History :

Portugal (or Portucale) is one of the oldest nations in Europe, first getting its designation as a country in the eleventh century. Its rulers were appointed by the king of León before independence was gained in 1143.

Much of the period after independence was spent fighting the Moors both in North Africa and on Portuguese soil. Castile in Spain was also a threat but they were defeated at the battle of Aljubarrota by the Portuguese army. Then came the period of the Discoveries and the great days of great wealth for Portugal by trading with their colonies of Brazil, in Africa, in India, in China and Japan and in the East Indies. Later religious pressure from Spain caused the setting up of an 'Inquisition' in Portugal. The result was the expulsion of the Jewish and Moorish traders leaving Portugal with an empire based on trade but no commercial expertise. The resulting commercial decline was followed by a disastrous defeat in Morocco.

Amongst the 8,000 dead were most of Portugal's nobility and King Dom Sebastian (he of the Lagos statue!). Portugal's wealth was spent on paying ransoms for those captured in this battle. With all heirs to the throne killed, the Spanish took over Portugal in 1581. In 1640, a small group stormed the palace and deposed the Spanish appointed governor. The Duke of Bragança became king by popular acclaim.

In the late 1600's, gold and diamonds were discovered in Brazil which made Portugal financially strong again but this was all spent on lavish baroque style building which is so enjoyed by many visitors today. In 1755, The Great Earthquake struck, destroying most of Lisbon and many towns and villages from the Algarve coast up to central Portugal. The Marquês of Pombal, the chief minister took charge with the motto of 'bury the dead and feed the living'. He was responsible for the rebuilding of Lisbon in its present day grid structure.

In 1807 Napoleon marched into Lisbon and the royal family fled to Brazil. Under the treaty of Winsor of 1386, the fighting was carried on by British generals, including Beresford and Wellington, who finally threw him out 3 years later. In return Britain received the right to trade with Brazil direct and not through Portuguese merchants. Following the exile of the king there was constant struggles between those favouring a monarchy and those wanting a republic and finally on October 5, 1910 the monarchy was overthrown and a republic declared.

In World War I Portugal fought on the side of the allies with the loss of many men which was disastrous economically. In 1926 Dr. Salazar became Finace Minister and later 'Prime Minister'. He was dictator until 1968 when he became incapable due to injuries received when his deck chair collapsed under him. He died in 1970 and during his final two years no one dared tell him that he was no longer prime minister. The dictatorship, under his successor, was finally overthrown in 1974 in a virtually bloodless revolution but not before many of the young Portugese men had given their lives in fighting colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bassau.

After two years of political instability followed during which some momentous decisions were made including the giving of independance to all of the overseas territories. For most contries involved this was a disatrous decicion, resulting in civil war and Angola with Cuba trying to replace the Portuguese troops, civil war in Mozambique and East Timor being invaded by Indonesia who massacred more than ten per cent of the population.

Beginning in 1975, a strong stable democracy established itself which continues today..