Brazil is a colossus without power, a sleeping giant which may one day find its strength. In this authoritative and accessible book Roderick Cavaliero sets out the political and social background to the events which shaped the country's development, from the establishment of the Portuguese Kingdom in Brazil during the Napoleonic Wars to the declaration of Independence and Empire.

He explores the international and diplomatic contexts, including the role of the Great Powers - in particular the nineteenth-century British policy of recognition for the former Iberian territories - the domestic policies of Portugal and Spain, and the part played by Brazil itself.

He vividly describes all aspects of social and economic life in Brazil as the country moved towards independence, from horrifying descriptions of the slave trade to colourful accounts of the royal family's extraordinary public and private lives. The Independence of Brazil will be enjoyed by everyone with an interest in Latin American history, general reader and specialist alike.