Owing to the absence of the king and the economic independence of Brazil, Portugal entered a severe political crisis that obliged John VI and the royal family to return to Portugal on April 25, 1821; otherwise he risked loss of his Portuguese throne. The heir of John VI, Pedro I, remained in Brazil. The Portuguese "Cortes" demanded that Brazil return to its former status as a colony and the return of the heir to Portugal. Prince Pedro, influenced by the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Senate ("Senado da Câmara"), refused to return to Portugal during the "Dia do Fico" (January 9, 1822). Brazil declared its independence on September 7, 1822, forming the Empire of Brazil and ending 322 years of colonial dominance of Portugal over Brazil. Pedro was crowned the first emperor in Rio de Janeiro on October 12, 1822, taking the name Dom Pedro I.