The territorial and political unity of Brasil at the time of independence did not derive from circumstances but from a long-lasting policy that made for a very different situation than that of the territories under Spanish rule. However, the arrival of Prince D. João in Brasil gave England even more economic advantages. D. João did not develop a policy of territorial expansion in Brasil, but he did take care to consolidate frontiers, part of which were somewhat moveable, because of the pro-independence groups of the time. D. Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal, Spanish by birth, attempted to envolve her husband in Spanish colonial policy, acting in her own interest and taking advantage of circumstances caused by Mapolean's occupation of the Spanish crown. Her coronation in Buenos Aires was even idealized. However, these were unsuccessful expansionist projects, and moreover Carlota Joaquina was never an adept of the new liberal ideologies that were so clear to the pro-independence movements of the Spanish colonies. Neither her husband or the pro-English at the service of the Portuguese crown supported her.
