarian nature of the first Brazilian Constitution (1824). As a deputy in the General Assembly (1826-1829, 1830-1833), Feijó attacked the regime of Emperor Pedro I. After the emperor's abdication (7 Apr 1831) and the election of the Permanent Regency (17 Jun 1831), Feijó assumed the office of justice minister, but failed to bring social reconciliation and resigned (3 Aug 1832). In July 1833 he was elected senator and served on the Statistics Committee (1834). Political instability in Brazil of early 1830s brought about the adoption of the Additional Act (Ato Adicional, 1834) changing the structure of government. Feijó was elected to the post of sole regent of the Empire (7 Apr 1835). His government attempted to stop the process of disintegration, but had to deal with two major revolts in the provinces of Para (revolt known as Cabanagem) and Rio Grande do Sul (Farroupilha). With his health declining and facing severe criticism, Feijó resigned the office of regent on 19 Sep 1837 and was succeeded by Pedro de Araújo Lima. He returned to the Senate as its president (1839), but suffered a hemorrhage, which left him partially paralyzed. In 1842 Feijó sided with the liberals, who rose in arms protesting against the outcome of parliamentary elections. He was arrested during the suppression of the revolution by the Duke of Caxias and exiled to Vitória, Espírito Santo. A few months later he was freed and returned to São Paulo. [2][3] |
