Portuguese History

In the Early BC Era

The present-day region of Portugal, was inhabited by the Neanderthal man before homo sapiens arrived on the earth. In the first thousand years of the BC era, the Celts invaded Portugal, then known as Iberia. Some of the Celts settled down in this region and became part of the tribes by marrying local people. Except for some small tribal wars the region remained relatively stable.

The German and Roman Regimes

The peninsula of Iberia was invaded by the Roman army in 219 BC. The Carthaginians had been attempting to annex the coast lines of present day Portugal. As de facto enemies of the Romans, the Carthaginians were expelled from these coast lines. This campaign of Iberia was highly time and resource consuming for the Romans, who then formed an alliance with the Conii tribes. The tribes that had settled to the north of Portugal launched rebellions against the invasion, and some of the already conquered tribal areas put up a resistance movement. In the year 194 BC, the Roman army received some severe set backs when the Lusitania and other allied tribes waged a war against the Romans, to grasp control of Portugal. This campaign was led by Viriathus, a Lusitanian military leader. The Romans later bribed the ambassadors of Viriathus and had him assassinated. In 27 BC, the Iberian peninsula was made a province of Rome, after the establishment of a colonial rule.

In the 5th century BC, the Germanic tribes invaded the peninsula. The first invasion that took place in the early 5th century, was initiated by an alliance of Suebi, Vandals and the Alans. The second invasion was by the Visigoths, another Germanic tribe. In 711 BC, after the invasion of the Islamic Moors, the Gothic nobles were forced to flee from their respective provinces. These nobles united and established a base in the Asturian highlands, and along with some Spanish allies began a war to repel the Moors. This war was known as the Reconquista.

The Foundation of Portugal

The actual foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal was laid by Count Vímara Peres, when he reconquered the region between the rivers Minho and Douro, in 868 BC. This kingdom was referred to as the Kingdom of Portucale. This kingdom was not independent and was under different foreign rules. In the the year 1065 AD, the Kingdom of Portucale, under the leadership of García II, gained total independence. In the year 1072 AD, Alfonso VI of León, the brother of García II, unified the kingdoms of León, Castile and Portucale.

Affirmation of the Kingdom of Portugal

In the year 1095 AD, the Kingdom of Portugal was separated from Galicia. In the 11th century AD, the Burgundian knight, Henry, was made the Count of Portugal. He integrated the counties of Portucale and Coimbra and declared the independence of Portugal. After Henry's death, his son fought in the Battle of São Mamede (a civil war fought by Alfonso I of Portugal, against Theresa, Countess of Portugal, and her lover Fernão Peres de Trava). Alfonso declared himself as the 'Prince of Portugal', and later, in 1139 AD, declared himself 'King of Portugal'. Portugal was recognized as an independent state in 1143 AD by the Church, at the Zamora conference. As an independent state it was named Dux Portucalensis. In 1179 AD, the Pope declared Alfonso I as the first king of Portugal. In the year 1250 AD, the region of Algarve was reconquered from the Islamic Moors. This conquest established the almost permanent boundaries of Portugal. In 1386 AD, after the Treaty of Windsor, Portugal formed a long standing alliance with England.

Colonization and Imperialism

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was the leading European nation in overseas commerce, colonization, and imperialism. This era of Portuguese history saw many important discoveries and explorations that expanded the boundaries of Portugal. In the year 1418 AD, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, two naval captains, accidentally discovered the island of Porto Santo. From 1427 AD to 1431 AD, the Portuguese navy explored the islands of Azores. Gil Eanes, in 1434 AD, marked the beginning of the African exploration when he crossed Cape Bojador. A trading post and a castle was set up on the island of Arguim. In 1483 AD, the exploration of the Congo was taken up by Diogo Cão. The first crossing of the Cape of Good Hope was achieved by Bartolomeu Dias. On 20th May, 1498 AD, Vasco da Gama finally reached the Indian port of Calicut, thus establishing the much awaited trade route with India. After this era, Portugal was dominated by the Spanish empire, and was constantly attacked and raided by the Dutch, English and French. Due to these invasions, Portugal lost some of its important provinces. Its economy drastically declined and sadly, Portugal lost most of its prestige, which was not regained until the 20th Century.

The Modern Era

In the 20th Century, Portugal remained under dictatorship from 1926 to 1974. In 1975, independence was granted to all the African colonies. Portugal also played an instrumental role in international organizations such as NATO and the European Union. Today, Portugal is recognized as a leading political, economical and technological nation. It is nation of an prestigious history and proud citizens.