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The history of Pedro II of Brazil in the Paraguayan War began after the invasion of Brazilian provinces by Paraguayan forces by the end of 1864. == The Number-one Volunteer == In December 1864 the dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano López, ordered the capture of the Brazilian civilian steamship ''Marquês de Olinda'', including its passengers and crew. The Paraguayan army invaded the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso (currently the state of Mato Grosso do Sul) immediately afterward without a declaration of war. Four months later, Paraguayan troops also invaded Argentine territory as a prelude to an attack upon the Brazilian province of Rio Grande do Sul. News of the Paraguayan invasions was received with surprise both by the Brazilian government and public. Brazil had previously discounted the war-making potential of neighboring Paraguay. Pedro II, along with most Brazilians, was infuriated at what were seen as unjustified attacks and felt that punitive measures were justified in response. This resolve was strengthened by the Emperor's general antipathy towards all ''caudillos''—dictators who were common elsewhere in Latin America. Nevertheless, Pedro II tried to pacify the nation in a speech from the throne on 6 May 1865 during which he addressed concerns such as public health, the economy, and the marriages of his daughters. He calmly made only brief mentions of the ongoing conflict with Great Britain and the Paraguayan invasion. He was reluctant for the Empire to become further entangled in the problems of the Platine region, as he affirmed in his diary in 1862: "After the war against Rosas, I was always a partisan for Brazil's abstention from the affairs of the Plata, excepting harm to the national honor and Brazilian interests." Even so, he strongly supported the cabinet in its decision to counterattack. The invasion of Rio Grande do Sul became known in the capital on 30 June 1865. Aware of the anarchy in the province and the incapacity and incompetence of its military chiefs to resist the Paraguayan army, Pedro II decided to go to the front in person. He wrote to the Countess of Barral: "Rio Grande do Sul has been invaded, my place is there". As Head of State, he intended to assume command of the Brazilian army. Both the Cabinet and the General Assembly refused to accede to the Emperor's wish. The senators and general deputies, using their constitutional prerogatives, refused to grant permission for the travel. If something happened to the Emperor, the throne would be inherited by his 18-year-old daughter Isabel. The risks to the stability of the country were considered too great at that critical moment. After he also received objections from the Council of State, Pedro II made the memorable pronouncement: "If they can prevent me from going as an Emperor, they can not prevent me from abdicating and going as a Fatherland Volunteer". Thus those Brazilians who signed up to go to war under Decree 3,371 of 7 January 1865 became known throughout the nation as the "Fatherland Volunteers." The monarch himself was popularly called the "Number-one Volunteer." Pedro II left for the south on 7 July 1865 (some authors state instead that he left on 10 July) and was greeted by crowds, along with the national anthem and patriotic celebrations. Accompanying him were his son-in-law the Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his Aide-de-camp General Francisco Xavier Calmon Cabral da Silva (later the 2nd Baron of Itapagipe), the Vice Admiral William Parker, the Minister of War Ângelo Ferraz, his Aide-de-Camp the Marquis of Caxias, Admiral Joaquim Raimundo de Lamare, General Beaurepaire Rohan, and an escort of 300 soldiers. Upon embarking, he said: "I am the perpetual defender of Brazil, and when my fellow citizens sacrifice their lives in holocaust upon the altar of the fatherland in defense of such saintly cause, I will not be the one who refuses to follow them." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pedro II of Brazil in the Paraguayan War」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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