WORLD COINS

Maria II, the daughter of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (also known as Pedro IV of Portugal), faced a particularly tumultuous start to her reign. As a mere child, her claim to the throne was contested by her uncle, Dom Miguel, triggering a civil war between liberals and absolutists that persisted until 1834. Declared of legal age, Maria II commenced her effective reign, marrying twice and passing away in 1853. Her government was marked by the struggle between the moderate (Cartistas) and progressive (Septembristas) branches of the liberals. Initially, the queen supported the Cartistas, led by Costa Cabral, who ruled dictatorially from 1842 to 1846. A revolution known as the Maria da Fonte uprising led to his fall and significant political instability, culminating in a civil war known as the Patuleia (1846-1847). This conflict ended with the intervention of the Quadruple Alliance (France, Great Britain, and Spain), which imposed peace through the Convention of Gramido (June 29, 1847). This treaty provided broad amnesty to the rebels, although the Cartista victory remained undisputed. During these years, Marshal Saldanha was a dominant figure, serving as President of the Council from October 1846 to June 1849 and leading government forces during the Patuleia. Still, Costa Cabral remained influential, succeeding Saldanha as President of the Council (1849-1851) until being ousted by an insurrection that initiated the Regeneration era (1851), marked by progressive governments. During this period, the coinage of King John V (the 5 moedas dobrao), which had ceased to be accepted as legal tender by the Law of 6 March 1822, was once again accepted, this time countermarked, to run at a value of 30,000 reis by a decree of 21 July 1847, at the end of the civil war. These coins remained in circulation until they were definitively demonetised by the Law of July 29, 1854.