History History

First traces of hominids in the present Portuguese territory (Paleolithic period). The caves of Escoural in the Alentejo, Vale de Côa in the Beiras and Mazouco in Trás-os-Montes contain remarkable cave paintings from this period.

The Celts built many megalithic funerary monuments throughout the country. The Cromlech of Almendres, near Évora, is the most important of the Iberian Peninsula: 24 monoliths, some of them with enigmatic engravings, are arranged around three concentric circles.

In 711, after various barbarian invasions of Germanic origin (Vandals, Suevi, Visigoths), the region was occupied by the Moors. An occupation that lasted more than five centuries and whose traces are still visible in the architecture, the layout of the streets, the pastry or the azulejos.

One of the most emblematic figures of Portugal. Afonso Henriques, known as Alfonso I, was the first king of Portugal. Nicknamed "the Conqueror", "the Founder" or "the Great", he was born in Guimarães or Coimbra. He was the son of Henry of Burgundy and Teresa of Leon, known as Dona Teresa.

Afonso Henriques became the first king of Portugal after his victory against the Moors at the Battle of Ourique on July 25, 1139. In 1147, he took Lisbon and Santarem from the Moors

The reconquest of Faro by King Afonso III marks the end of the Berber hold on Portugal.

After Coimbra, Lisbon became the capital of Portugal. To this day, there is no document officially attesting to the city's status!

The Treaty of Alcacines recognizes the borders of the Kingdom of Portugal, practically identical to those of today.

The country experienced an era of prosperity under King Denis I. A large number of castles and fortresses were built, the University of Lisbon was created.

Portugal definitively gained its independence from Castile at the battle of Aljubarrota (central Portugal). The Alviz dynasty began under the reign of John I.

Capture of Ceuta from the Muslims. This city, located on the African continent in front of Gibraltar, was a strategic point for the Portuguese, who were able to control maritime traffic. This was the beginning of the African colonization and maritime discoveries. In 1427, the Azores were discovered by the Portuguese explorer Diogo de Silves

Vasco da Gama, the last son of a noble family, was born in Sines, Alentejo. Renowned for his navigation skills, he was commissioned by King Emmanuel I to lead the expedition to India. After sailing around Africa, he reached the Indian coast in May 1498. A second voyage, in 1502, allowed him to set up a first trading post in Asia, in Cochin. Appointed Viceroy of India in 1524, Vasco de Gama tried to fight against the corruption that was developing in the trading posts. He died a few months after his arrival in Cochin.

The Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) was passed by the navigators Bartolomeu Dias and Pêro de Alenquer. The Portuguese were able to establish direct commercial relations with the Far East. In 1494, under the aegis of Pope Alexander VI, the Treaty of Tordesillas divided the world between the two colonial powers of Portugal and Spain. In 1497, the expedition of Vasco de Gama to the Indies began. In 1500, following a navigational error, the navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral and his thirteen caravels arrived at an unknown land: Brazil. In 1542, for the first time, a Portuguese ship landed in Japan

Following the death of King Sebastian, killed at the battle of Alcacer-Quibir (El-Ksar el-Kébir), the Duke of Alba occupied the country on behalf of the King of Spain, Philip II. A Spanish occupation that lasted 80 years

The Portuguese admirals were forced to fight alongside the Spanish Invincible Armada against England, their long-time ally. The battle of Gravelines, in the English Channel, was a bitter failure for the Spanish and their allies.

Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) was taken back from the Dutch. The reconquest was carried out by a Spanish-Portuguese military expedition that opposed the forces of the Dutch West India Company.

The Portuguese nobility rose up against the Spaniards who had occupied the country for 40 years and declared Portugal independent. Duke John of Braganza became king of Portugal under the name of John IV (João IV), the beginning of the Braganza dynasty.

Signature of the treaty of Lisbon. Spain recognizes the independence of Portugal, after long years of military and diplomatic battles.

Signing of the Treaty of Methuen, which grants preferential rates for the import of English textiles to Portugal and promotes the export of port to England

Access to the throne of Joseph I of Portugla, known as the Reformer, who set out to modernize the country, thanks to his Prime Minister, Sebastian José de Carvalho and Melo, Marquis of Pombal. He reigned until 1777

Known as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal joined the government of Joseph I and later became his Prime Minister. He was one of the great minds of the Enlightenment and was admired for his organizational skills and foresight. After the earthquake of 1755, he was the first to look for scientific causes of the earthquake. He encouraged Portuguese trade, modernized the administration and expelled the Jesuits from Portugal (1759). When she came to power, Maria^{I ousted} Pombal from the government, fearing his taste for French revolutionary ideas.

Lisbon is hit by a terrible earthquake, the effects of which are felt as far away as Scotland. A huge fire ravaged the city while a tidal wave devastated its lower part. More than 80,000 people were killed, out of an estimated population of 250,000

As part of the "Spanish War", called Peninsular War in Portugal, Napoleon Bonaparte's troops invaded Portugal three times, in 1807, 1809 and 1810-1811

First constitution in the history of Portugal. The Political Constitution of the Portuguese Monarchy (Constituição Política da Monarquia Portuguesa) puts an end to absolutism and inaugurates the constitutional monarchy

Civil war. It opposed the supporters of the absolute monarchy and those of the constitutional monarchy, who demanded the respect of the 1826 constitution. Between 1846 and 1847, a new civil war, known as the War of Patuleia, saw the conservative tendency and the radical liberals, known as patuleias, clash.

Proclamation of the first republic and end of the constitutional monarchy. King Manuel II took refuge in the United Kingdom. Teófilo Braga took over a provisional government until the adoption of the Constitution of 1911.

Salazar ruled Portugal with an iron fist from 1932 to 1968. A professor of political economy at the University of Coimbra, he joined the provisional government of the military dictatorship in 1928. He was first Minister of Finance and then consolidated the totalitarian regime as Prime Minister in 1932. In 1933, he founded the Estado Novo, with a constitution that gave him full powers and control of the state. In 1968, after suffering a stroke, Salazar gave up his post. He died two years later at the age of 81.

The republic was overthrown by the military coup of General Gomes da Costa. In 1932, the dictatorship was consolidated by the arrival in power of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, the Estado Novo (the new state). Portugal remained under the dictatorship for almost 50 years.

Portugal joined the United Nations (UN) with 15 other countries. Its first application was rejected in August 1946.

Beginning of the Overseas Wars (Guerra do Ultramar), which opposed the Portuguese armed forces to the guerrillas of the liberation movements in the former colonies: Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique. In Africa, 9,000 people were killed and 30,000 wounded in the Portuguese ranks.

The Carnation Revolution, a major event in contemporary Portugal, put an end to half a century of dictatorship. The coup d'état, organized by the military who rejected the colonial wars, was massively supported by the population. In May, General Spinola became president of the first provisional government, and in July he accepted the principle of independence for the colonies. A year later, a new constitution was adopted and the socialists won a majority in the constituent elections. In 1976, the right to vote was granted to women. Until then, only those with a bachelor's or master's degree could vote.

Portugal joined the European Union at the same time as Spain. This is a significant event that confirms the irreversible nature of the recent conversion of both countries to democracy

Lisbon hosts the last Universal Exhibition of the century. On the day of the opening, Portugal celebrates the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Indies route by Vasco da Gama

A great fire strikes the Chiado, emblematic district of Lisbon. It is the most catastrophic event for the capital since the earthquake of 1755

Porto European Capital of Culture. Construction of a large auditorium: the "Casa da Musica". In December, the vineyards of the Alto Douro are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portugal hosts the Euro soccer tournament. At the Stade de la Luz, in Lisbon, Ronaldo's team lost the final to Greece (0-1).

Aníbal Cavaco Silva was elected president. He took office in March 2006 and remained president of Portugal until 2016.

Signature of the Lisbon Treaty, which establishes the new foundations of the European Union.

One million Portuguese are demonstrating against the financial rescue plan and budget reforms demanded by the Troika (International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank). It is the largest demonstration since the Carnation Revolution.

Portugal is emerging from the financial supervision of the Troika. The public deficit has been reduced to 5% of GDP, but not without collateral damage for the population: loss of jobs, lower pensions, etc.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected President of the Republic; he was sworn in on 9 March.

Death of former president Mario Soares, aged 92. First Prime Minister from 1983 to 1985, he then served two terms as Socialist President of the Portuguese Republic (from 1986 to 1996).

In the European elections, the Partido Socialista won nine seats; the Partido Social Democrata six; the Bloco de Esquerda (radical left) and the Communist-Ecologist coalition two seats each; the Partido Popular and the animalist party Pessoas-Animais-Natureza one seat each. The turnout was 31.4%

In the legislative elections, the Socialist Party won. The election was marked by the highest abstention rate since the Carnation Revolution. Prime Minister António Costa was re-elected.

Portugal takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for 6 months and is committed to promoting European values and the European social model.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was re-elected President of the Republic of Portugal in the^first round, with more than 60% of the votes.

The Assembly of the Republic rejected Prime Minister António Costa's 2022 budget proposal, signaling the end of the current government and of the coalition that had been ironically dubbed "the thing"(geringonça) by the Social Democrat Party.

The President of the Republic calls for early legislative elections on January 30.

In the early legislative elections, to everyone's surprise, the Socialist Party won an absolute majority. The far-right Chega party made a breakthrough, becoming the country's third largest political force with 12 deputies

At the end of December 2023, following a corruption scandal, Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa was forced to tender his resignation, which was immediately accepted by the Head of State. As a result, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved Parliament and called early general elections in March. Antonio Costa was replaced in April 2024 by Luis Montenegro of the Democratic Alliance, who came to power by winning the elections by a very narrow margin over the PS. In September 2024, central and northern Portugal are hit by fires that ravage 100,000 hectares of vegetation, the heaviest toll since 2017.