Portugal History

Portugal history has origins dating back to the early Middle Ages. It was in the 15th and 16th centuries that it gained ascendancy as a world power status. Around this time it had become a vast empire which included possessions in South America, Africa and Asia. The combination of the Napoleonic Wars and the loss of its largest colony, Brazil in 1822 weakened the country. Today, Portugal has become a founding member of NATO, OECD, and EFTA and entered the European Community in 1986.

The present day region of Portugal was inhabited by Neanderthals and then later by Homo sapiens. In the early stages of the first millennium BC, a number of Celts invaded Portugal from central Europe and intermarried with the local Iberian people and so was formed the Celtiberian ethnic group with many tribes. In this era some small, semi permanent commercial coastal settlements were founded by the Greeks and the Phoenicians. Around 27 BC, Lusitania grew in prosperity and many of modern day Portugal’s cities and towns were formed.

It was from around the 15th and 16th centuries that Portugal started to outshine other nations in terms of economic, political and cultural influences and started growing as an extensive empire throughout the world. It was on the 25th of July, 1415 that saw the beginning of the Portuguese Empire. There were consequent steps taken to expand the Empire even more. It was in 1418 when two of the captains of Prince Henry the Navigator were forced to an island due to a storm. They called the island Porto Santo (Holy Port) as a form of gratitude for being rescued from the shipwreck. It was in 1419 that Madeira Island was discovered by Joao Goncalves Zarco. In the time around between 1427 and 1431 most of the Azorean Islands were discovered. From 1434 the Portuguese exploration of Africa was begun. In 1494 the ‘Treaty of Tordesillas’ with Spain divided the land equally between the Spanish and the Portuguese. The land along the north-south meridian line 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands was offered to Spain and all lands to the east belonged to Portugal.

Portugal gradually saw its wealth declining after the 16th century. Even around the time Portugal was officially an autonomous state, it was under the rule of the Spanish monarchy from 1580 to 1640. The Portuguese colonies were attacked regularly by the Dutch and English who were Spain’s opponents. The Spanish kings in the meantime gave excellent positions to Portuguese nobles in the Spanish courts. Portugal maintained an independent law, currency and government.

The 17th century witnesses large emigration of the Portuguese to Brazil. So much so that by 1709, John V had to prohibit emigration since Portugal had lost a sizeable fraction of its population.

There was a French invasion under General Junot when Portugal refused the demand made by Napoleon to accede to the continental System of embargo against the United Kingdom. Lisbon was subsequently captured on the first of December, 1807. It took the British intervention in the Peninsular War to restore Portuguese independence. The last of the French troops were expelled in 1812. The province of Olivenca was taken over by Spain. Rio de Janeiro in present day Brazil was the Portuguese capital between 1808 and 1821. It was after the declaration of independence of Brazil from Portugal in 1822 that Lisbon gained its status as the capital of Portugal. From 1826 there was a crisis of Royal succession with neither the Portuguese nor the Brazilians in favor of a unified monarchy. It was finally in 1834 that after the Liberal Wars that eventually Miguel was forced to abdicate and go into exile and offer the throne to his daughter as Queen MariaII.

It was in 1911 that a Republican constitution was approved which inaugurated a parliamentary regime wherein the presidential powers were reduced and two houses of parliament were opened. The introduction of the Republic provoked a considerable divide within the Portuguese society especially amongst the monarchist rural population, in the trade unions and even in the church.