A Brazilian historian has published a revised account of King John VI of Portugal that is drawing sharp criticism from Lisbon and reigniting a centuries-old debate about royal failure and national humiliation. Paulo Rezzutti's new work, released this month, challenges the traditional portrait of the monarch Brazilians called \"the Good King\" — arguing that Portuguese citizens had every reason to feel betrayed.
The King Who Fled
When Napoleon's forces advanced on Lisbon in 1807, King John VI made a decision that would define his legacy forever. Rather than resist the French invasion, the monarch packed the royal court onto ships and sailed to Rio de Janeiro, leaving Portugal without its ruler. Rezzutti's book argues this retreat was not merely pragmatic survival — it was an abandonment that Portuguese citizens have never truly accepted.
The royal family spent years in Brazil, transforming Rio de Janeiro into the seat of the Portuguese Empire. When John VI finally returned to Lisbon in 1821, he found a nation profoundly altered. Brazil had grown accustomed to self-governance, and his son Pedro would soon declare independence.
Inside the Rezzutti Portrait
Paulo Rezzutti, a historian based in Rio de Janeiro, has built a reputation for meticulous archival research into the Portuguese royal family. His previous works examined lesser-known figures from the Braganza dynasty, often revealing uncomfortable truths that official histories glossed over. The new book follows this pattern, interrogating documents and correspondence that earlier biographers preferred to ignore.
The book does not simply condemn John VI. Rezzutti acknowledges the impossible situation the king faced — a small nation confronting Napoleon's vast imperial machine. Yet the author insists that the manner of the departure, and the years of absence that followed, created wounds that never properly healed in Portuguese collective memory.
The \"Good King\" Contradiction
Brazilians embraced the \"bom rei\" moniker largely because John VI's reign coincided with the opening of Brazilian ports to foreign trade and the eventual creation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves. These measures gave Brazil a prominence it had never possessed under Portuguese rule.
Portuguese perspectives diverged sharply. From Lisbon's viewpoint, the king had fled rather than fight, had allowed Brazil to slip away, and had returned as a diminished figure ruling from a capital still recovering from French occupation. Rezzutti's argument is that these grievances calcified into a historical judgment that Brazilians simply never shared.
The Transatlantic Dimension
What makes Rezzutti's book particularly timely is its relevance to contemporary discussions about colonialism and imperial legacy. Historians in both Portugal and Brazil have been reexamining the colonial relationship, and the question of how to remember the monarchy sits at the center of that debate.
Portuguese officials have offered measured responses to Rezzutti's publication, acknowledging that historical interpretations evolve while stopping short of endorsing his more critical conclusions. Academic institutions in Lisbon have scheduled at least two public lectures in coming months to discuss the book's arguments.
Why This Debate Persists
King John VI died in 1826, but the arguments about his reign have never really ended. In Portugal, street names and monuments present a more sympathetic figure than the one Rezzutti describes. In Brazil, the \u201cgood king\" narrative remains embedded in popular culture and school textbooks. Rezzutti's intervention forces readers on both sides to confront contradictions they might prefer to leave unexamined.
The book arrives at a moment when both nations are grappling with how to present their shared history. Portugal's national museums have faced pressure to address the colonial dimension of the Braganza dynasty, while Brazilian institutions have begun questioning whether royal figures deserve the veneration they have traditionally received.
Looking Ahead
The Portuguese Historical Studies Association announced plans to convene a special panel on monarchical legacy in November, with Rezzutti invited to present his findings directly to scholars in Lisbon. The session is expected to draw significant attendance, reflecting how charged this historical territory remains more than two centuries after John VI's controversial reign.
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The session is expected to draw significant attendance, reflecting how charged this historical territory remains more than two centuries after John VI's controversial reign. Historians in both Portugal and Brazil have been reexamining the colonial relationship, and the question of how to remember the monarchy sits at the center of that debate.Portuguese officials have offered measured responses to Rezzutti's publication, acknowledging that historical interpretations evolve while stopping short of endorsing his more critical conclusions.
