List of heads of state of Brazil
Below is a list of heads of state of Brazil. Colonial Brazil (1500–1815). Brazil is discovered by Portuguese navigators on April 22, 1500 and becomes a Portuguese colony. House of Habsburg (1581–1640). The House of Habsburg, known as the Philippine Dynasty, is the house that ruled Portugal from 1581 to 1640. The dynasty began with the acclamation of Philip II of Spain as Philip I of Portugal in 1580, officially recognized in 1581 by the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar. Philip I swore to rule Portugal as a kingdom separate from his Spanish domains , under the personal union known as the Iberian Union. House of Braganza (1640–1910). The House of Braganza, also known as the Brigantine Dynasty, came to power in 1640, when John II, Duke of Braganza, claimed to be the rightful heir of the defunct House of Aviz, as he was the great great grandson of King Manuel I. John was proclaimed King John IV, and he deposed the House of Habsburg in the Portuguese Restoration War. Kingdom of Brazil (1815–1822). House of Braganza (1815–1822). On 16 December 1815, the Prince Regent John, the future king John VI raised Brazil to the  status of a kingdom, thus making his mother, Maria I, the reigning Queen, the first Monarch of Brazil. The next year, 20 March 1816, John succeeded his mother as King of the united Luso-Brazilian monarchy. Empire of Brazil (1822–1889). House of Braganza (1822–1889). Having proclaimed independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from Portugal in 1822, Pedro I, son of John VI, was acclaimed the first Emperor of Brazil on 12 October 1822. He was later succeeded on 7 April 1831 by his son Pedro II, deposed along with the 74-years-old monarchy on 15 November 1889 in a  bloodless and unpopular military coup d'état. Brazil had two monarchs during the time of the United Kingdom: D. Maria I (1815–1816) and D. João VI (1816–1822). When this Kingdom was created, Queen Maria I was already considered incapable and the Portuguese Empire was ruled by Prince João, future King João VI, as regent prince. As an independent nation, Brazil had two monarchs, Emperors D. Pedro I (1822–1831) and D. Pedro II (1831–1889). The second woman to govern Brazil, after D. Maria I, was D. Leopoldina who acted as regent in 1822 and had a great influence on Brazil's independence  process, having been responsible for signing the decree that separated Brazil from Portugal. The third woman to rule Brazil was D. Isabel, heir presumptive to the throne, who was Regent of Brazil in various periods (1870-1871, 1876-1877 and 1887-1888) during the period in which she ruled Brazil she sanctioned in May 13, 1888 the Lei Áurea (Imperial Law n.º 3.353) was the law that extinguished slavery in Brazil, considered a great milestone in the History of Brazil. The Old Republic (1889–1930). In 1889 the Empire of Brazil was abolished and replaced with a republic in a coup  d'état led by Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, who deposed Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II, proclaimed Brazil a Republic and formed a Provisional Government. The 15 November 1889 military coup actually began as an attempt to overthrow the Empire's Prime Minister, Afonso Celso, Viscount of Ouro Preto, but the unprecedented coup against a Prime Minister appointed by the Emperor and who enjoyed the confidence of the elected Chamber of Deputies quickly escalated to the abolition of the monarchy. With the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, the Empire's Constitution ceased to operate, the Imperial Parliament (the General Assembly) ceased to  exist, and not only was the Viscount of Ouro Preto removed from office, but the position of Prime Minister itself ceased to exist. As head of the provisional government, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca ruled by decree, discharging both the functions of head of state and of head of government. The former provinces of the Empire were reorganized as states and the newly proclaimed republic was declared a federation, formed by the perpetual union of those states. The Vargas Era (1930–1946). The Vargas Era consists of two different republics: the Second Republic from 1930 to 1937 and the Third Republic from  1937 to 1946. Prior to 1929, Brazilian politics was controlled by an alliance between the two largest state economies; known as "coffee with milk politics", coffee growers in São Paulo combined with the dairy industry centred in Minas Gerais to create an oligarchy, with the Presidency alternating between the two states. The revolution began on October 3, 1930, and quickly spread throughout the country; Luís was deposed on October 24, and the Brazilian Military Junta of 1930 took over; Vargas assumed leadership of the junta on November 3, 1930, marking the end of the First Republic and beginning of the  Vargas Era. The Republic of 46 (1946–1964). In 1945, Vargas was deposed by a military coup led by ex-supporters. Nevertheless, he would be elected president once again and his influence in Brazilian politics would remain until the end of the Fourth republic. In this period, three parties dominated the national politics. Two were pro-Vargas – in the left, PTB and in the center-right, PSD – and another anti-Vargas, the rightist UDN Military Dictatorship (1964–1985). The 1964 military coup brought to Brazil a military regime politically aligned with the interests of the US government. This military dictatorship in Brazil  lasted 21 years, until 1985, when Neves was indirectly elected Brazil's first civilian president since the 1960 elections. The New Republic (1985–present). Sixth Brazilian Republic or New Republic, is the contemporary epoch in the history of Brazil, beginning when civilian government was restored after a 21-year-long military regime established after the 1964 coup d'état.