The Ragamuffin War and the Making of Modern Brazil, 1835-1845The Ragamuffin War was the longest and most threatening regional rebellion in Brazilian imperial history, yet it has been largely unknown outside of southern Brazil. For nearly a decade, from 1835 to 1845, the province of Rio Grande do Sul fought to establish an independent republic, creating functioning governmental institutions, fielding effective military forces, and forcing the Brazilian Empire into a...