In 1736, Isabella Letizia Deleveion, Miguel IX's first wife, died after giving birth to their daughter Mariana Carlota. Miguel would mourn for two years, living a reclusive life, which would be respected by his grandfather King Henrique X, but the death on April 2 of Miguel IX's only son, Miguel the Mad, made Henry and his son Miguel (the future Miguel VIII) reconsider a new marriage. At the time, Miguel only had daughters, so Henrique X set about arranging a good marriage for his grandson. Among the candidates were Antoinette Deleveion, Anne of Ourlleouv and Emma Warzelrausrecht, and the chosen one turned out to be Anne Warzelrausrecht, with the wedding ceremony taking place on June 23, 1740.

Emma, then 22, gave birth to Princess Ana Paula in 1741, but it was not yet the male child she had hoped for. Felipe was born in 1743, one year after the death of his great-grandfather Henrique X. Felipe was born on July 23rd, and his grandfather Miguel VIII, A great celebration would be held in the capital for a whole month, ending only on September 7th. It was Miguel VIII himself who suggested the name Felipe, considering it suitable for his grandson.

His godfather would be his maternal grandfather, Albert Warzelrausrecht, and his paternal grandmother Margarida Costa would be his godmother. Prince Felipe would be baptized in the cathedral of Santa Rosa, as tradition demanded, with the name Felipe Miguel Golterra Warzelrausrecht.

The young prince's childhood wouldn't be easy; his father held little regard for him, seeing him more as an obligation. In a letter to one of his mistresses, Miguel IX wrote: "I have fulfilled my obligation to my father and the kingdom by giving them a son. Nothing binds me further; we could meet in a few days." The letter was sent to Marquise de Moraes, with whom Miguel had been having an affair since 1729. His grandfather, Miguel VIII, held more affection for the grandson, often meeting with the young prince and affectionately calling him "My Heir."

Felipe also suffered from health problems; he would cry for hours, and the doctors didn't know what to do. Queen Margarida would prepare warm baths, which calmed the prince, eventually lulling him to sleep. However, upon waking, he would soon cry again. In a letter to his mother, Emma said: "He (Felipe) cries day, afternoon, and night. I feel his pain; he cries from pain, and his cries are loud. Why would God do this to him? My son pays for my sins." His father also became concerned in 1744 when Felipe became so weak that he nearly died, if not for the doctors his father sought out, one of the few times Miguel IX genuinely worried about his son.

Felipe spent his entire life surrounded by ready doctors to assist him if needed, but during his childhood, this was even worse; he was constantly watched in all activities. Emma made sure to take care of both children, leaving them together all the time, contrary to tradition, where they should only meet during leisure time. Miguel VIII allowed them to remain together, which was good for young Felipe, who had no one else to play with.

As Felipe grew, the body pains lessened, but when they occurred, the prince would rest for days. The death of his grandfather, Miguel VIII, in 1745, made Felipe's life more difficult; his father, Miguel IX, ascended the throne and demanded a regency for his son, to be enforced in 1748 when he turned 5. So, from 1745 to 1748, Miguel IX's main goal regarding his son was to keep him alive. Miguel called upon many doctors from all over the country to cure the prince, believing Felipe had caught some illness. However, the doctors focused on curing the boy until 1748 when Miguel stopped calling the doctors.

In a letter to his friend Charles Werner, Count of Maiis, Miguel wrote: "The prince, my son, is not well; an illness has befallen him. I believe he is incapable of ruling the kingdom. I also feel increasingly unwell every day; I am not certain about the succession of my realm." The letter was supposedly sent in 1749.

Miguel fell ill in early 1749 and shortly after sending the letter to the Count of Maiis, he convened the cortes on February 17, which would meet on March 24, but Miguel died on March 14, victim of a disease, apparently hypothermia, according to Miguel's chroniclers. He had supposedly called the cortes to remove his son from succession; his options were apparently his brother Fernando and his illegitimate son with Marquise de Moraes, João Viscount de Queu, who was 16 at the time.

Miguel's death didn't shake the country much, as it had recently mourned Miguel VIII's loss. Soon after his death, his brother Fernando presided over the provisional government and the cortes. Fernando ensured the maintenance of the court until June 5, during which he discussed his brother's funeral but also secured the crown for his nephew and the appointment of Queen Emma to preside over the regency. Fernando was effective in negotiating with court members, leading to the approval of his requests.

Emma Warzelrausrecht

When his father Miguel IX passed away, Felipe was only 6 years old, so a regency would be formed to govern the country on behalf of the young king. The cortes recognized Queen Emma Warzelrausrecht as his regent after negotiations with Fernando Golterra, who would also assume the position of Secretary of Internal Affairs.

Together with Fernando, his mother would be responsible for appointing other officials of the regency. Guilherme Lima, Count of Vila Alta, would be appointed as Secretary of the Treasury, and William Walter, Marquess of Alvile, would be appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. These were the main figures of Felipe XI's regency.

Cardinal João Paulo would be appointed as the Guardian of the young monarch, chosen directly by the queen for this role. João would be important for the king's upbringing, being strict in education but also gentle with the monarch, often giving him days off. Felipe XI described him as a father figure, which was crucial for the king, who had lacked a paternal figure until then.

His mother would appoint doctors to monitor Felipe's health again, notably the chief physician Pedro de Araújo, who would take care of the king's health for the next 10 years. Pedro would describe in his diary everything that happened to the king, from his healthiest days to the sickest. According to Pedro's description in 1752: "The king, despite being so young, suffers from this illness, and I still don't know what it is, which frustrates me. It seems to attack the king randomly; some days it hits him hard and leaves him on the brink of death, while other days it only gives him a fever, and sometimes days to weeks pass before it shows signs again. His body apparently appears healthy to those who don't know him, but I know him, and I can say that the king can be anything but healthy." Pedro's statements only showed that the king's health was very unstable, which remained throughout his life.

The regency struggled greatly to maintain stability in the country, largely due to the significant decentralization that occurred after the Cortes of 1749. Fernando tried to prevent the Cortes assembly from happening immediately after Miguel IX's death, but it was impossible. The death of a king and the ascension of a child king were more than enough reasons for a gathering of the General Cortes. Thus, the assembly convened by Miguel IX to supposedly depose Felipe XI from succession became a meeting to recognize him as king.

Fernando, who presided over the General Cortes meetings, engaged in political manipulations to achieve his objectives. With the nobles, Fernando granted more political authority along with titles and lands, something the Golterra house had in abundance. As for the municipal procurators, Fernando had to concede and give the municipalities greater authority and administrative power. Negotiations with the clergy were easier, promising them a secretariat in the regency and a large donation to the church. With the negotiations completed, Fernando ensured Felipe XI as king, Emma as regent, and maintained stability in the country.

Soon, Fernando's policies would have consequences during the regency. The nobility gained more power, although not as in the medieval period, and the clergy increasingly engaged in politics, while municipalities administered themselves, often not answering to the crown. The phrase "we have a king, but we don't have a king" was widely spread throughout the country, suggesting that Felipe XI was the king by law, but not the de facto king since he didn't govern. This was used as justification for not complying with the regency government.

In 1752, King Louis I of Galótria and Valoreski claimed the throne of Brsil on behalf of his son with Carlota Maria, the eldest daughter of Miguel IX and Isabella Letizia, Prince Pierre Lesparet. Louis's claim was accepted by some nobles but rejected by most municipalities and harshly criticized by the clergy. With the help of Carlos Francisco, Secretary of Religious Affairs, who helped disseminate the non-Lesparitian claim, preserving the independence of the Kingdom of Brsil. The phrase "Brsil already has a king" was adopted by the army and navy, which would fight against King Louis's armies.

War of Succession

The War of Succession began on June 9, 1752, with the naval battle of Sengtrag, but the war would not be limited to the kingdoms of Brsil, Galotria, and Valoreski; the kingdom of Asnovânia would also become involved in the conflict. Asnovânia had already been experiencing a civil war for 152 years between the Deleveion and Warzelrausrecht houses. On November 9, 1752, Pedro III of Asnovânia entered the conflict in favor of Pierre Lesparet. Pedro III was the brother of Isabelle Letizia, thus the uncle of Carlota Maria, who reportedly played a significant role in persuading her uncle to join the war.

In response to this decision, Queen Emma allegedly sent a letter to her brother Guilherme XII urging him to enter the war in support of Felipe XI. Guilherme responded to his sister in a letter stating, "Brsil already has a king," which was understood as his support for his sister, and soon the conflicts would become even more intense. All the kingdoms that now form the Empire were at war.

The kingdom of Brsil was by far the main focus; whoever possessed it would secure a significant advantage over the others. For the Lesparet House, having the kingdom would help consolidate the family, which was considerably behind the Deleveion, Warzelrausrecht, and Golterra houses, despite already having two kingdoms (Galotria and Valoreski) in personal union. The Lesparets were still the weakest dynasty. For the Deleveion and Warzelrausrecht houses, having a blood relative on the throne of Brsil would ensure their support in the Asnovânia Succession War, which had been ongoing for nearly two centuries. For this reason, maintaining Brsil would be a significant advantage for whoever won.

The cortes would be convened on January 1, 1753, with most nobles and procurators attending, as well as all members of the clergy, demonstrating the church's support for Felipe XI. The cortes would serve to discuss the war budget, which received strong support from its members. Queen Emma would preside over the meetings, earning her respect from the members. Emma would also subtly demonstrate her intentions to persuade the court members to support the Warzelrausrecht house in the Asnovânia Succession War.