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| Portugal was
named by the Romans, when they occupied the whole of Lusitania. Two cities
faced each other across the River Doura (where Oporto stands now) -Portus
& Cale. |
This region became "Portugale".
The Moors then
occupied the country until 1249, which ended with the recapture of Faro.
The Portuguese Empire was
founded in the early 15th century when Ceuta in Morocco was captured,
taking command of the Straits of Gibraltar and ending the piracy along the
cost. |
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Prince Henry- later to be
known as Henry the Navigator - was one of the captains of that expedition.
Prince Henry then went on to establish his school of navigation at
Sagres-with the intention of finding a sea route to India. |
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He discovered
Madeira, and a little later the Azores - to this day still Portuguese
colonies- followed by the Congo, the Cape of Hope and then Goa in India
in 1515. It was also the Portuguese who discovered Brazil.
Magellan, yet
another famous Portuguese explorer, became the first man to circumnavigate
the globe in 1522.
In 1580,
however, Philip II of Spain invaded Portugal, proclaiming himself
king. And the Spanish reigned until 1668 when Portugal regained its
independence.
A trade treaty
in 1703 established a trading practice of shipping Port to England. |
| In 1920 King
Manual II abdicated from the throne of Portugal, and a Republic was
established - not, however, an economical success at the time - and in
1933 the Prime Minister established a dictatorial regime "The New
State"- which was then overthrown in the revolution of 1974. Portugal
is now a fully democratic republic. |
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