In the nineteenth century, three decades after the political emancipation of Brazil, one of the masters hired by Emperor D. Pedro II to educate his daughters was Candido José de Araújo Viana, his former teacher, who also held various positions in the Empire, most notably among them, provincial president, minister, senator, president of the senate, magistrate and state councilor. The master and politician received the titles of Visconde and Marquês de Sapucaí. His latter title gave its name to Avenida Marquês de Sapucaí, where the parades of the "samba schools" of Rio de Janeiro currently take place, a representation of Brazilian culture. In the year 2016, the "samba school" "Beija-Flor de Nilópolis" paid tribute to the illustrious master by telling his life story on the Avenue that was named after him. This study aims to reassess the Marquês de Sapucaí's biography, in order to demonstrate his influence on and contribution to the consolidation of the Brazilian Empire, through his relations with the Imperial Household, as well as representations regarding the figure of the Marquis existing to the present day. More specifically, we sought to analyze the Marquis's relationship with the historical period in which he lived and, above all, his career as a master of the Brazilian Imperial Household, offering clues to the reasons for the tributes paid to him. This involves historical and documentary research, the main sources of which are egodocuments, letters and other archives that record aspects of the Marquis' biography. Bibliographic reference consists of a dialogue with other studies, in particular those of Vasconcelos (2005), Aguiar (2015), Gomes (2004) and Mignot, Sampaio and Passeggi (2014). At the end of the research it was concluded that the Marquis had a profound political influence on the period in which he lived, being a representative of the "greats" of the Brazilian Empire, at a time when the aim was to break with the past processes inherited from colonization and enter the world of "civilized nations". Additionally, the Marquis was part of the local elite, a family of the ruling aristocracy, which made him destined, from birth, to occupy functions within the state apparatus of the "new" nation, which was trying to emancipate itself from the last remnants of colonization.  Furthermore, the "lessons" of Candido José de Araújo Viana were conveyed on a daily basis in the Imperial Palace, significantly influencing the education of the heirs of the Throne and assisting in the consolidation of the emancipatory political project outlined by the Imperial Government of Brazil.