Captivating History - Portuguese History: A Captivating Guide to the History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire

Portugal has a very complex history that spreads all around the globe. The history of Portuguese discoveries, colonization, and trade guilds have been studied far and wide, but the history of mainland Portugal is often neglected. This book will concentrate on the events that took place in the Portuguese mainland, which is a small country locked between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Spain to the east.

As the westernmost country in Europe, Portugal was regarded as a frontier nation, an outpost that was far from the European mainstream center of gravity. Although Portugal has only two neighborsSpain to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the westPortugal can feel the closeness of Africa to the south, a country that was once a danger and, more recently, a temptation. Thus, it was Spain, Africa, and the opportunities presented with overseas voyages across the Atlantic that influenced and shaped the history of Portugal.

But Portugal has no geographical distinction in the Iberian Peninsula. It was never a geographically separate region, and Portugal is made of the western extensions of the geographic regions of Spain. It is interesting how Portugal developed a separate culture, language, and political worldview from the rest of the Iberian Peninsula when it was just a small part of a very large geographical entity. Nevertheless, Portugal was one of the first European kingdoms with stable borders.

As an independent kingdom, Portugal emerged only in the 12 th century after the Iberian Reconquista. But its history starts much earlier. The first settlers of the early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals left behind extraordinary stone art in Ca Valley. The Romans would later make an appearance, as would the Germanic tribes. At this early stage, Portugals history was indistinguishable from the history of Iberia since Portugal didnt yet exist as a political entity. But the waves of Roman, Germanic, and Islamic intruders, as well as the constant Hispanic influence, eventually shaped Portugals society and culture. At the time, the people didnt have a unified idea of Portugal, and it was only when Christianity clashed with Islam during the Iberian Reconquista that the thought of an independent Portugal was shaped.

The early Portuguese kingdom had a tremendous task in front of itself. It needed to organize the popular medieval feudal system and, at the same time, defend its borders from attacks from the Arab and Hispanic kingdoms, as well as to fight the idea of pan-Hispanism. The Portuguese kings managed to defend their prized possession, and they slowly created the Portuguese nation. But the dynastical crisis of 1383 almost destroyed everything that had been achieved during the early kingdom. The rise of the Avis dynasty would finally strengthen the royal government.

The 16 th century saw the rise of Portugals golden age, which was when the kingdom prospered from its overseas discoveries. Nevertheless, this golden age was short, and due to the political and economic crises, the kingdom lost its independence. What followed was the unification of the Portuguese and Castilian crowns under the reign of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. The Habsburgs first ruled Portugal in 1580 until the Braganza dynasty rose to power and assumed the throne in 1640. Under the Braganza rulers, Portugal prospered yet again. But the seeds of change had been sown across the whole of Europe during the 17 th and early 18 th centuries, and Portugal was no exception.

But while the Enlightenment and rational thinking sprouted in western Europe, Portugal struggled to follow. The old regime proved to be unfit to tackle the obstacles presented by the modern age, and new leadership needed to be implemented. These political developments within the country and its foreign policy led to the exceptional rise of Pombal, a political figure capable of modernizing Portugal and leading it into the future. However, the society of Portugal remained largely conservative and wished to go back to the old regime. Thus, Pombal had many enemies he had to remove to continue his work. His cruelty toward his political opponents would eventually be his demise. Nevertheless, Pombal proved his worth during the catastrophic earthquake of 1775, which leveled Lisbon. He personally assumed the command of the city's recovery and impressed observers with his capabilities.

The end of Pombalism brought back the old regime. This was also the period that saw the Napoleonic invasion, which caused the royal family to flee and seek refuge in Brazil. Portugal became a battleground for the British and French forces, and they fought for the control of Lisbon and its ports. The separation of Brazil and Portugal followed, which symbolized the end of the old regime. A series of weak rulers followed, and finally, the revolution came, after which the Portuguese Republic was proclaimed.

The political scene of the new republic was filled with power-hungry individuals like Salazar and his follower Caetano. The April Revolution of 1975 brought a new military government to Portugal but not the type of democracy that other European countries had. Portugal was left isolated and weakened. It took one more political coup, this time by liberal political parties, for Portugal to realize that the future was in decolonization and an acceptance of true democracy. From this point forward, Portugals destiny was sealed as part of the European Community and the later European Union, which allowed the Portuguese to not only prosper economically but also come to terms with their imperialistic history.