The creation of new provinces in the Empire of Brazil is rarely used as a tool for understanding the dynamics of politics and economy of this period. However, the analysis of the documents produced during the rich parliamentary debates about this question demonstrates the need to revise this practice, because territorial reorganization included more than political emancipation. It meant implementing some very important changes in the running of the country's political system. In this context, the emancipation of the fifth comarca of São Paulo, the future province of Paraná, is important because it highlights elements which help to understand these dynamics. Questions like the survival of the new province, the loss of population and revenue by São Paulo, the conflictual relations between provinces, and the official position of the central government, were in focus during all this process.
Paraná State; Parliament; Empire