Dia do Fico
Dia do fico (lit. Portuguese for "I Stay Day") refers, in Brazilian history, to January 9, 1822. On this day, the then prince Pedro (later Emperor Pedro I) declared that he would not comply with the orders of the Portuguese Cortes that demanded his return to Lisbon. Context With the arrival of the royal family in Brazil, fleeing a possible French invasion in 1808, the country ceased to be only a Portuguese colony and became the center of the Portuguese Empire, with Brazil being elevated to the status of a kingdom in 1815. In 1821, the Liberal Revolution of 1820 broke out. The Portuguese metropolitan political elites installed the Cortes to draw up a constitution and King John VI returned to Portugal, leaving his son, Pedro de Alcântara (Pedro I), as prince regent. Throughout 1821, when the discussions in the Cortes were moving in the direction of returning Brazil to the status of a colony, the radical liberals joined the Brazilian Party in order to avoid setbacks. The Cortes' demands The Cortes issued orders to Prince Regent Pedro de Alcântara, one of which demanded his immediate return to Portugal and the appointment of a governing junta for Brazil. In response,