By inquiring into José da Silva Lisboa’s role in the process of Independence, Guilherme Celestino seeks to re-evaluate the conventional position he has occupied for such a long time in Brazilian historiography – a conservative or a reactionary – in order to give a new interpretation of the role played by this man. And so, a convinced monarchist emerges, defender of the House of Braganza, who was guided by the Portuguese Enlightenment preaching the renewal of institutions through gradual reform. A book destined to be a reference for studies on the Independence period and on Silva Lisboa’s own thinking’ — Lucia Bastos P. Neves, Professor of Modern History at Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil