Portuguese Empire

The beginnings of the empire (1415-1580)

The countries that we now know as Spain and Portugal spent the Middle Ages after 722 in an intermittent struggle called the Reconquista. This struggle pitted the northern Christian kingdoms against the Islamic kingdoms of the South and among themselves.

Related Topics:
Portugal - Middle Ages - 722 - Reconquista

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The Portuguese Reconquista culminated in 1272 with the conquest of Algarve by Afonso III, setting Portuguese borders almost in the Iberian Peninsula. During the 15th century, the Crown of Aragon and Portugal expanded territorially seawards (Castille don't conquest the last Moorish stronghold at Granada until 1492). Aragonese Empire, who has finished his Reconquista in 1266, focused in the Mediterranean and Portuguese Empire, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Related Topics:
Portuguese - 1272 - Algarve - Afonso III - Iberian Peninsula - 15th century - Aragon - 1492 - Aragonese Empire - 1266 - Mediterranean - Atlantic Ocean

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Portuguese soldiers captured Ceuta (on the North African coast) in 1415 and again defeated the Moors, who attempted to re-take it in 1418.

Related Topics:
Ceuta - North Africa - 1415 - 1418

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In 1419 two of the captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven by a storm to Madeira. In 1427, another portuguese captain discovered the Azores.

Related Topics:
1419 - Henry the Navigator - João Gonçalves Zarco - Tristão Vaz Teixeira - 1427 - Azores

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In an expedition to Tangier, undertaken in 1436 by King Edward (1433-1438), the Portuguese army was defeated, and could only escape destruction by surrendering as a hostage Prince Ferdinand, the king's youngest brother. By sea Prince Henry's captains continued their exploration of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1433 Cape Bojador was doubled; in 1434 the first consignment of slaves was brought to Lisbon; and slave trading soon became one of the most profitable branches of Portuguese commerce. The Senegal was reached in 1445, Cape Verde was passed in the same year, and in 1446 Alvaro Fernandes pushed on almost as far as Sierra Leone.

Related Topics:
Tangier - 1436 - Africa - Atlantic Ocean - 1433 - Cape Bojador - 1434 - Lisbon - Cape Verde - Alvaro Fernandes - Sierra Leone

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Meanwhile colonization progressed in the Azores from 1439 and Madeira, where sugar and wine were now produced by people from Portugal, France and the Flanders; above all, the gold brought home from Guinea stimulated the commercial energy of the Portuguese. It had become clear that, apart from their religious and scientific aspects, these voyages of discovery were highly profitable. Under Alphonso V (1443-1481), surnamed the African, the Gulf of Guinea was explored as far as Cape St Catherine, and three expeditions (1458, 1461, 1471) were sent to Morocco; in 1471 Arzila (Asila) and Tangier were captured from the Moors.

Related Topics:
Azores - 1439 - Madeira - France - Flanders - Guinea - Alphonso V - Gulf of Guinea - Cape St Catherine

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Under John II (1481-1495) the fortress of São Jorge da Mina, the modern Elmina, was founded for the protection of the Guinea trade in. Diogo Cão, or Can, discovered the Congo in 1482 and reached Cape Cross in 1486.

Related Topics:
São Jorge da Mina - Diogo Cão

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Portuguese ships organized by Henry the Navigator explored the west coast of Africa, mapping territory and pursuing trade, particularly in gold and slaves. By 1487, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and in 1498 Vasco da Gama reached India and established the first Portuguese outposts there. The discovery of the sea route around Africa to India and the rest of Asia opened enormous opportunities to trade for Portugal, which it aggressively pursued with the establishment of both trade outposts and fortified bases.

Related Topics:
Henry the Navigator - Africa - Gold - Slaves - 1487 - Bartolomeu Dias - Cape of Good Hope - 1498 - Vasco da Gama - India - Asia - Trade

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In East Africa, small Islamic states along the coast of Mozambique, Kilwa, Brava and Mombasa were destroyed, or either became subjects or allies of Portugal. Pêro da Covilhã had reached Ethiopia as early as 1490; a diplomatic mission reached the ruler of that nation October 19, 1520. Explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral landed on April 22, 1500 in what is today Porto Seguro, Brazil and temporary trading posts were established earlier to collect brazilwood, used as a dye. In the Arabian Sea, Socotra was occupied in 1506, and in the same year D. Lourenço d'Almeida visited Ceylon. In the Indian Ocean, one of Pedro Álvares Cabral's ships discovered Madagascar, which was partly explored by Tristão da Cunha (1507), whilst Mauritius was discovered in 1507.

Related Topics:
East Africa - Islamic - Mozambique - Kilwa - Brava - Mombasa - Pêro da Covilhã - Ethiopia - 1490 - October 19 - 1520 - Pedro Álvares Cabral - April 22 - 1500 - Porto Seguro - Brazil - Brazilwood - Dye - Arabian Sea - Socotra - 1506 - D. Lourenço d'Almeida - Ceylon - Indian Ocean - Madagascar - Tristão da Cunha - 1507 - Mauritius

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The Portuguese empire was guaranteed by the Treaty of Tordesillas with Spain, and Portugal established trading ports at far-flung locations like Goa, Malacca, the Maluku Islands, Macau, and Nagasaki. Guarding its trade from both European and Asian competitors, Portugal dominated not only the trade between Asia and Europe, but also much of the trade among different regions of Asia, such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan. Jesuit missionaries, as the spanish Francis Xavier, followed the Portuguese to spread Roman Catholic Christianity to Asia with mixed success.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Tordesillas - Goa - Malacca - Maluku Islands - Macau - Nagasaki - India - Indonesia - China - Japan - Jesuit - Francis Xavier - Roman Catholic - Christianity

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In 1503, an expedition under Gonçalo Coelho discovered that the French were making incursions to the land what is today Brazil and looting it. In 1530 there was a new expedition from Martim Afonso de Souza to patrol the entire coast, banish the French, and to create the first colonial towns: São Vicente at the coast, and São Paulo on the border of the altiplane. In 1549, Tomé de Sousa, the first Governor-General was sent to Brazil. He built the capital of Brazil, Salvador at the Bay of All Saints. The first Jesuits arrived the same year.

Related Topics:
1503 - Gonçalo Coelho - 1530 - Martim Afonso de Souza - São Vicente - São Paulo - 1549 - Tomé de Sousa - Salvador - Bay of All Saints - Jesuits

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From 1565 through 1567 Mem de Sá, a Portuguese colonial official and the third Governor General of Brazil, successfully destroyed a ten year old French colony called France Antarctique, at Guanabara Bay. He and his nephew, Estácio de Sá, then founded the city of Rio de Janeiro on March 1567.

Related Topics:
1565 - 1567 - Mem de Sá - Colonial - Governor General - French colony - France Antarctique - Guanabara Bay - Estácio de Sá - Rio de Janeiro

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Having established some cities, Portugal started the colonization of Brazil. Having no means to administer the new colony, the king of Portugal divided the land in 15 "Capitanias Hereditárias" ("heritage captainships"), that were given to anyone who wanted to administer and explore them. From the 15 original Capitanias, only two, Pernambuco and São Vicente, prospered. With permanent settlement came the establishment of the sugar cane industry and its intensive labor demands which were met with Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and later African slaves.

Related Topics:
Pernambuco - São Vicente - Sugar cane - Industry - Labor - Indigenous Peoples of the Americas - Africa - Slave

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In 1578, the Portuguese crusaders crossed into Morocco and were routed by Ahmed Mohammed of Fez, at Alcazarquivir (Field of the Three Kings). Sebastian of Portugal was almost certainly either killed in battle, or subsequently executed. This battle marked the end of Portugal as superpower in a global scale.

Related Topics:
1578 - Morocco - Ahmed Mohammed of Fez - Alcazarquivir - Sebastian of Portugal - Superpower

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