Proclamação da República - November 15, the 1889 proclamation that ended the Brazilian Empire
Brazil's Proclamação da República on November 15, 1889 ended the Empire of Brazil. Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca led the coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and proclaimed the Republic of the United States of Brazil. A federal public holiday.
Federal holidayPublished October 15, 2026
- Observed in
- Where observed
- When
- November
- Frequency
- Same date every year
- Days off
- 1 day (federal)
- Public status
- Public holiday (federal, banks and government closed)
Brazil\'s Proclamação da República on November 15, 1889 ended the Empire of Brazil. Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca led the military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II, abolished the monarchy, and proclaimed the Republic of the United States of Brazil. A federal public holiday, observed with a military parade in Brasília and civic ceremonies across the country.
The one-line summary
Federal public holiday on November 15, observed every year. Commemorates the 1889 military proclamation of the Republic and the end of the Brazilian Empire. Federal category, standard tier.
Origin
On November 15, 1889, units of the Brazilian Army, led by Marechal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca and a group of officers opposed to the monarchy, marched through Rio de Janeiro. The cabinet of Emperor Pedro II resigned, the imperial family was placed under protective custody, and the Empire of Brazil (1822-1889) was formally abolished. Deodoro was proclaimed the first President of the newly named Republic of the United States of Brazil.
The proclamation ended 67 years of independent Brazilian Empire and 324 years of Portuguese- era monarchy in Brazil (the colonial period began in 1549 with the establishment of the Captaincy system). It also marked the end of Pedro II\'s 58-year reign, which had begun when he was five years old in 1840.
The Republic was initially governed by a provisional government under Deodoro. A Constituent Assembly was convened in 1890, and the first Republican Constitution of Brazil was promulgated on February 24, 1891. The 1891 Constitution established a federal system with states, a bicameral Congress, and a directly elected president.
When it falls
November 15, every year. The Proclamação da República is a fixed Gregorian date and does not move. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday, and in 2027 it falls on a Monday. The day is one of several fixed-date civic holidays on the Brazilian national calendar, along with Tiradentes Day on April 21 and Independence Day on September 7.
How it is observed
The principal civic ceremony is a military parade on the Esplanada dos Ministérios in Brasília, featuring contingents of the Brazilian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The President of the Republic presides. Similar civic ceremonies are held in state capitals and major cities.
School events focus on the history of the proclamation and on civic education. Presidential speeches and wreath-laying at statues of Deodoro da Fonseca and other figures of the proclamation are common. The day is also marked in the Brazilian diaspora, especially in cities with large expatriate populations such as Lisbon, Tokyo, New York, and Buenos Aires.
Regional variations
The Proclamação da República is observed uniformly as a federal holiday across Brazil\'s 26 states and the Federal District. Variations are limited to local ceremonial emphasis: Rio de Janeiro, where the proclamation occurred, often hosts larger civic events. State-level "Republic Day" observances in cities with strong republican heritage (e.g., São Paulo, Minas Gerais) feature lectures and museum exhibitions on the 1889 period.
Legal status
November 15 is a federal public holiday in Brazil under Law 662 of April 6, 1969, and its later updates. Federal government offices, banks, post offices, and schools close. Most private businesses close; essential services (hospitals, public safety, public transport on a holiday schedule) remain in service. The day is part of the official national calendar of civic holidays administered by the federal government.
Deodoro and the coup
Marechal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca (1827-1892) was a career army officer who had served in the Paraguayan War (1864-1870) and in the abolitionist campaign that led to the 1888 Lei Áurea (Golden Law) ending slavery in Brazil. He was also a leading member of the military positivist faction that had been plotting the overthrow of the monarchy.
The immediate trigger for the November 15 coup was the appointment of a new cabinet under Conservative leader Visconde de Ouro Preto on November 7, 1889, which military republicans viewed as a countermove against their faction. When the new cabinet dismissed key republican officers from their commands, Deodoro and the other plotters moved the coup up from a planned date in late November.
Pedro II and the imperial family were exiled and sailed for Europe on November 17. Pedro II died in Paris in December 1891. The imperial family never returned to Brazil; the question of the monarchy\'s restoration continued to be debated in Brazilian politics for decades afterward.
Proclamação da República by the numbers
Sources
- Government of Brazil, federal holidays calendar: gov.br
- Encyclopedia Britannica, "Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil": britannica.com
- Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, history of the Brazilian Republic: bn.gov.br
- Wikipedia, "Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil)": en.wikipedia.org