page_title: Exile and death of Pedro II of Brazil
section_title: Funeral
hierarchical_section_title: Exile and death of Pedro II of Brazil / Exile / Funeral
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Paris. — Funeráilles de Dom Pedro II, Empereur de Brésil. — (Dessin d'après nature, de M. Charles Morel.).
context_page_description: Pedro II of Brazil was the second and last emperor of Brazil. Despite his popularity among Brazilians, Pedro II was removed from his throne in 1889 after a 58-year reign. He was promptly exiled with his family. Despite his deposition, he did not make an attempt to regain power. He died in late 1891 while in Paris, France, after two years in exile.
context_section_description: In the hours following the death of Pedro II, thousands of people came to the Hôtel de Bedford. Among these were the President of the Council of Ministers, Charles de Freycinet, and the ministers of War and the Navy. In a single day, more than 2,000 telegrams were received by the hotel with messages of condolence. French president Sadi Carnot was traveling in the south of the country and sent the members of the Military Household to pay homage to the deceased monarch on his behalf. Princess Isabel wished to hold a discrete and private burial ceremony. However, she eventually accepted the French Government's request for a Head of State's funeral. To prevent political disruption, the government decided that the burial would be officially accorded because the Emperor was a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur, although with the pomp due to a monarch. Requests from Brazil's republican government to deny an official funeral and any public display of the imperial flag were ignored by the French government.
  The coffin which contained the body of Pedro II departed the Hôtel de Bedford for La Madeleine on the evening of 8 December. Eight French soldiers bore the coffin, which was covered with the imperial flag. A crowd of more than 5,000 people was on hand to witness the cortege. The hearse was the same one used for the funerals of Cardinal Morlot, the duc de Morny and Adolphe Thiers.
  On the following day, thousands of mourners attended the ceremony at La Madeleine. Aside from Pedro II's family, these included: Amadeo of Savoy, former king of Spain; Francis II, former king of the Two Sicilies; Isabella II, former queen of Spain; Philippe, comte de Paris; and other members of European royalty. Also present were General Joseph Brugère, representing President Sadi Carnot; the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies as well as their members; diplomats; and other representatives of the French government. Nearly all members of the French Academy, the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, the French Academy of Sciences, the Académie des Beaux-Arts and the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques were in attendance. Also among those present were Eça de Queiroz, Alexandre Dumas, fils, Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, Jules Arsène Arnaud Claretie, Marcellin Berthelot, Jean Louis Armand de Quatrefages de Bréau, Edmond Jurien de la Gravière, Julius Oppert, Camille Doucet, and many other notable personages. Other governments from the Americans and Europe also sent representatives, as did distant countries such as Ottoman Turkey, China, Japan and Persia. Notably absent was any delegation from Brazil.
  Following the services, the coffin was taken in procession to the train station, from whence it would travel to Portugal. Between 200,000 and 300,000 people lined the route despite incessant rain and cold temperatures. Some 80,000 French military troops marched in the procession. Two carriages carried almost 200 funeral wreaths which bore messages paying homage to the Emperor such as: "To Dom Pedro, Victoria R.I.", "To the great Emperor for whom Caxias, Osório, Andrade Neves and many other heroes fought, Fatherland Volunteers from Rio de Janeiro", "A group of Brazilian students in Paris", "Happy times when the thought, the word and the pen were free, when Brazil freed oppressed people…" (sent by the Baron of Ladário, Marquis of Tamandaré, Viscount of Sinimbu, Rodolfo Dantas, Joaquim Nabuco and Taunay), "To the great Brazilian worthy of honors from the Fatherland and Humanity. Ubique Patria Memor." (sent by the Baron of Rio Branco), "From the people of Rio Grande do Sul to the liberal and patriotic king", and "A Brazilian black on behalf of his race". The "state funeral granted by the French republic proclaimed the former’s [Pedro II] personal virtues and popularity and, by implication, distinguished the imperial regime from other monarchies."
  All along the route, from France, through Spain and finally into Portugal, people paid homage to Pedro II. But still no representative appeared on behalf of Brazil's republican 
caption: Funeral of Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil, in Paris (by Charles Morel, published at L'Univers illustré: journal hebdomadaire, Levy (Paris), nº 1.917, 19/12/1891).
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