In Imperial Brazil we had a fourth power, beyond the legislative, the judiciary and the executive, the moderating power, that belongued to the Emperor. The emperor could fire ministers, convoke the assembly, sanction the assembly's decrees and pardon criminals.

The idea was that the Emperor, being unelected and dynastic, would be above the petty squabbles and could intervene to limit them when those squabbles would threathen the stability of the empire. It worked well for two emperors, from 1822 to 1889.

Also, during the imperial age, Brazil was somewhat democratic - There were elections for the parlament but there was no universal suffrage, had some freedom of press (the first emperor had to abdicate after people linked to him murdered a journalist - that was scandal was the last drop), you could form parties and associations, but there was no freedom of religion. But by modern criteria no country in the 19th century was democratic.

It's said that the moderating power of the emperor saved Brazil from fracturing like the spanish viceroyalties fractured, even during the large scale rebellions like the ones in the Grão-Pará province and Rio Grande do Sul.

In Portugese: "Poder Moderador"

In Imperial Brazil we had a fourth power, beyond the legislative, the judiciary and the executive, the moderating power, that belonged to the Emperor. The emperor could fire ministers, convoke the assembly, sanction the assembly's decrees and pardon criminals.

The idea was that the Emperor, being unelected and dynastic, would be above the petty squabbles and could intervene to limit them when those squabbles would threaten the stability of the empire. It worked well for two emperors, from 1822 to 1889.

Also, during the imperial age, Brazil was somewhat democratic - There were elections for the parliament but there was no universal suffrage, had some freedom of press (the first emperor had to abdicate after people linked to him murdered a journalist - that was scandal was the last drop), you could form parties and associations, but there was no freedom of religion. But by modern criteria no country in the 19th century was democratic.

It's said that the moderating power of the emperor saved Brazil from fracturing like the Spanish viceroyalties fractured, even during the large scale rebellions like the ones in the Grão-Pará province and Rio Grande do Sul.

In Portugese: "Poder Moderador"

In Imperial Brazil we had a fourth power, beyond the legislative, the judiciary and the executive, the moderating power, that belongued to the Emperor. The emperor could fire ministers, convoke the assembly, sanction the assembly's decrees and pardon criminals.

The idea was that the Emperor, being unelected and dynastic, would be above the petty squabbles and could intervene to limit them when those squabbles would threathen the stability of the empire. It worked well for two emperors, from 1822 to 1889.

It's said that the moderating power of the emperor saved Brazil from fracturing like the spanish viceroyalties fractured, even during the large scale rebellions like the ones in the Grão-Pará province and Rio Grande do Sul.

In Portugese: "Poder Moderador"

In Imperial Brazil we had a fourth power, beyond the legislative, the judiciary and the executive, the moderating power, that belongued to the Emperor. The emperor could fire ministers, convoke the assembly, sanction the assembly's decrees and pardon criminals.

The idea was that the Emperor, being unelected and dynastic, would be above the petty squabbles and could intervene to limit them when those squabbles would threathen the stability of the empire. It worked well for two emperors, from 1822 to 1889.

Also, during the imperial age, Brazil was somewhat democratic - There were elections for the parlament but there was no universal suffrage, had some freedom of press (the first emperor had to abdicate after people linked to him murdered a journalist - that was scandal was the last drop), you could form parties and associations, but there was no freedom of religion. But by modern criteria no country in the 19th century was democratic.

It's said that the moderating power of the emperor saved Brazil from fracturing like the spanish viceroyalties fractured, even during the large scale rebellions like the ones in the Grão-Pará province and Rio Grande do Sul.

In Portugese: "Poder Moderador"