History History

This date marks the discovery of the first island. Prudent historians now believe that the islands were recognised by the Portuguese, initially on their return from Madeira. Given the confusion surrounding the exact dates of the archipelago's discovery, some have suggested that the existence of the islands was kept secret for fear of Hispanic or Italian piracy. In the absence of a more valid thesis than that of Frutuoso, it can be considered that the first of the duly commissioned discoverers was Gonçalo Velho. Sent by Henry the Navigator to take possession, in the name of Portugal, of this island that Diogo de Silves had touched in 1427, Gonçalo was not impressed by the rumours of magic that surrounded his predecessor's port of call: on 15 August 1432, he christened it Santa Maria.

Brother Gonçalo Velho was a Portuguese explorer who was commissioned to survey and map the Azores archipelago. An intimate collaborator of Prince Henry, it is still unclear whether he was the first to discover the Azores! In 1431, he made his first voyage to locate the islands sighted by Diogo de Silves in 1427. His first port of call was Santa Maria, followed by São Miguel. Today, his name plays an important role in the archipelago, with the capital's main square bearing his name.

This period marks the progressive discovery of the archipelago. Portuguese sailors discovered, in order, São Miguel, Terceira, Graciosa, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, and finally Flores and Corvo. As for the generic name of the Azores, it comes from the numerous birds that the first sailors saw circling above them, and which they took for goshawks(Azores in Portuguese). They were only kites, but the name has remained.

This is the beginning of the settlement. It was mainly the poorest Portuguese from Alentejo, Estremadura and the Algarve, but also Flemish (especially in Terceira, thanks to Jácome de Bruges, the first captain-donor of the island, who brought his compatriots there), Bretons and Normans, under agreements with the government of Lisbon. A few of the convicts will be sent there once their sentences are completed, and a handful of Moors and Jews will also make the journey. All in all, the Azores will give the people of the Azores an air that is much less southern than that of the Portuguese on the mainland, with slightly northern consonants in some of the names of the villages and windmills in the landscape. The history of the Azores is also intimately linked to that of the Atlantic crossings. Sailors of all nationalities were quick to notice their ideal position as a stopover for long voyages, especially on the way back.

A stopover on the route to the Indies (West Indies) and the Americas, sheltered in the middle of an often violent ocean, the Azores serve as a refuge for many ships loaded with riches that whet the appetites of pirates and the lust of Portugal's rival powers. Terceira became a veritable hub of transatlantic trade. Ships from Brazil or Central America unloaded their goods on the island and others brought them to Europe. In this way, the savings for shipowners were considerable and the risk of shipwreck was much lower. An as yet unknown number of galleons lie dormant in the crystal-clear waters surrounding the nine islands of the Azores. They were attacked by pirates or privateers, sunk by storms, and with their crews as their treasures went the memory of their voyages and shipwrecks.

Despite the opinion of part of his court, the King of Portugal Dom Sebastião went to Africa to fight the "infidels" at the head of an army of about 800 sails. It is the rout: on August 4, 1578, he is crushed in Ksar el-Kébir (Alcacer-Quibir) with all his troops, and he himself loses his life. Many people did not believe in his disappearance and hoped for his return, but in reality there were no heirs (since the late king had no children).

Following the death of Portugal's King Dom Sebastião, two contenders claimed the throne: Philip II of Spain, his cousin; and Dom António, father superior of Crato, his first cousin. Dom António was first proclaimed king at Santarém in 1580, but the King of Spain defeated him a little later at the Battle of Alcântara. The whole country fell under Spanish rule. The whole country? No, one island still held out against the invaders: Terceira, in the Azores.

In Terceira, Ciprião de Figueredo, the corregedor (a kind of civil prosecutor or magistrate managing the administrative and judicial affairs of a region), sided with Dom António and routed the Spaniards at the Battle of Salga on July 25, 1581, with the help of cattle thrown against the enemy troops. The captain's motto was eloquent: "I'd rather die free than live subjugated in peace." Later, Dom António appointed Manuel da Silva to represent him, and all the Azores leaned towards the prior's side, apart from São Miguel and Santa Maria.

It would take three years of war, during which French ships would sometimes lend a hand to the Azoresians, for Philip II to complete his authority after a hard battle at Terceira, near Praia da Vitória. For three years, this island would be the only home of autonomy. It was finally only in 1640, after the restoration of Portuguese independence, that the Azores returned to the continental fold.

The archipelago remains divided. A religious schism within the Franciscan order, whose spiritual power in the Azores had persisted since the early days of the Discovery, separates the islands into two separate provinces (Angra and Ponta Delgada), which fuels political confusion and aggravates the separation of the archipelago into two zones of influence.

The Azores become, by decree, a province of Portugal. Thus, inevitably, São Miguel begins its emancipation movement at the beginning of the 19th century; a rather rich island, it does not support that the general government sits in Angra where money is always transported. It wants to decide its own future and keep control of the treasury.

The entire archipelago was then searching for its identity, at the time when, after the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1807 signed with Spain, Napoleon invaded Portugal, forcing the Queen and the Court to flee to Brazil. Then the English landed in Madeira and the Azores, officially as "protectors", and the consuls soon became true parallel powers.

A revolt broke out in Ponta Delgada, led by Noronha and João Soares de Albergaria, who proclaimed a provisional government of the island of São Miguel, loyal to the Constitution and to the government, then organized in the Assemblies of Porto and Lisbon, after Beresford's expulsion.

The continent recognizes this new authority and separates the two eastern islands from the others, which are still subject to the Captain General. Lisbon then decided to divide the Azores into three jurisdictions governed by corregedores judges: Ponta Delgada, Angra and Horta, which also freed itself from the tutelage of Terceira. At that time, however, the majority of the archipelago's inhabitants were loyal to King John VI, who had returned to Lisbon and had sworn an oath of allegiance to the Constitution in 1822.

Pedro IV is designated king. He grants a charter and abdicates in favour of his daughter Mary, while his own brother, Miguel, becomes regent. Miguel, however, usurped the throne in 1828, abolished the charter and proclaimed himself absolute king. All the islands of the Azores accepted him as such, except Terceira, where constant conflicts between liberals and absolutists tore the population apart. The new captain general sent there, Sousa Prego, was not received in Angra, where he was not welcome; he then settled in Ponta Delgada, which was to take on new administrative importance.

Of course, it doesn't stop there. In August 1829, Sousa Prego tried to subdue Terceira by force by landing with 3,500 men: the Liberals finally won the battle, after a fratricidal struggle in which no less than 1,000 unfortunate people perished. It was thanks to this victory that Praia earned its name of Praia da Vitória ("Beach of Victory"). Little by little, the liberals (also called constitutionalists, since they submitted to the Constitution and not to Dom Miguel's absolutism) succeeded in conquering the other islands of the archipelago, while all the miguélistes (supporters of Dom Miguel) fled to São Miguel.

The absolutists were finally defeated in Ladeira da Velha, and Sousa Prego fled under British protection. It is the end of the captain general's regime. An important lesson emerges: the attempt to unify the Azores has failed; in fact the concept of centralization is not at all a reality of the archipelago.

In 1834, after having constituted a Regency Council there, Dom Pedro IV used Terceira as a base for expeditions to the Portuguese coast at the head of his army. Reclaiming the crown at his brother's expense, he brought Portugal into the modern era and Terceira into history, naming the island's capital Angra do Heroísmo in memory of the support it provided him.

During the contemporary period, the history of the Azores is calmer. Divisions did not cease after the bloody civil war, however, as São Miguel still did not recognize Terceira's supremacy in the region, and the Miguélistes occasionally fomented guerrilla warfare against the liberal-led institutions. But little by little the tensions subside, and the archipelago enters the industrial era. The first transatlantic submarine cable connects Faial to the rest of the world, the islands are gradually opening up to the outside world, and the haemorrhaging of large emigrants begins: the economic situation is not really rosy.

Creation of the American military base of Lajes in Terceira.

The Carnation Revolution added a final touch of unrest to the Azores. With the population only moderately inclined towards the theme of "power to the workers", the events in Lisbon (with the help of carefully selected information from the Church) seemed particularly worrying from a distance. During the first months of the revolution, the fear of communism, on the part of both the population and the Americans, who feared the disappearance of a strategic base, led to the (re)emergence of an independence movement.

But the events that followed brought the Azoreans back to their usual calm, and they were satisfied with the status of Autonomous Region granted to them in 1976. The Azores became an autonomous region of Portugal, with a regional assembly and government. At its head was João Bosco Mota Amara, a member of the conservative Social Democrat party.

Angra do Heroísmo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portugal's entry into the European Community in 1986 has almost definitively won over the last few sceptics, and Brussels' aid to the peripheral regions is a strong argument to convince them. The Azores now live under this status, with a regional government whose various departments are divided between Ponta Delgada (São Miguel), Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) and Horta (Faial).

Alberto Madruga da Costa, of the Social Democratic Party, takes over as head of the Azores government. He will only hold the presidency for one year, since in November 1996 he handed over to the Socialist Carlos César.

After joining the European Union, the Azores were recognised in 1997 as an Outermost Region of the EU. The ORs are territories that are part of the European Union but are located very largely outside the continent. These regions enjoy a special status and advantages, particularly in terms of taxation. Insularity, volcanic relief and distance from the continent are all obstacles to the development of these regions. The Azores receive fairly substantial allowances from the EU in this respect.

Victory of the Socialist Party in the regional elections.

New victory for the Socialist Party in the regional elections with 49.96% of the votes.

The Azores have been named "European Region of the Year" by the European Commission, in particular to reward their model of sustainable tourism, between respect for traditions and nature.

After 16 years at the head of the Azores government, Carlos César was replaced by Vasco Ilídio Alves Cordeiro, who was also a member of the same political party. The next regional elections will be held in October 2016.

Leading in terms of the number of voters, but unable to form a parliamentary majority, the right-wing coalition lost power following the Portuguese parliamentary elections; the Socialist Party formed a government supported by the Portuguese left.

Unsurprisingly, the conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won the presidential elections in the first round with 53% of the votes.

With 40.84% of the votes, the PS won the parliamentary elections once again and Vasco Cordeiro remains at the head of the regional executive.

The Socialist Party won the municipal elections.

After almost 30 years of PS governance, a coalition led by the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) won the regional elections, opening a new political page in the Azores. The coalition comprises several parties: the Social Democratic Party, the CDS - People's Party and the Monarchist People's Party.

Since its election, the PSD-led coalition has had the support of the far-right CHEGA party. Initially, the Liberal Initiative (a right-wing party) also supported it, before withdrawing its support on March 8, 2023. An independent MP, dissident from CHEGA, follows suit. As a result of these declarations, the Azores regional government loses its majority.

On November 23, 2023, the budget proposal for 2024 was rejected. Unable to obtain approval for a new budget proposal, the President of the Azores Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, held talks with the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The latter then decided to dissolve the Legislative Assembly, leading to early elections.

On February 4, 2024, regional elections were held to elect the 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. The coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the CDS - People's Party and the Monarchist People's Party won the election, but failed to secure an absolute majority of seats. The President of the outgoing government, José Manuel Bolieiro, therefore reappointed his minority government.