caption laterwork death_place death_date birth_place allegiance signature_size image_size signature_alt birth_date alt rank signature image article_title name
the c. & nbsp ; 1865 count of porto alegre around age 61 , minister of war rio of brazil de janeiro , rio de janeiro , empire 18 july 1875 rio -lrb- portuguese colony -rrb- grande , rio grande do sul , brazil empire of brazil empire of brazil 200 200 cursive signature 13 june 1804 tintype , bearded man wearing an elaborately embroidered military dress uniform photograph with heavy epaulets , sash of office , sword , depicting gloves and holding a bicorn hat in his right hand a full-length portrait of an older lieutenant general signature of the count of porto alegre.png conde de porto alegre 01.png manuel marques de sousa , count of porto alegre
 the count of porto alegre
manuel marques de sousa , count of porto alegre

manuel marques de sousa , count of porto alegre -lrb- 13 june 1804 -- 18 july 1875 -rrb- , nicknamed `` the gloved centaur '' , was an army officer , politician , abolitionist and monarchist of the empire of brazil .
born into a wealthy family of military background , porto alegre joined the army in 1817 when he was little more than a child .
his military initiation occurred in the conquest of the banda oriental -lrb- eastern bank -rrb- , which was annexed and became the southernmost brazilian province of cisplatina in 1821 .
for most of the 1820s , he was embroiled in the brazilian effort to keep cisplatina as part of its territory : first during the struggle for brazilian independence and then in the cisplatine war .
it would ultimately prove a futile attempt , as cisplatina successfully separated from brazil to become the independent nation of uruguay in 1828 .
a few years later , in 1835 , his native province of rio grande do sul was engulfed in a secessionist rebellion , the ragamuffin war .
the conflict lasted for almost ten years , and the count was leading military engagements for most of that time .
he played a decisive role in saving the provincial capital from the ragamuffin rebels , allowing forces loyal to the legitimate government to secure a key foothold .
in 1852 , he led a brazilian division during the platine war in an invasion of the argentine confederation that overthrew its dictator .
he was awarded a noble title , eventually raised from baron to viscount and finally to count .
in the postwar years , porto alegre turned his attention to politics , retiring from his military career as a lieutenant general , the second-highest rank in the imperial army .
he was an affiliate of the liberal party at the national level and was elected to the legislature of rio grande do sul .
he also founded a provincial party , the progressive-liberal party -- a coalition of liberals like him and some members of the conservative party .
porto alegre later entered the lower house of the brazilian parliament and was briefly minister of war .
when the paraguayan war erupted in 1864 , he returned to active duty .
one of the main brazilian commanders during the conflict , his participation was marked by important battlefield victories , as well as constant quarrels with his argentine and uruguayan allies .
upon his return from the war , porto alegre resumed his political career .
he became an active advocate for the abolition of slavery and a patron in the fields of literature and science .
his death came on 18 july 1875 while again serving in parliament .
he was highly esteemed until the downfall of the monarchy in 1889 .
regarded as too closely associated with the fallen regime , porto alegre slipped into obscurity .
his reputation was eventually rehabilitated to a certain degree by historians , some of whom consider him to be among brazil 's greatest military figures .
