Regency period (Empire of Brazil) in the context of "Industry in Brazil"

In a monarchy, a regent (from Latin regens 'ruling, governing') is a person appointed to execute the office of the monarch temporarily. Regencies may arise for a number of reasons, including the monarch being a minor, ill, absent from the country, or otherwise unavailable. A regent may also be appointed in cases where the throne is vacant, or the identity of the legitimate monarch is disputed.

The rule of a regent or regents is called a regency. A regent or regency council may be formed as an ad hoc measure, or there may be a formal and regular appointment process. Regent in some countries has also been used as a formal title granted to a monarch's most trusted advisor or personal assistant. If the regent is holding the position due to their being in the line of succession, the compound term prince regent is often used; if the regent of a minor is their mother, and she is wife or widow of a king, she would be referred to as queen regent.

The abdication of emperor Pedro I of Brazil took place on 7 April 1831 in favor of his son Pedro II. The act marked the end of the so-called First Reign and the beginning of the regency period in Brazil.

The Ragamuffin War (Portuguese: Guerra dos Farrapos), also known as the Ragamuffin Revolution or Heroic Decade, was a republican uprising that began in southern Brazil during the regency period, centered in the province of Rio Grande do Sul and, for a time, extending into neighboring Santa Catarina. It began on 20 September 1835, when rebel forces seized Porto Alegre, and soon turned into a wider confrontation between Brazil's imperial government and an opposition coalition led by influential regional leaders, such as Bento Gonçalves and Antônio de Sousa Neto, who proclaimed the secession of the province and the creation of the Riograndense Republic following the rebel victory at the battle of Seival in 1836.

The war is often situated within the broader political and institutional instability of Brazil's regency era, when numerous armed conflicts exposed the fragility of imperial authority and intensified disputes over the degree of autonomy between the Court and Brazil's provinces. In Rio Grande do Sul, the tensions unfolded over the region's economy, reliant on livestock and the production of jerked beef. Producers in Rio Grande do Sul complained that local jerked beef was burdened by high export and customs taxation and by import duties on salt, while Uruguay and Argentina benefited from more favorable tax treatment in Brazilian markets, making the local product less competitive within the country, which led to economic grievances with the Imperial government, but also due to a broader desire for greater autonomy and opposition to centralized control over the province. The revolution also influenced other rebel movements throughout the country, such as the Sabinada, in Bahia, in 1837, and the Liberal Rebellions in Minas Gerais and São Paulo, in 1842.

The Declaration of majority of Pedro II (Portuguese: Declaração da Maioridade de D. Pedro II ) was a document signed by the General Assembly of Brazil on 23 July 1840 which invested 14-year old Emperor Pedro II of Brazil with legal majority before the normal age of 18, in order to end the troublesome regency that ruled on his behalf and was mired in crises. The Liberal Party had mobilized the public, who pressured the Senate to declare Pedro II of legal age before he turned 15. In an 1834 precedent, the Portuguese Parliament had already declared the majority of Pedro II's sister Maria II, who became Queen of Portugal at age 15 without a regent.

The main purpose of this act was to transfer power to Pedro II in order that he, although inexperienced, could put an end to the political disputes that were affecting Brazil through his authority. They believed that the figure of the Emperor would prevent the revolts occurring in the country, such as the Ragamuffin War, the Sabinada, the Cabanagem, the Malê Revolt and the Balaiada.