
The Brazilian nobility () refers to the titled
aristocrats
Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats.
Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
and
fidalgo people and families recognized by the
Kingdom of Brazil and later, by the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...
, dating back to the early 19th century, when Brazil ceased to be a colony of the
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...
. It held official status until 1889, when a
military coup d'état overthrew the monarchy and
established the
First Brazilian Republic.
History
The Brazilian nobility originated from the
Portuguese nobility
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, during the time of
colonial Brazil
Colonial Brazil (), sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the Discovery of Brazil, arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves ...
; the noble titles were a sign of
political power
In political science, power is the ability to influence or direct the actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force (coercion) by one actor against another, but may also be exerted thro ...
among the elite. Some of the nobles were members of Portuguese noble lineages and even of the high nobility, especially the
families that arrived during the first centuries of the colonization of
Bahia
Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
,
Sergipe
Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...
,
Pernambuco
Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...
,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. The elevation of Brazil to the status of
Kingdom, under the
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil ...
in 1815, led to the creation of the first Brazilian noble titles. With the
Independence of Brazil
The independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Empire of Brazil, Brazilian Empire. It is c ...
from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in 1822, the Empire of Brazil established its own system of nobility.
According to the
Brazilian Constitution of 1824, only the Emperor had
the right to confer titles and ranks on non-nobles. Unlike the former Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian titles—and most systems of aristocracy—a Brazilian noble title was only for the holder's lifetime and could not be inherited, similar to a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
.
[Les manuscrits du C.E.D.R.E. – Dictionnaire Historique et Généalogique, vol. III. ''Le Royaume de Portugal, L’Empire du Brésil''. Cercle d'Études des Dynasties Royales Européennes (president, Jean-Fred Tourtchine), Paris, 1987, p. 51. (French). ISSN 0764-4426.] All nobles, regardless of title and rank, were entitled to the
style
Style, or styles may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal
* ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film
* ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film
* '' ...
of ''
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
''.
During the reign of
Dom Pedro II
''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...
and the advent of the commercialization of
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
, it was the great coffee-growers who began to collect such titles, being acquaintances of the coffee barons. According to Affonso de Taunay, around 300 holders had their income linked to coffee: farmers, bankers and traders. The title of baron thus became a symbol of the legitimization of local power, making those who held it intermediaries between the people and the government.
During this period the
Brazilian Imperial Family sought to efface republican sentiments with a wide distribution of titles, mainly among important political leaders in the provinces, some aristocrats and also members of provincial oligarchies; 114 were awarded in 1888, and 123 in 1889.
Republic

With the proclamation of the republic in 1889, the aristocracy was abolished and all Brazilian titles of nobility were banned. It was also prohibited, under penalty of accusation of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...
and the suspension of
political rights, to accept noble titles and foreign decorations without the permission of the State. However, nobles of greater distinction, out of respect and tradition, were allowed to use their titles during the republican regime; a well-known example is the
Baron of Rio Branco. The Imperial Family was not allowed to return until 1921, when the Law of Exile was repealed by President
Epitácio Pessoa.
Acquisition
To be qualified for
ennoblement
Ennoblement is the conferring of nobility—the induction of an individual into the noble class. Currently only a few kingdoms still grant nobility to people; among them Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Vatican. Depending on time and reg ...
, one could not be of illegitimate birth, be previously charged for
lese-majeste, or have a history of engagement in a mechanical trade or be of "impure" blood (e.g., Jewish ancestry, the law of ''sangre pura''). Most had to pay a large sum for the conferral of noble status (the Portuguese monarchs sold titles for payment to raise funds giving Portugal many nobles, 600+ families, for a small population), even if titles passed to their descendants.
A recipient had to pay the following fees depending on the title given, in
''contos de réis'', according to the table of April 2, 1860:
In addition to these amounts, there were the following costs:
*Roles for the petition: 366$000
*Coat of arms registration: 170$000
A list of possible grantees was drawn up by the Council of Ministers, with recommendations from their colleagues, provincial presidents, other nobles, politicians, senior officials, and other influential people. The lists were sent to the approval of the Emperor, being presented, twice a year: December 2, the anniversary of the Emperor; March 14 or 25, respectively, the anniversary of the Empress and the anniversary of the oath of the
Constitution of the Brazilian Empire of 1824—the first Brazilian constitutional charter.
Some Brazilian nobles were given the distinction "with
grandeeship," which allowed them to use in their coat of arms the crown of the next higher title—for example, a baron could wear the viscount's
coronet
In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...
on his coat of arms. Also, a
Grandee of the Empire enjoyed other privileges and precedence that holders of the next superior title enjoyed. The grandeeship was conferred on 135 barons, who used the viscomital coronet in their coats of arms, and 146 viscounts, who used the comital coronet.
Registration of nobility
All records of the nobility were made in the books of the
Office of Nobility and Knighthood until 1848, when they disappeared under unexplained circumstances. At the time, they were the responsibility of Possidonio da Fonseca Costa, the then-
King of Arms, which greatly hindered the registration of noble titles granted during the First Reign of the
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
. Luis Aleixo Boulanger, his successor, sought to recover part of this documentation, producing a single book with part of the first generation of the Brazilian nobility.
Throughout the entirety of the Empire's existence, 1,211 titles of nobility were created: 3 dukes, 47 marquises, 51 counts, 235 viscounts and 875 barons. The total number of recipients, however, was lower—around 980—as many received more than one title. These numbers are not entirely accurate, as there are doubts about the validity and even the existence of some titles. Much of this doubt stems from the loss of some of the records of the Office of Nobility and Knighthood during the Brazilian First Republic.
Untitled nobility
Brazilian nobility comprised also a large body of untitled nobles, some ennobled for life by holding civic or military offices, and others by tradition. In the first class stood all people distinguished by imperial honorific orders; all officers-majors (''oficiais-mores'') working for the Court; high military officers; high magistrates such as State councillors, judges, senators and ministers, as well as big merchants, lawyers and doctors of liberal arts. The second group of hereditary untitled nobility was comprised by the
landed gentry
The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...
.
[Mello, Evaldo Cabral de. ''O imaginário da restauração pernambucana''. Topbooks, 1997, pp. 181–187]
Symbols
Royal titles
Noble titles
Famous nobles
Dukes
*
Auguste de Beauharnais,
Duke of Santa Cruz, Prince Consort of Portugal
*
Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias, military general
*
Isabel Maria de Alcântara, Duchess of Goiás
Isabel Maria de Alcântara Brasileira, 1st and only Duchess of Goiás (3 May 1824 – 3 November 1898), was a Brazilian noble, the recognized daughter, born out of wedlock, of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of San ...
, illegitimate daughter of
Emperor Pedro I
Marquesses
*
Pedro de Araújo Lima, Marquis of Olinda
*
Domitila de Castro do Canto e Melo, Marchioness of Santos
*
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (14 December 1775 – 31 October 1860), styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a British naval officer, politician and mercenary. Serving during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic ...
, 1st Marquess of Maranhão
*
Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná
Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná (11 January 1801 – 3 September 1856) was a Brazilian politician, diplomat, judge and monarchist. Paraná was born to a noble family in Jacuí, São Carlos do Jacuí, in what was then the ...
*
Manuel Luís Osório, Marquis of Erval
Counts
*
Joaquim Xavier Curado, Count of São João das Duas Barras
*
Luísa Margarida de Barros Portugal, Countess of Barral
*
Mariana Carlota de Verna Magalhães Coutinho, Countess of Belmonte
*
Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre
Viscounts
*
Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, Viscount of Taunay
Alfredo Maria Adriano d'Escragnolle Taunay, Viscount of Taunay (February 22, 1843 – January 25, 1899), was a Brazilian writer, musician, professor, military engineer, historian, politician, sociology, sociologist and nobleman. He is famous for ...
*
Afonso Celso, Viscount of Ouro Preto
*
Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, Viscount of Porto Seguro
*
Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, Viscount of Mauá
*
José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco
José Maria da Silva Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco (16 March 1819 – 1 November 1880), was a Brazilian politician, monarchist, diplomat, teacher and journalist. Rio Branco was born in Salvador, in what was then the Captaincy of Bah ...
*
Joaquim José Inácio, Viscount of Inhaúma
* Domingos Custódio Guimarães, Viscount of Rio Preto
*
Joaquim Henrique de Araújo, Viscount of Pirassununga
Barons
* José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior,
Baron of Rio Branco
* Henrique Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Baron of Paraná
* Gregório Francisco de Miranda, Baron of Abadia (1795 - 1850)
* Maria Izabel Cardoso Gusmão, baronese of Abadia
* Domingos Custódio Guimarães Filho,
Baron of Rio Preto
* José Pedro da Motta Sayão, Baron of Pilar
References
Literature
* Schwarcz, Lilia Moritz. As barbas do Imperador: D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos. 2. Ed. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1998.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazilian Nobility
Social class in Brazil
Nobility in South America