Augusto I
Emperor Augusto I
Augusto I was Emperor of Brazil of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, following the coup against his brother, Pedro III, in 1898. He was the son of Princess Leopoldina of Brazil and Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He became the head of the Kohary Line of the Imperial family when his cousin, Prince Luis, had begun to press his own claim in 1908.
Though his father wished to have him and his eldest brother join him in Europe, Pedro II was in the agreement with the Imperial Court they should be educated and raised in Brazil as potential heirs to the throne. With the death of their mother in 1871, Pedro and Augustuo accompanied their grandfather back to Rio de Jainero. Though the court favored Pedro, Augusto's disposition made him the favorite of his grandfather.
When his grandfather was overthrown in 1878, he joined his grandparents and brother in exile in Argentina. In order to gain the required troops from Argentina needed to restore the monarchy, Pedro negotiated a marriage between the daughter of KingRobert I, Maria Louise, and one of Pedro's grandsons. The idea was for Maria Louise to marry Dom Pedro as he was the heir presumptive, but his mental temperament scared away marriage prospects.
Maria was instead wed to Augusto when they became of age in 1888. When Maria passed away in 1894, Augusto fell into a depression. Upon taking the throne in 1898, Augusto ordered the construction of a memorial in her honor. The Memorial de Maria became a landmark for Brazilians.
During his reign, he oversaw Brazil's neutrality in the Great War and signing such during the Congress of Columbia. However, he did so out of regards of his people as much as wishing to work on the dynastic dispute with his cousin.
He also reformed the Brazilian military, enacting obligatory service even for the aristocracy. This reform made the military not just a section of the lower class, but was created to be representative of all parts of society. Many of these reforms were put in place partly to siphon support away from his cousin, as many of these popular ideas were his. However, he stood fast against what was perceived as the more radical of ideas.
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