He began attending classes at the University of Coimbra in Portugal in October 1822, graduating with a law degree on 15 June 1827.

[3] Fernandes Braga was chosen in 1835 to become the new president of Rio Grande do Sul, despite having spent a large portion of his life in Europe, to the extent that he did not have strong connections to the province.

Despite his efforts to calm the situation down afterwards, his rhetoric escalated tensions in the region, contributing to the outbreak of the Ragamuffin War.

[5][6] Leaders among the rebels, dubbed the farrapos, chose on 18 September 1835 to depose Fernandes Braga within two days, and so began to march towards Porto Alegre.

As the rebel forces began to move towards Porto Alegre, Fernandes Braga caught wind of their advances and so ordered the local municipal and national guard garrisons to stand and arm themselves, later including the citizens of Porto Alegre with these orders, but with little success.