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| image_size = 220px
| alt = Half-length photographic portrait of an older man with white hair and beard dressed in a dark jacket and necktie
| caption = Dom Pedro II around age 61, {{circa| 1887}}.
| succession = [[Emperor of Brazil]]
| reign = 7 April 1831 – {{nowrap|15 November 1889}}
| cor-type = [[Coronation of the Emperor of Brazil|Coronation]]
| coronation = 18 July 1841<br />[[Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro|Imperial Chapel]]
| predecessor = [[Pedro I of Brazil|Pedro I]]
| successor = {{ubl|''[[ProclamationIsabel of the Republic (Brazil)|MonarchyIsabel abolishedI]]'' | [[Deodoro da Fonseca]] (as president)}}
| reg-type = Regents
| regent = [[List of regents#Brazil|''See list'']] ''(1831–1840)''
| reg-type1 = {{nowrap|Prime ministers}}
| regent1 = [[Prime Minister of Brazil#List of Presidents of the Council of Ministers of the Empire of Brazil|''See list'']]
| succession2 = [[Brazilian Imperial Family|Head of the Imperial House of Brazil]]
| reign2 = 7 April 1831 – {{nowrap|5 December 1891}}
| reign-type2 = Tenure
| predecessor2 = [[Pedro I of Brazil|Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil]]
| spouse = {{Marriage| [[Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies ]]|30 May 1843|28 December 1889|end=d.}} ▼| successor2 = [[Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil|Isabel, Princess Imperial]]
▲| spouse = {{Marriage|[[Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies]]|30 May 1843|28 December 1889|end=d.}}
| issue = {{plainlist |
* [[Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil|Afonso, Prince Imperial]]
* [[Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil|Isabel, Princess Imperial]]
* [[Princess Leopoldina of Brazil| Princess Leopoldina]]
* [[Pedro Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil|Pedro Afonso, Prince Imperial]]
}}
| issue-link = #Issue
| issue-pipe = detail
| full name = ''Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga''
| house = [[House of Braganza|Braganza]]
| father = [[Pedro I of Brazil]]
| mother = [[Maria Leopoldina of Austria]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1825|12|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Paço de São Cristóvão|Palace of São Cristóvão]], Rio de Janeiro, [[Empire of Brazil]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1891|12|5|1825|12|2|df=y}}
| death_place = Paris,Rio [[Frenchde ThirdJaneiro, Republic|France]]Brazil
| burial_place = [[Cathedral of Petrópolis|Cathedral of São Pedro de Alcântara]], [[Petrópolis]], Brazil
| signature = Signature Pedro II.png
| signature_alt = Cursive signature in ink
| religion = [[Catholic Church in Brazil|Roman Catholicism]]
}}
Dom '''Pedro II''' (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous," was the [[Emperor of Brazil|second monarch]] of the [[Empire of Brazil]], reigning for over 58 years.{{efn|"The Second Reign, that is, the period in which our Emperor was D. Pedro II, lasted fifty-eight years, from the abdication of his father, D. Pedro I, in 1831, until the [[Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil)|proclamation of the republic]] in 1889." —Hélio Viana in {{harvnb|Viana|1994|p=467}}}} He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Emperor Dom [[Pedro I of Brazil]] and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. His father's [[Abdication of Pedro I of Brazil|abrupt abdication]] and departure to Europe in 1831 left the five-year-old as emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence, obliged to spend his time studying in preparation for rule. His experiences with court intrigues and political disputes during this period greatly affected his later character; he grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country and his people, yet increasingly resentful of his role as monarch.
Pedro II inherited an empire on the verge of disintegration, but he turned Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation grew to be distinguished from its Hispanic neighbors on account of its political stability, zealously guarded freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth, and form of government—a functional [[constitutional monarchy|representative parliamentary monarchy]]. Brazil was also victorious in the [[Platine War]], the [[Uruguayan War]], and the [[Paraguayan War]], as well as prevailing in several other international disputes and domestic tensions. Pedro II steadfastly pushed through the abolition of slavery despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. A savant in his own right, the Emperor established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture, and the sciences, and he won the respect and admiration of people such as [[Charles Darwin]], [[Victor Hugo]], and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], and was a friend to [[Richard Wagner]], [[Louis Pasteur]], and [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], among others.
After a failed coup d'etat attempt in November 1889, Pedro II, already weary of the crown and disillusioned with the future of the monarchy, abdicated on 5 December 1889, succeeded by his daughter, [[Isabel of Brazil|Isabel]]. Historians have regarded the Emperor in an extremely positive light and several have ranked him as the greatest Brazilian, though some have criticized him for inadequately preparing his family to deal with tumultuous times ahead for Brazil.
There was no desire for a change in the form of government among most Brazilians, but the Emperor was overthrown in a sudden coup d'état that had almost no support outside a clique of military leaders who desired a form of republic headed by a dictator. Pedro II had become weary of emperorship and despaired over the monarchy's future prospects, despite its overwhelming popular support. He did not allow his ouster to be opposed and did not support any attempt to restore the monarchy. He spent the last two years of his life in exile in Europe, living alone on very little money.
The reign of Pedro II thus came to an unusual end—he was overthrown while highly regarded by the people and at the pinnacle of his popularity, and some of his accomplishments were soon brought to naught as Brazil slipped into a long period of weak governments, dictatorships, and constitutional and economic crises. The men who had exiled him soon began to see in him a model for the Brazilian republic. A few decades after his death, his reputation was restored and his remains were returned to Brazil with celebrations nationwide. Historians have regarded the Emperor in an extremely positive light and several have ranked him as the greatest Brazilian.
[[Category:Brazil]]
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