|
Portugal Historical Setting
![[GIF]](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/portugal/pt01_00a.gif)
Ruins of Roman temple in Évora
THE HISTORY OF PORTUGAL can be divided into seven broad
periods.
The first begins in the Paleolithic period and extends to
the
formation of Portugal as an independent monarchy. During
this
period, Lusitania, that portion of the western Iberian
Peninsula
known today as Portugal, experienced many waves of
conquest and
settlement by Iberos, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans,
Swabians,
Visigoths, and Muslims. Of these successive waves of
people, the
Romans left the greatest imprint on present Portuguese
society.
The second broad period of Portuguese history runs from
the
founding of the monarchy in 1128 until the disappearance
of the
House of Burgundy, Portugal's first dynasty, in 1383.
During this
period, the monarchy was established and expanded by
reconquering
territory from the Muslims and populating those lands with
Christian settlers. Consolidation and economic development
were
furthered by policies designed to increase agricultural
productivity.
The third period begins with the founding of the House
of
Avis, Portugal's second ruling dynasty. During this
period,
Portugal experienced a dynastic struggle that brought the
House
of Avis to the throne, a series of wars with Castile that
threatened the independence of the new kingdom, a social
revolution, a second dynastic struggle, and the assertion
of
royal supremacy over the nobility.
The fourth period begins in 1415 when the Portuguese
seized
Ceuta in Morocco, thus beginning Portugal's maritime
expansion.
During this period, Portugal explored the west coast of
Africa,
discovered and colonized Madeira and the Azores, opened
the
passage to India around Africa, built an empire in Asia,
and
colonized Brazil.
The fifth period, that of imperial decline, begins with
the
dynastic crisis of 1580, which saw the demise of the House
of
Avis. During this period, Portugal was part of the Iberian
Union
until 1640, when the monarchy was restored and a new
dynasty, the
House of Bragança, was established. This period includes
the
advent of absolutism in Portugal and ends with the
Napoleonic
invasions in the early 1800s.
The sixth, the period of constitutional monarchy,
begins with
the liberal revolution of 1820, which established in
Portugal for
the first time a written constitution. This period
includes a
civil war in which constitutionalists triumphed over
absolutists,
the winning of independence by Brazil, and the exploration
of
Portugal's African possessions. It ends with the collapse
of
rotativismo (see Glossary)
in the early twentieth century.
The final period begins in 1910 with the downfall of
the
monarchy and the establishment of the First Republic. This
period
includes the corporative republic of António de Oliveira
Salazar;
the collapse of that regime on April 25, 1974; and the
establishment of Portugal's present democratic regime, the
Second
Republic.
Data as of January 1993
|
