After the independence, the Greek government offered the throne to D. Pedro I, Prince of Portugal and governor of Brazil. He prefered to stay at Brazil though. What would the world be if he accepted? Balkanised Brazil? Weak South America? Stronger Greece? United Kingdoms of Greece and Portugal?
WI D. Pedro I of Brazil had accepted the throne of Greece?
- Thread starter ByzantineCaesar
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Absolutely - he'd have to convert to Orthodoxy, no questions asked. Even if he was a Μπραγκάνσα.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
I'm sure he would have had to convert to the Orthodox faith. Upon his death, a son would have to be designated as heir.
Do you have a source for this? I can only remember reading about a crazy scheme involving some Spanish leaders who offered him the throne of Spain, but nothing about Greece.
The newly independent Greeks would only accept a foreign prince if they agree to convert to Greek Orthodoxy. And somehow, I can't see Pedro, raised as a devout Roman Catholic, as willing to switch faiths. Besides, he was already heir to the throne of Portugal anyway. Converting to Greek Orthodoxy just to be King of a small state in eastern Europe isn't quite worth losing the empires of Portugal or Brazil
Lusitania
Donor
But the first king Otto never did renounse he Catholocism so why would Pedro have to do so?
Well IMHO the most likely arrangement would have been that he (and his wife) would have to raise their children as Orthodox christians, but that his conversion would be voluntary.
Something similar happened with the first king of the Belgians, Leopold, who remained a Lutheran, but agreed to raise his children in the Roman Catholic faith of the vast majority of his new subjects.
The only reference I found about it was in Portuguese Wikipedia, and it claims that he received the invitation from the Greeks not much after the "Dia do Fico", in January 9th 1822. It means that the Greeks were only starting their independence war and where not recognized by any power yet. I really can't see Pedro leaving for a messy Greece, needing to deal with a war against the Ottomans, while the situation in both Portugal and Brazil wasn't clear enough.
By early 1822 he had no male heir to the throne (the infant prince João Carlos would die in February) and his pregnant wife would give birth to other girl (Januaria Maria) in March. The fact that his wife was pregnant was one of the reasons why he didn't accept to go Portugal in 1821, I can't see him deciding to go to Greece with her in the same situation one year later.
However, assuming that he had accepted the offer (maybe he goes mad?) than he would have made both the Brazilians and the Portuguese angry with the Braganzas. Brazil would still try to gain independence, as the elites had saw with the "opening of the ports" promoted by John VI that Portugal was more dependent on Brazil than the contrary. While this, in Lisbon Pedro would be reviled by his action and Miguel would gain more support to be the successor of John VI (also, I really can't see the old king supporting such scheme from his son). Also, he goes to Greece when the war was still in the beggining, and there was no support from the powers to the Greek cause. So, he would be in a foreign and strange country, where he didn't even speak the local language, needing to lead them in a war against a powerful enemy and without foreign support. Probably he wouldn't have a great future there.
By early 1822 he had no male heir to the throne (the infant prince João Carlos would die in February) and his pregnant wife would give birth to other girl (Januaria Maria) in March. The fact that his wife was pregnant was one of the reasons why he didn't accept to go Portugal in 1821, I can't see him deciding to go to Greece with her in the same situation one year later.
However, assuming that he had accepted the offer (maybe he goes mad?) than he would have made both the Brazilians and the Portuguese angry with the Braganzas. Brazil would still try to gain independence, as the elites had saw with the "opening of the ports" promoted by John VI that Portugal was more dependent on Brazil than the contrary. While this, in Lisbon Pedro would be reviled by his action and Miguel would gain more support to be the successor of John VI (also, I really can't see the old king supporting such scheme from his son). Also, he goes to Greece when the war was still in the beggining, and there was no support from the powers to the Greek cause. So, he would be in a foreign and strange country, where he didn't even speak the local language, needing to lead them in a war against a powerful enemy and without foreign support. Probably he wouldn't have a great future there.
It's simple, D. Pedro would also have to reunify the Greek and Roman Churches. Then we can have the United Empire of Portugal, Brazil, and Greece.
Capital: Constantinople
Megali ideal sized greece, Portugal+half of Iberia, Brazil+Uruguay+Paraguay, and Pink map Africa+morocco, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali islands, western australia.
Capital: Constantinople
Megali ideal sized greece, Portugal+half of Iberia, Brazil+Uruguay+Paraguay, and Pink map Africa+morocco, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali islands, western australia.
Because Otto was an a**-hole that no one liked anyway, that's why. If Πέτρος (as he would be known in Modern Greek, as is Μπραγκάνσα, where "mp" = b and "gk" = ng-g) wished to get on the good side of the Greeks, he'd have to convert to Orthodoxy, as well as ensure that his children are raised as members of the Orthodox Church.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
The monarch in charge of Portugal and Greece would eventually have to split their inheritance Hapsburg style
Lusitania
Donor
Well first he never had any children, his wife also a German also refused to convert and it was his younger brother who succedded him. He pretty much spent most of his time playing one Great power against another. But his real problem was that Great Britain did everything in their power to not let them ever gain anything from the Ottoman Empire. Even to the point of blockading their ports during the Crimean War so they could not support the Russians.
True, but average Greeks never warmed up to Otto anyway. They could, however, warm to Πέτρος A´ provided he made the effort (even if the sounds are not found in Brazilian Portuguese and if there are areas of Orthodoxy that he's not used to).