The
Presidential Guard Battalion is a unit of the
Brazilian ArmyThe Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America and during the 19th century, such as the Brazilian War of Independence , Argentina-Brazil War , Platine War , Uruguayan War and the War of the...
and
honor guardAn honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
to the
PresidentThe President of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The presidential system was established in 1889, upon the proclamation of the republic in a military coup d'etât against the Emperor Pedro II. Since then, Brazil had six constitutions, two...
of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
. Two other units, the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment and the
Cayenne BatteryThe Cayenne Battery of the Brazilian Army is one of three military units that comprise the Brazilian president's honor guard, the others being the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment - "Independence Dragoons" and the Presidential Guard Battalion ."Cayenne Battery" was how the Brazilian colonial troops,...
, are also part of the presidential honor guard.
This troop had its origins in the Emperor’s Battalion, organized in 1823 during the peace campaigns that followed the
Declaration of IndependenceThe Brazilian Declaration of Independence comprised a series of political events occurred in 1821-1825, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Kingdom...
and wears its 19th-century uniforms.
After
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
's Crown Prince Pedro had proclaimed the independence of Brazil from Portugal, on September 7, 1822, some troops remained loyal to Portugal.
Discussion
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The
Presidential Guard Battalion is a unit of the
Brazilian ArmyThe Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America and during the 19th century, such as the Brazilian War of Independence , Argentina-Brazil War , Platine War , Uruguayan War and the War of the...
and
honor guardAn honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
to the
PresidentThe President of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The presidential system was established in 1889, upon the proclamation of the republic in a military coup d'etât against the Emperor Pedro II. Since then, Brazil had six constitutions, two...
of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
. Two other units, the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment and the
Cayenne BatteryThe Cayenne Battery of the Brazilian Army is one of three military units that comprise the Brazilian president's honor guard, the others being the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment - "Independence Dragoons" and the Presidential Guard Battalion ."Cayenne Battery" was how the Brazilian colonial troops,...
, are also part of the presidential honor guard.
This troop had its origins in the Emperor’s Battalion, organized in 1823 during the peace campaigns that followed the
Declaration of IndependenceThe Brazilian Declaration of Independence comprised a series of political events occurred in 1821-1825, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Kingdom...
and wears its 19th-century uniforms.
History
After
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
's Crown Prince Pedro had proclaimed the independence of Brazil from Portugal, on September 7, 1822, some troops remained loyal to Portugal. To guarantee the independence, these troops had to be defeated. To fight the troops in
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Pedro established in 1823 the Emperor’s Battalion.
In 1825, the Emperor’s Battalion was sent to
MontevideoMontevideo is the largest city, the capital and chief port of Uruguay. Montevideo is the only city in the country with a population over 1,000,000...
to fight at
Argentina-Brazil WarThe Argentina-Brazil War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental or "Eastern Strip" in the 1820s between the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.-Background:Against the background of...
. After Pedro's abdication, the Emperor’s Battalion was dismissed, as all other troops directly subordinated to them.
On April 7, 1933, President
Getúlio VargasGetúlio Dornelles Vargas served as president of Brazil from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954.-Background:...
established the Guards Battalion to protect the government's palaces. The decree determined that this battalion was heir to Emperor’s Battalion and would use its uniforms at special ceremonies and celebrations. On April 6, 1960, with the transfer of the national capital from
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
to
BrasíliaBrasília is the capital of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the fourth largest city in Brazil, ahead of Belo Horizonte...
, the unit changed its name to Presidential Guard Battalion.
The most important officer of the Presidential Guard Battalion was the
2nd LiutenantSecond Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ ....
Luís Alves de Lima e SilvaLuís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias was a Brazilian military leader and statesman. In more than one occasion, he served as Prime Minister of the Brazilian Empire...
, the Duke of Caxias.
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