In 1808, Portugal’s King Dom Joao VI fled Lisbon to avoid being captured by Napoleon’s invading army. He subsequently established his imperial residence in Rio de Janeiro for the next dozen years, which set in motion the eventual independence of Brazil.

So, if any budding Brooklynite secessionists are looking for a historical-parallel catalyst for splitting from the other boroughs: Starting this coming Monday, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and his office will relocate to downtown Brooklyn for a couple of weeks, while City Hall in Manhattan gets renovated.

Will having the municipal seat of power in Kings County lead to the re-establishment of the City of Brooklyn? Following the Portuguese-Brazilian example, Bloomberg could designate borough president Marty Markowitz as his regent-in-absentia, thus laying the groundwork for future breakaway. Knowing Markowitz and his well-established Brooklyn boosterism, he’d go for it in a heartbeat.