Luiz Alves de Lima

About the Book

This book is the culmination of over 40 years of research about a very fascinating individual who had a tremendous impact on the history of 19th Century Brazil, Luiz Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duke of Caxias.

Brazilian history is replete with attempts to capture the historical significance of the Duke of Caxias. The following is a list of some of the titles given to Caxias in an attempt to capture his historical importance:

The Never Defeated General
The Sustainer of Order
The Iron Duke
The Tertillary of the Republic
The major military figure of Latin America
Counselor of the State
The Pacifier of the Army
The Shield of Legality
The Bandeirante of the Public Cause
The Great Tranquil Hero
The Admirable Warrior of the Empire
The Restorer of Catholicism
The Controller of Catastrophes
The Greatest Figure in Brazilian History
Champion of National Honor

The bottom line for any attempt to do historical justice to Caxias may be the opinion of Ovsaldo Orico when he wrote "To tell the story of the life of Caxias is a work of a lifetime."1

As a military leader, it was claimed that he was never defeated. He brought with him political clear sightedness, the gift of administration and the capacity for conciliation. The same circumstances that saw the surge of the Brazilian state become head of the Portuguese Empire provided national political independence. The implied political struggle provided conditions for Caxias to test his military calling.

1.Osvaldo Orico, O Condestável do Império (Porto Alegre: Ediçãoda Livraria do Globo, 1933), 7.

About the Author

Robert A. Hayes is Professor Emeritus of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. Professor Hayes taught Latin American History at Texas Tech for 30 years. He also served four years as a naval officer and five years in the United States Information Agency in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.