| Period |
Description |
| FIFTEENTH CENTURY |
|
| June 7, 1494 |
Treaty of Tordesillas divides the world between Spain and
Portugal, giving Portugal claim to eastern portion of as yet
undiscovered continent of South America. |
| 1500-1815 |
Colonial Period |
| SIXTEENTH CENTURY |
|
| April 22, 1500 |
Pedro Álvares Cabral, en route to India, discovers Brazil. |
| 1500-50 |
Logging of brazilwood. |
| 1530 |
Expedition of Martim Afonso de Sousa, major captain of Brazil,
to colonize and distribute land among captains (donatários
). |
| 1530 |
Beginning of sugar era. |
| 1532 |
Founding of first colonies at São Vicente and Piratininga. |
| 1536 |
Crown divides Brazil into fifteen donatory captaincies. |
| 1542 |
Francisco de Orellana descends the Amazon. |
| 1549 |
King names Tomé de Sousa first governor general of Brazil
(1549-53). De Sousa establishes his capital at São Salvador
da Bahia. |
| |
Evangelization begins with arrival of Jesuit priests. |
| 1551 |
Bishopric of Brazil created. |
| 1555 |
French establish colony in Guanabara Bay. |
| 1565 |
Governor Mem de Sá founds São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro
(Rio de Janeiro). |
| 1567 |
Governor Mem de Sá expels French and occupies Guanabara Bay. |
| 1580 |
Crown of Portugal passes to King Philip II of Spain, uniting
Europe's two greatest empires under single ruler. |
| SEVENTEENTH CENTURY |
|
| 1603 |
Portuguese penetrate to Ceará. |
| 1604 |
India Council established to oversee administration of Portuguese
empire. |
| 1615 |
Portuguese take over French town of São Luís do Maranhão. |
| 1616 |
Portuguese found Belém. |
| 1621 |
States of Maranhão (embracing the crown captaincies of Ceará,
Maranhão, and Pará) and Brazil (centering on Salvador, Bahia)
created. |
| 1624-25 |
Dutch temporarily capture Salvador da Bahia. |
| 1630 |
Dutch seize Recife, Pernambuco, and attempt unsuccessfully
to conquer Northeast (Nordeste). |
| October 28, 1637-39 |
Captain Pedro Teixeira explores Amazon and founds Tabatinga. |
| 1640 |
Portugal declares independence from Spain. Duke of Bragança
takes throne as João IV. |
| 1641 |
Victory of Jesuit-trained Guaraní in Battle of Mbororé. |
| 1642 |
India Council renamed Overseas Council. |
| 1654 |
Under Treaty of Taborda, Dutch withdraw from Brazil. |
| 1680 |
Colônia do Sacramento founded by Portuguese on Río de la
Plata, across from Buenos Aires. |
| 1693 |
Era of gold and diamond mining begins. |
| EIGHTEENTH CENTURY |
|
| 1705 |
Under Treaty of Spanish Succession, Portuguese give up Colônia
do Sacramento. |
| 1708-09 |
War of Outsiders over control of gold-mining areas. |
| 1710-14 |
War of the Mascates (merchant class of Recife defeats planter
class of Olinda). |
| 1720 |
Governors general of Brazil renamed viceroys. |
| 1727 |
Coffee introduced into Brazil. |
| January 13, 1750 |
Treaty of Madrid replaces Treaty of Tordesillas, and uti
possidetis adopted to settle boundaries. José I (king of
Portugal, 1750-77) assumes the throne in Portugal. Marquês de
Pombal assumes effective power as José I's secretary of state. |
| 1756 |
Guaraní War leads to expulsion of Jesuits. |
| 1759 |
Pombal expels Jesuits from the empire. |
| 1761 |
Treaty of El Pardo annuls Treaty of Madrid. |
| 1763 |
Viceregal capital moved from Salvador, Bahia, to Rio de Janeiro. |
| 1777 |
Treaty of San Ildefonso confirms Spain's possession of Banda
Oriental (Uruguay) and Portugal's possession of Amazon Basin.
Pombal dismissed. |
| February 1777 |
King José I dies. |
| 1789 |
Minas Conspiracy (Inconfidência Mineira), first attempt to
establish a republic, exposed. |
| April 21, 1792 |
"Tiradentes," Minas Conspiracy leader, is executed in Rio
de Janeiro. |
| 1798 |
Bahian conspiracy against Portugal exposed. |
| NINETEENTH CENTURY |
|
| 1807 |
French invade Portugal. Pedro de Alcântara de Bragança e
Bourbon (King João VI) and son Pedro flee to Brazil with British
naval escort. |
| 1808-21 |
Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil |
| March 7, 1808 |
João VI arrives in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's ports open to
foreign trade. |
| 1810 |
João VI signs treaties with Britain, giving it trade preferences
and privileges of extraterritoriality. |
| 1815 |
Portugal confers kingdom status on Brazil. |
| 1817 |
Pernambuccan revolution against British regency fails but
deepens anti-British sentiment. |
| 1821 |
Uruguay annexed as Cisplatine Province. |
| April 25, 1821 |
João VI sails for Lisbon. |
| September 1821 |
Côrtes in Portugal votes to abolish Kingdom of Brazil. |
| 1822-31 |
The First Empire |
| January 1822 |
Declaring Brazil independent, Pedro I forms new government
headed by José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. |
| September 7, 1822 |
Pedro proclaims Brazilian independence. |
| October 12, 1822 |
Brazilian independence proclaimed, with Pedro as constitutional
emperor. |
| December 1, 1822 |
Pedro crowned emperor of Brazil. |
| 1824 |
Pedro promulgates first constitution. United States recognizes
Brazil. |
| 1825-28 |
War with United Provinces of Río de la Plata (Cisplatine
War). |
| August 29, 1825 |
Portugal recognizes Brazilian independence by signing treaty,
and Britain follows suit. |
| 1827 |
Britain consolidates commercial dominance of Brazil under
Anglo-Brazilian Treaty. |
| 1828 |
Argentina and Brazil agree to creation of Uruguay as independent
nation. |
| 1831-89 |
The Second Empire |
| April 7, 1831 |
Pedro I abdicates in favor of five-year-old son Pedro II.
A three-man regency assumes control, ruling in Pedro II's name. |
| 1834 |
Amendment of 1824 constitution institutes federalism (for
six years) and one-man regency. |
| 1835-37 |
Cabanagem rebellion in Pará. |
| 1835-45 |
War of the Farrapos (ragamuffins), also known as the Farroupilha
rebellion, in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. |
| 1837-38 |
Sabinada rebellion in Salvador, Bahia. |
| 1838-41 |
Balaiada rebellion in Maranhão. |
| July 18, 1841 |
Coronation of Pedro II (emperor, 1840-89). |
| 1842 |
Rebellions in Minas Gerais and São Paulo. |
| 1844 |
Anglo-Brazilian Treaty expires and is not renewed. |
| 1850 |
Land Law limits land acquisition to purchase. African slave
trade outlawed. |
| 1864-70 |
War of the Triple Alliance, allying Argentina, Brazil, and
Uruguay against Paraguay. |
| 1869 |
Brazilian forces defeat Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano
López and occupy Paraguay until 1878. |
| 1870 |
Triple Alliance defeats Paraguay. |
| May 13, 1888 |
Golden Law abolishes slavery. |
| November 15-16, 1889 |
Army deposes Pedro II. Republic proclaimed. Deodoro da Fonseca
assumes office as president. Pedro leaves the country. |
| 1889-1930 |
Old or First Republic |
| 1890 |
Church and State separated. |
| February 24, 1891 |
First constitution promulgated. |
| November 1891 |
Deodoro da Fonseca dissolves Congress and is ousted. |
| 1893 |
A civil war erupts in South (Sul). |
| November 1894 |
First civilian president, Prudente José de Morais Barros,
takes office. |
| TWENTIETH CENTURY |
|
| August 1914 |
Contestado rebellion in South challenges colonel-dominated
system. |
| October 26, 1917 |
Brazil declares war on Germany and joins Allied powers. |
| July 5, 1922 |
Tenente (Lieutenants') Movement begins with Copacabana
revolt. |
| 1924-27 |
Prestes Column marches through backlands but fails to foment
popular revolution. |
| 1930-45 |
Transitional Republic |
| October 3, 1930 |
Revolts of 1930 bring Getúlio Dorneles Vargas to power. |
| July 9, 1932 |
São Paulo rebellion brings civil war. |
| July 16, 1934 |
A new constitution promulgated, and Congress elects Vargas
to presidency. |
| November 10, 1937 |
Estado Novo (New State) established, and previously drafted
constitution promulgated. |
| August 22, 1942 |
Brazil declares war on Axis powers. |
| 1944 |
Brazilian Expeditionary Force sent to Italy. First steel
mill opens. |
| October 29, 1945 |
Military deposes Vargas. |
| 1946-64 |
1946 Republic |
| September 18, 1946 |
A new constitution promulgated. |
| October 1947 |
Brazil breaks diplomatic relations with Soviet Union. |
| January 1951 |
Vargas assumes office as reelected president. |
| August 24, 1954 |
Vargas commits suicide after armed forces and cabinet demand
his resignation. |
| January 1956-January 1961 |
President Juscelino Kubitschek implements new economic strategy
combining nationalist, developmentalist emphasis with openness
to world economic system, creating economic boom. |
| 1960 |
Capital moved inland to Brasília. |
| January 1961 |
Jânio Quadros assumes presidency. |
| September 2, 1961 |
A parliamentary system established. |
| August 1961 |
Quadros resigns presidency; replaced by João Goulart. |
| 1963 |
National plebiscite ends parliamentary system and restores
full presidential powers to Goulart. |
| March 31, 1964 |
Armed forces depose Goulart. |
| 1964-85 |
Military Republic |
| April 1964 |
Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco, elected by purged
Congress, assumes presidency. First Institutional Act passed. |
| October 27, 1965 |
Second Institutional Act bans all existing political parties
and imposes legal guidelines for new parties. |
| February 6, 1966 |
Third Institutional Act replaces direct election of governors
with indirect elections by state assemblies and substitutes
presidential appointees for mayors of capital cities. |
| March 1967 |
New constitution promulgated. General Artur da Costa e Silva
inaugurated president. |
| September 1, 1967 |
Fourth Institutional Act gives military complete control
over national security. |
| December 13, 1968 |
Fifth Institutional Act gives Costa e Silva dictatorial powers. |
| 1975 |
Brazil signs nuclear energy accord with Federal Republic
of Germany (West Germany). |
| 1977 |
Divorce legalized. |
| April 1977 |
Brazil renounces military alliance with United States. |
| January 1979 |
Decree ends Fifth Institutional Act, grants political amnesty. |
| 1985 |
Military steps down from political power. Democracy restored. |
| 1985-Present |
New Republic |
| 1988 |
"Citizen constitution" promulgated. |
| March 22, 1988 |
Presidential model reinstated. |
| November 15, 1989 |
First direct presidential election since 1960. |
| June 1992 |
United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development
(UNCED), known as Earth Summit or Eco-92, held in Rio de Janeiro. |
| September 1992 |
President Fernando Collor de Mello impeached. |
| April 21, 1993 |
National plebiscite reaffirms presidential republic. |
| March 9, 1994 |
Congress approves constitutional reform reducing presidential
term of office to four years, making it coterminous with term
of congressional deputies. |
| July 1, 1994 |
New currency, the real , introduced at parity with
United States dollar. |
| October 3, 1994 |
Fernando Henrique Cardoso wins presidential election in first
round. |
| December 12, 1994 |
Former president Collor acquitted of corruption. |
| January 1, 1995 |
Cardoso assumes office as president. |
