Also see Brazil Ministers

1822 Regent Empress Leopoldine de Napoli e Duo Sicilie
She was regent during her husband, Dom Pedro's, stay in Portugal. She and the Council of Ministers declared the country independent

1822-29 Politically Influential Domitília de Castro Couto e Mello in Brazil
 Very influential during the reign of her lover, Emperor Pedro I ( 1798-1834). Her interference in the government was one of the factors that contributed to the unpopularity of the Emperor, which eventually led to his downfall. She was married to Felício Pinto Coelho de Mendonça (1789-1833) at the age of 16 and mother of a son and a daughter but in 1822 she met the emperor and was employed at court and in 1824 she was created Baroness de Santos, 1825 Viscountess de Santos  and 1826 Marquesa de Santos. The couple had five children: A still-born baby in 1823, Isabel Maria de Alcântara Brasileira, Duchess de Goiás (1824), Pedro de Alcântara Brasileiro (1825-1826), Maria Isabel de Alcântara Brasileira, Duchess do Ceará (1827), Maria Isabel II de Alcântara Brasileira, Countess of Iguaçu (1830/1896), The three daughters were educated with the imperial children. Leopoldina, the empress, died in 1826 due to complications caused by an abortion. The public opinion held the marchioness responsible for the grievances and humiliations that the Empress had to endure, and Pedro was forced to find a suitable wife. In 1829 he married Princess Amelie of Leuchtemberg, she left court, and married Rafael Tobias de Aguiar (1794-1857) with whom she had four sons. Her sister was another of Pedro's many mistresses, she was named Baroness of Sorocaba and had a child with him. They were daughters of Viscount João de Castro Canto e Mello and Escolástica Bonifácio de Toledo Ribas. Domitília  lived (1797-1867).

1871-72 Regent Princess-Imperial Isabel da Bragança e Borbon (25.3-31.3)
1876-77 Regent (26.3-25.9)
1887-88 (30.6-22.8)
1889-1921 Head of the Imperial Family and Titular Empress
She was regent during her father, Dom Pedro II's stays in Portugal in 1889, he abdicated and the Country became a Republic. She was officially declared Heir to the Throne on10. of August 1850. During her last regency she signed the abolition of the slavery. She was succeeded by her grandson, Pedro Henriques d'Orléans e Bragança (1909-81) who was later succeeded by his son Luiz. She lived(1846-1921)

2006 Designate Acting President Ellen Gracie Northfleet (04.05-05.05 and 11-13.05)
2006- 4. Deputy Head of State
As President of the Supreme Court, she asumed the presidency because both the Vice-President and the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are running for elective office during the October elections, and therefore barred from assuming an executive office during the six-month period before the election. She became the first (and so far only) female Supreme Court Judge (Ministra do Supremo Tribunal Federal) in 2000. She was Judge in the 4^th Regional Federal Court from 1989 and before that she Federal Attorney and as an Assistant to the Attorney General of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. (b. 1948-).

Last updated 04.05.06