Portuguese Empire
|
Maximum extent of Portuguese colonial possessions in the 16th century. |
The
Portuguese Empire was the first
Global empire in history and also the earliest and longest lived of the western european
colonial empires (1415-1999). The conquest of
Ceuta in
1415 and the exploration of the
Atlantic Ocean in the early
XV century was a consequence of the kingdom connection to the sea. The creation of a navigation school at
Sagres by
Henrique the Navigator allowed developments like the
caravel and improved the quality of portuguese
cartography. A century later the main objective of a sea route to
India was achieved and
Portugal extended its possessions to a world distribution, being Homeland to such explorers as
Bartolomeu Dias,
Vasco da Gama, and
Magellan, although the later worked for the
Spanish crown, Portugal oceanic rival since
1492.
Portugal small size and population restricted the empire to a collection of small but well defended outposts along the shoreline. The height of the empire power was reached in the
XVI century but the indifference of the
Habsburg kings and the competition with new colonial empires like the
British,
French and
Dutch started its long and gradual decline. After the
XVIII century Portugal concentrated in the colonization of
Brazil and african possessions. Brazilian
gold gave a new pace to the empire but the catastrophic
earthquake of
1755 that affected seriously
Lisbon marked the symbolic end of Portugal influence amog the international political sphere. In
1822 Brazil become independent and in
1890 the British Ultimatum ended portuguese intentions of a similar large colony in
Africa.
After
World War II, Portugal (ruled by
Salazar) tried to resist the decolonization and the colonial war started (1961-1974). Also in
1961 India invaded
Goa,
Daman and Diu, and portuguese possessions in
Asia become restricted to
Macau and
East Timor. After the
Carnation Revolution (1974) Portugal supported the independence of its colonies. The Portuguese overseas empire finally came to an end when
Portugal handed
Macau over to
China in
1999 although
East Timor was de jure portuguese territory until its independence in
2002. The
CPLP is the cultural sucessor of the empire.
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.
The
Portuguese Reconquista culminated in
1249 with the conquest of
Algarve by
Afonso III, setting Portuguese borders almost to this day in the
Iberian Peninsula. During the
15th century, the Crown of
Aragon and
Portugal expanded territorially seawards (Castille did not complete the conquest of the last Moorish stronghold at Granada until
1492). The
Aragonese Empire, who had finished his Reconquista in
1266, focused in the
Mediterranean and the Portuguese Empire in the
Atlantic Ocean.
Portuguese soldiers captured
Ceuta (on the
North African coast) in
1415 and again defeated the Moors, who attempted to re-take it in
1418.
In
1419 two of the captains of Prince
Henrique the Navigator,
João Gonçalves Zarco and
Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven by a storm to
Madeira. In
1427, another Portuguese captain discovered the
Azores.
In an expedition to
Tangier, undertaken in
1436 by King
Duarte I (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
1434 Cape Bojador was crossed; in
1441 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.
Meanwhile colonization progressed in the
Azores from
1439 and
Madeira, where sugar and wine were now produced by settlers from Portugal,
France and
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 1458
Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir, in Arabic) was taken and in 1471 Arzila (Asila) and Tangier were captured, all from the Moors.
Under John II (1481"1495) the fortress of
São Jorge da Mina, the modern Elmina, in Ghana, was founded for the protection of the Guinea trading.
Diogo Cão discovered the Congo in 1482 and reached Cape Cross in 1486.
By
1488,
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.
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, travelling secretly, 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. In
1509 the Portuguese won the sea
Battle of Diu against the combined forces of the
Ottoman Sultan Beyazid II, Sultan of Gujarat, Mamlûk Sultan of Cairo, Samoothiri Raja of Kozhikode,
Venetian Republic,
Ragusan Republic (Dubrovnik). A second Battle of Diu in
1538 finally ended Ottoman ambitions in India and confirmed Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean.
The Portuguese empire was guaranteed by the
Treaty of Tordesillas of
6 June 1494 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.
In
1503, an expedition under
Gonçalo Coelho discovered that the French were making incursions to the land what is today Brazil and looting it.
John III, in
1530, organized the colonization of Brazil around 15
capitanias hereditárias ("hereditary captainships"), that were given to anyone who wanted to administer and explore them. On that same year 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. From the 15 original captainships, 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
Native American and later
African slaves. Deeming the
capitanias system ineffective,
Tomé de Sousa, the first Governor-General was sent to Brazil in
1549. He built the capital of Brazil,
Salvador at the
Bay of All Saints. The first
Jesuits arrived the same year.
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.
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's global ambitions.
As a final note, due to the creation of the Portuguese Empire, Europe was given a golden chance of development and of gaining soberany in the entire planet thanks to the portuguese efforts and their influence in all five continents in the XV and XVI century. As a consequence of the creation of the Portuguese Empire, The Roman Catholic Church influence first reached all five continents, the Potuguese were responsible for the weakning of the Islamic influence in both Africa and Asia by taking economical and military control of many of these territories and it trade routes or by establishing agreements with the local goverments. As a result the creation of several sea trade routes in which several products were traded and thus allowed these exotic products to finally reach Europe with much less problems thus allowing Europe's economical system and military to grow to the point that Europe was capable of expressing itself as the number one power house in the entire planet by the year of 1571 with the
Battle of Lepanto, ironically, the portuguese influence in this battle was still considerable. Furthermore, the phenomenon known today as globalization was first started by the portuguese people, through the creation of several extensive trade routes through out the entire planet, in many aspects, Portugal was fulcral for the creation of the world we know today technologically, territorily, in terms of influence, economically and historically.
From
1580 to
1640, the throne of
Portugal was held by the
Habsburg kings of
Spain resulting in the biggest colonial empire until then (see
Iberian Union). In
1583 Philip II of Spain as king of Portugal sent his combined Iberian fleet to clear the French traders from the Azores, decisively hanging his
prisoners-of-war from the yardarms and contributing to the "
Black Legend". The Azores were the last part of Portugal to resist Philip's reign over Portugal.
|
An anachronous map showing the Portuguese possessions ruled by the Habsburg kings (1580-1640) jointly all Spanish colonies (1492-1975), shown together simultaneously and at their maximum extent. |
In the Americas, the Portuguese expansion continue beyond the west side by the meridian set by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Portugal was able to mount a military expedition, which defeated and expelled the French colonists of
France Équinoxiale in
1615, less than four years after their arrival in the land.
1627 saw the collapse of the Castilian economy. The
Dutch, who during the
Twelve Years' Truce had made their navy a priority, devastated Spanish maritime trade after the resumption of war, on which Spain was wholly dependent after the economic collapse. Even with a number of victories Spanish resources were now fully stretched across Europe and also at sea protecting their vital shipping against the greatly improved Dutch fleet. Spain's enemies, such as the
Netherlands and
England, coveted its overseas wealth, and in many cases found it easier to attack poorly-defended Portuguese outposts than Spanish ones. The Spanish were simply no longer able to cope with naval threats.Thus the
Dutch-Portuguese War came into being.
Between
1638 and
1640 the
Netherlands came to control part of Brazil's Northeast region, with their capital in
Recife. The Portuguese won a significant victory in the
Second Battle of Guararapes in
1649. By
1654, the Netherlands had surrendered and returned control of all Brazilian land to the Portuguese.
Although
Dutch colonies in Brazil were wiped out, during the course of the
17th century the Dutch were able to occupy
Ceylon, the
Cape of Good Hope, and the
East Indies, and to take over the trade with Japan at
Nagasaki. Portugal's
Far Eastern territories were reduced to bases at
Macau and
East Timor.
In
1661 the Portuguese gave
Bombay and
Tangier to England as part of a
dowry, and over the next hundred years the British would gradually become the dominant power in India as the
Moghul Empire disintegrated, excluding other powers almost completely from trading there. Portugal was able to cling onto
Goa and several minor bases through the remainder of the colonial period.
In
1755 Lisbon suffered a catastrophic
earthquake, which together with a subsequent
tsunami killed more than 100,000 people out of a population of 275,000. This sharply checked Portuguese colonial ambitions in the late
18th century.
Although initially less important, Brazil would become the main centre for Portuguese colonial ambitions, from which Portugal gathered resources such as gold,
precious stones,
sugar cane,
coffee and other
cash crops. Voluntary
immigration from Europe and the slave trade from Africa increased its population immensely (today Brazil is the largest
Portuguese-speaking country in the world).
Unlike the
Spanish, the Portuguese did not divide its colonial territory in America. The
captaincies there created were subdued to a centralized administration in Salvador which reported directly to the Crown in
Lisbon.
In
1789, there was the
Inconfidência Mineira, a rebel movement that failed, and the leader of which,
Tiradentes, was hanged.
In
1808, the French troops of
Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Portugal, and Dom João,
prince regent in place of his mother,
Dona Maria I, ordered the transfer of the royal court to Brazil. Brazil was elevated to the condition of a Reino Unido de Portugal e Algarve (
1815). There was also the election of Brazilian representatives to the Cortes Constitucionais Portuguesas (Portuguese Constitutional Courts).
Dom João, fleeing from
Napoleon's army, moved the seat of government to Brazil in 1808. Brazil thereupon became a kingdom under
Dom João VI. Although the royal family returned to
Portugal in
1821, the interlude led to a growing desire for independence amongst Brazilians. In
1822, the son of Dom João VI, then prince-regent
Dom Pedro I, proclaimed the independence,
September 7,
1822, and was crowned emperor.
By the height of European
colonialism in the
19th century, Portugal had lost its territory in
South America and all but a few bases in Asia. During this phase, Portuguese colonialism focused on expanding its outposts in Africa into nation-sized territories to compete with other European powers there. Portuguese territories eventually included the modern nations of
Cape Verde,
São Tomé and Príncipe,
Guinea-Bissau,
Angola, and
Mozambique.
 |
Monument to the Age of Discovery and Portuguese Navigators in Lisbon, Portugal |
In the wake of
World War II, other European nations began abandoning their colonies either voluntarily or involuntarily. Portugal refused to enter this process voluntarily, and was the last nation to retain its major colonies. In
1961,
Goa and the rest of
Portuguese India were occupied and annexed by India. In Portuguese Africa a decade-long war broke out with various resistance groups, in great part a consequence of the "
proxy war" between the
United States and the
Soviet Union during the
Cold War.
In fact, it was the Cold War that destroyed the Portuguese empire, as the USA and USSR tried to increase their
spheres of influence. The cost of the unsuccessful war against the various guerilla movements overseas eventually led to collapse of the
Salazar regime in
1974 (the "
Carnation Revolution"). One of the first acts of the democratic government which then came into power was to end the wars and negotiate Portuguese withdrawal from its African colonies. In both
Mozambique and
Angola a civil war promptly broke out, with incoming
communist governments formed by the former rebels (and backed by the
Soviet Union,
Cuba, and other communist countries) fighting against insurgent groups supported by nations like
Zaire,
South Africa, and the
United States.
East Timor also became independent at this time, but was promptly invaded by neighbouring
Indonesia, which occupied it until
1999.
The Portuguese overseas empire finally came to an end when Portugal handed
Macau over to
China in 1999 under the terms of a negotiated agreement similar to the one under which the
United Kingdom handed over
Hong Kong.
The seven former colonies of Portugal that are now independent nations, together with Portugal, are members of the
Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
in Africa
*
Angola/Portuguese West Africa - colony (1575-1589); crown colony (1589-1951); overseas province (1951-1975). Independence in 1975.
*
Arguin/Arguim - (1455-1633)
*
Accra (1557-1578)
*
Cabinda - protectorate (1883-1887);
Congo district (1887-1921);
intendancy subordinate to
Maquela (1921-1922); dependency of
Zaire district (1922-1930); Intendacy of Zaire and Cabinda (1930-1932); intendancy under
Angola (1932-1934); dependancy under Angola (1934-1945); restored as District (1946-1975). Controlled by Frente Nacional para a Libertação de Angola (
National Liberation Front of Angola) as part of independent Angola in 1975. Declared Cabinda a Republic in 1975, but not recognized by Portugal nor Angola.
*
Cabo Verde/Cape Verde - settlements (1462-1495); dominion of crown colonies (1495-1587); crown colony (1587-1951); overseas province (1951-1974);
autonomous republic (1974-1975). Independence in 1975.
*
Ceuta - possession (1415-1640). Became Spanish colony in 1640.
*
Elmina - possession (1482-1637)
*
Fernando Póo and
Annobón - colonies (1474-1778). Ceded to Spain in 1778.
*
Portuguese Gold Coast - (1482-1642), ceded to Dutch Gold Coast in 1642
*
Guiné Portuguesa/Portuguese Guinea - colony (1879-1951); overseas province (1951-1974). Unilateral independence declared in 1973, recognized by Portugal in 1974.
**
Cacheu - captaincy (1640-1879). United with Bissau in 1879.
**
Bissau - settlement under Cacheu (1687-1696); captaincy (1696-1707); abandoned (1707-1753); separate colony under Cape Verde (1753-1879). United with Cacheu in 1879.
*
Madagascar - southern part (1496-1550)
*
Mascarene Islands - fortified post (1498-1540)
*
Malindi - occupation (1500-1630)
*
Mombassa - occupation (1593-1638); colony subordinate to Goa (1638-1698; 1728-1729). Under
Omani sovereignty in 1729.
*
Morocco enclaves
** Aguz/
Souira Guedima (1506-1525)
**
Alcacer Ceguer/El Qsar es Seghir (1458-1550)
**
Arzila/
Asilah (1471-1550; 1577-1589). Restored to Morocco in 1589.
**
Azamor/Azemmour (1513-1541). City restored to Morocco in 1541.
**
Mazagan/El Jadida (1485-1550); possession (1506-1769). Incorporation into Morocco in 1769.
**
Mogador/
Essaouira (1506-1510)
** Safim/
Safi (1488-1541)
** Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué/
Agadir (1505-1541)
*
Moçambique (Mozambique/Portuguese East Africa) - possession (1498-1501); subordinate to Goa (1501-1569); captaincy-general (1569-1609); colony subordinate to Goa (1609-1752); colony (1752-1951); overseas province (1951-1974); local administration (1974-1975). Independence in 1975.
*
Quíloa (1505-1512)
*
Saint Laurent Islands (Madagascar) - fortified post (1498-1540)
*
São João Baptista de Ajudá - fort subordinate to Brazil (1721-1730); subordinate to São Tomé e Príncipe (1865-1869). Annexed by
Dahomey in 1961.
*
São Tomé e Príncipe - crown colony (1753-1951); overseas province (1951-1971); local administration (1971-1975). Independence in 1975.
**
São Tomé - Possession (1470-1485); colony (1485-1522); crown colony (1522-1641); administration under
Dutch occupation (1641-1648). French occupation in 1648.
**
Príncipe - colony (1500-1573). United with São Tomé in 1573.
*
Tangier - possession (1471-1662). Ceded to
England in 1662.
*
Zanzibar - possession (1503-1698). Became part of
Oman in 1698.
*
Ziguinchor - possession (1645-1888). Ceded to
France in 1888.
in the Americas & North Atlantic
*
Azores - colonies (1427-1766); captaincy-general (1766-1831); overseas district (1831-1976). Made an autonomous region in 1976.
*
Brazil - possession known as Ilha de Santa Cruz, later Terra de Vera Cruz (1500-1530); colony (1530- 1714); vice-kingdom (1714-1815);
kingdom under United Kingdom of Portugal (1815-1822), independence in 1822.
*
Cisplatina (Uruguay) - occupation (1808-1822). Captaincy in 1817 (of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves). Adhered as a province of the new
Empire of Brazil in 1822. Became independent 1827, changing its name to Uruguay.
*
French Guiana - occupation (1809-1817). Restored to
France in 1817.
*
Madeira - possession (1418-1420); colony (1420-1580); crown colony (1580-1834); overseas district (1834-1976). Made an autonomous region in 1976.
*
Nova Colônia do Sacramento - colony in present Uruguay (1680; 1683-1705; 1715-1777). Ceded to
Spain in 1777.
in Asia
*
Banda Islands (1512-1621)
*
Bahrain - possession (1521-1602)
*
Burma - settled by Portuguese merchants in the 1600s and led by
Felipe de Britto (colony called
Syriam, not renamed
Thanlyn).
*
Ceylon - colony (1597-1658). Dutch took control in 1656,
Jaffna taken in 1658.
*
Flores Island - possession (
16th-
19th century)
*
Gamru/
Bandar Abbas - possession (1506-1615)
*
Hormuz/Ormuz - possession subordinate to Goa (1515-1622). Incorporated into
Persia in 1622.
*
Laccadive Islands (1498-1545)
*
Macau/Macao - settlement (1553-1557), leased territory subordinated to Goa (1557-1844); overseas province (1844-1883); combined overseas province with Timor-Leste under Goa (1883-1951); overseas province (1951-1975); overseas territory (1975-1999). Returned to China (with sovereignty transferred to the
People's Republic of China) as a
special administrative region in 1999.
**
Coloane - occupation in 1864
**
Taipa - occupation in 1851
**
Ilha Verde - incorporated in 1890
**
Lapa and Montanha Islands - occupation (1938-1941). Taken by
Japan and restored to
China.
*
Makassar (1512-1665)
*
Malacca - settlement (1511-1641); lost to the Dutch
*
Maldives - possession (1518-1521, 1558-1573)
*
Moluccas
** Amboina/
Ambon - settlement (1576-1605)
**
Ternate - settlement (1522-1575)
**
Tidore - colony (1578-1605). Seized by
Dutch in 1605.
*
Muscat - possession (1515-1650)
*
Nagasaki (
Deshima) (1571-1639)
*
Índia Portuguesa/Portuguese India - overseas province (1946-1962). Annexed by India in 1962 and recognised by Portugal in 1974.
** Baçaim/
Vasai - possession (1535-1739)
**
Bombay/
Mumbai - possession (1534-1661)
**
Calicut/
Kozhikode - settlement (1512-1525)
**
Cambay/
Khambhat - possession
**
Cannanore - possession (1502-1663)
**
Chaul - possession (1521-1740)
**
Chittagong - possession (1528-1666)
**
Cochin - possession (1500"1663)
**
Cranganore - possession (1536-1662)
**
Damão/Daman - acquisition in 1559. Became part of overseas province in 1946.
**
Diu - acquisition in 1535. Became part of overseas province in 1946.
**
Dadra - acquisition in 1779. Occupied by India in 1954.
**
Goa - colony (1510-1946). Became part of overseas province in 1946.
**
Hughli - possession (1579-1632)
**
Nagar Haveli - acquisition in 1779. Occupied by India in 1954.
**
Masulipatnam (1598-1610)
**
Mangalore (1568-1659)
**
Negapatam/
Nagapattinam (1507-1657)
**
Paliacate (1518-1610). Occupied by the
Dutch in 1610.
**
Coulão/
Quilon - possession (1502-1661)
**
Salsette Island - possession (1534-1601). Ceded to Britain in 1601.
**
São Tomé de Meliapore - settlement (1523-1662; 1687-1749)
**
Surat - settlement (1540-1612)
**
Tuticorin/
Thoothukudi (1548-1658)
*
Socotra - possession (1506-1511). Became part of Mahri
Sultanate of Qishn and Suqutra
*
Timor-Leste (East-Timor) - colony subordinate to Portuguese India (1642-1844); subordinate to Macau (1844-1896); separate colony (1896-1951); overseas territory (1951-1975); republic and unilateral indepedence proclaimed, annexed by Indonesia (1975-1999,
UN recognition as Portuguese territory). UN administration from 1999 until independence in 2002.
Table
*
Portugal*
History of Portugal*
Timeline of Portuguese history*
Portuguese Empire Timeline*
Japanese Screen Painting of the Portuguese in the Indies(Enlarge)
*
Dutch Portuguese Colonial HistoryDutch Portuguese Colonial History: history of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Ceylon, India, Malacca, Bengal, Formosa, Africa, Brazil. Language Heritage, lists of remains, maps.
*
Current and Former Colonies and Possessions of Portugual from World Statesmen*
The Portuguese and the East (in Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Thai) with English introduction.
*
WorldStatesmen*
Sizes of the largest Empires in History:"To Rule the Earth"
