JOHN VI. (1767-1826). King of Portugal from 1816 to 18211. He was the son of Peter Ill. and of Queen Maria I.. who bad succeeded her father, Joseph I., in 1777. In 1792 Queen Maria became insane, and John was made Prince Regent of the Kingdom. In 1807 Napo leon attempted to force upon the Regent the acceptance of the Continental System (q.v.), and on the latter's hesitation a French army under Junot entered the country. On October 27th the Prince Regent and the Court sailed for Brazil, leaving the Government in charge of a council of regeney under the Marquis of Abrantes. On the death of his mother, in 1816, John became King. In Portugal. where the Gov ernment after the expulsion of the French was carried on by Marshal Beresford, great dissatis faction prevailed over the arbitrary character of the latter's rule. as well as over the continued absence of the Court. In 1820 the troops at Oporto and Lisbon rose in insurrection and pro claimed a liberal constitution closely modeled on the Spanish Constitution of 1812. King John returned to Portugal in 1821. leaving his eldest son, Dom Pedro. as Regent of Brazil. and gave his adhesion to the new Constitution. The party
of reaction, however. was strong. and headed by Queen Carlotta and her younger son. Dom Miguel, took courage from the presence of the army of the Holy Alliance in Spain to stir up an insur rection in Northern Portugal (Slav, 1823), and succeeded in obtaining control of the Kings per son. The Cortes was dissolved. a new Ministry was appointed, and an absolutist r•.fime estab lished. Alarmed by the liberal leanings of cer tain members of the new Government, Dom Miguel resolved on a coup d'kat, which was car ried out Apri1.29, 1S24. On May 9th King John took refuge on board an English man-of-war and proclaimed his son a traitor. Dom Miguel was breed to yield to the pressure of the Powers, and left the country. John was reinstated in power and restored the Liberal Constitution. He died March 10, 1826. Brazil in 1822 had declared itself independent under Dom Pedro as Emperor. and its independence was acknowledged by Por tugal in 1825. On the death of John VI. the Crown of Portugal also fell to Dom Pedro, who resigned it in favor of his daughter, Donna Maria da Gloria.