History History

João Gonçalves Zarco, judging by the success of his name in Madeira's firms, is indeed the "official discoverer" of the archipelago. Sent on a mission on their way to Cabo Bojador (nicknamed the "Cape of Fear"), Zarco and the navigator Tristão Vaz Teixeira first landed on the island of Porto Santo in 1419, swept away by a terrible storm. It was not until a year later that they landed in Madeira, accompanied by Barthélemy Perestrello and the pilot Jean Morales. They named the island "Madeira" ("woods") because it is covered with forests

This Portuguese navigator born in 1390 was a squire of Henry the Navigator (Prince of Portugal and major figure of the Great Portuguese Discoveries). The prince conferred the title of knight on him after his illustrious participation in the capture of Ceuta led by the Portuguese against the Moroccan Sultan in 1415. This was a decisive victory for Prince Henry, who later decided to send Zarco to explore the African coasts

In the 14th century, an Englishman and a French woman were living a beautiful love story somewhat outside the sacred bonds of marriage. Her name was Anne d'Hertford; he was called Robert MacKean, which the Portuguese translated as "Machim" and the first Frenchman who passed by pronounced it "Machin". Fleeing a jealous husband and an angry father, the two lovers set sail and were shipwrecked on the island of Madeira. Although Anne died of illness and Machin de tristesse, the sailors who accompanied them back to England were captured and sold as slaves in Morocco. The story would then have reached the ears of the Portuguese, whose national sport was then the discovery of the world! So it would not be entirely by chance that the daring Zarco set sail for Madeira.

In the absence of plains that were easy to cultivate, the climate and the fertility of the soil, increased by the ashes of the fire, would allow all crops. Sugar cane, imported from Sicily, became one of the main productions, making Madeira an important point of world trade. The sugar loaf even replaces, on the flag of Funchal, the emblem of the Portuguese castles. Vines are also brought in from Crete, which also contributes greatly to the economic development of the archipelago. Settlers flock in large numbers to take part in Madeira's rural epic. Zarco died in 1465, leaving behind a prosperous territory fuelled by a workforce mainly made up of Guinean slaves

During a stopover on the island to trade on these lands rich in sugar cane, Christopher Columbus met Isabel Moniz, daughter of the governor of Porto Santo, who became his wife. Sugar, a true "white gold", attracted many traders to the archipelago during the sugar era, among them the illustrious Christopher Columbus, who apparently had the idea of launching an expedition to Madeira on the road to India

If he is not the first man to have discovered America, the famous navigator was one of the first instigators of the European explorations towards the American continent. He landed in Madeira in 1478 on behalf of a Genoese trader to buy sugar and found valuable information about navigation (nautical charts, treaties, etc.). But this was not enough to convince King João II or the "Perfect Prince" to reach the Indies from the west. In addition to having a son on the island of Porto Santo, did the discoverer suspect, when bringing back sugar from his business trip, that he was going to put his grain of salt in one of the most formidable discoveries in the history of mankind?

At the political level, Castile and Portugal, then led by Alfonso V, signed the Treaty of Alcáçovas in 1479. It stipulates that Portugal renounces its claim to Castile and therefore recognises Castile's rights over the Canary Islands. In return, Castile recognised Portugal's rights over the Azores, Cape Verde and Madeira. The waters around the Madeira archipelago would remain at peace for a time

The King decided to attach the two captaincies of Madeira Island to the Portuguese Crown.

Attached to the Crown, Madeira continues to develop (especially the sunnier south of the island). The population is growing steadily. In 1508, Funchal even obtained the status of City. Several villages are then founded, such as Machico, Ponta do Sol, Calheta or Santa Cruz. But the island's riches are coveted and pirates regularly come to plunder the Madeira coasts..

And the French are quite skilled at this game: in 1566, Bertrand de Montluc, the son of the Marshal de Montluc, officially in search of Protestants on the run, landed at Praia Formosa after a stopover in Porto Santo, accompanied by 1,300 men and 11 galleons. Fifteen days on the spot are enough to ransack Funchal and occire some 300 Maderians. Montluc perished in the battle, but his fleet had time to leave the island before the Portuguese armada came to the rescue.

The disappearance of the Portuguese King Sebastian I in Ksar El Kebir in Morocco plunges Portugal into chaos, leaving it at the mercy of the Spanish Crown. In 1578, deciding that he was also King of Portugal, Philip II of Spain did not forget Madeira among the possessions of his Crown. The archipelago thus remained Spanish possession for sixty years, until 1640, when, under the aegis of João IV (nicknamed " John the Restorer"), Portugal regained its independence.

Then the marriage of the Englishman Charles II to the Portuguese Catherine of Bragança (daughter of John IV) reinforced the English presence in Portugal, and more particularly in Madeira. It is even said that a special clause in the marriage contract grants the English residing in the archipelago particularly favourable conditions

Thanks to a trade agreement between Madeira and England, Madeira wine became the only wine allowed to be exported directly to the American colonies, on the sole condition that it was transported on board English ships. This will attract a large number of English people to the Island, attracted by the export prospects of this famous wine. They even founded great dynasties, such as the Blandy and Leacock dynasties

At the dawn of the 19th century, wine production was more than ever a lucrative activity for the archipelago: it is estimated that the number of bottles of Madeira wine exported at that time was around 9 million bottles per year. The decline of sugar cane, which gave way to wine-growing, had already sounded the death knell for slavery on the island, before it was officially abolished by Portugal in 1762. Ten years later, the somewhat neglected island of Porto Santo also became part of the Portuguese Crown.

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the Napoleonic Wars. In response, Portugal allied itself with England, who sent troops to protect the inhabitants of Madeira Island on several occasions. Thus, between 1801 and 1802 (signing of the Treaty of Amiens), and again from 1807 to 1814, nearly 4,000 English soldiers set foot on Madeira. Many of them married and settled in the archipelago

Napoleon did pass through the archipelago in 1815, but at that time he had neither the prestige of a conqueror nor the manners of a merchant: the island was only a stopover on the way to his exile on St. Helena, located in the South Atlantic. Definitive exile, that one. During the stopover, only the British consul is allowed to board the ship. He took the opportunity to offer the deposed emperor a few bottles of vintage Madeira wine to help him pass the time and perhaps forget his misfortune. Meanwhile, in 1807, Napoleon had driven the Portuguese royal family to Brazil. They stayed there until 1820, before returning to Lisbon.

In response to the rising challenge to the regime, constitutional monarchy is proclaimed in Portugal. A little later, it was Brazil which, having gained its independence, plunged Portugal into a serious economic crisis, the effects of which were felt as far away as Madeira. Tempers gradually warmed up, and in 1847 the local population rose up. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, the history of the island is also marked by many vicissitudes. Crops were affected by various diseases, such as phylloxera and mildew, which, from 1852 onwards, destroyed almost 90% of the vines; then in 1856, cholera claimed 7,000 victims among a population of around 150,000 inhabitants.

It is the end of the constitutional monarchy, eaten away by corruption and the financial crisis. The Republic of Portugal is proclaimed. On this occasion, Madeira acquires a large measure of administrative autonomy. However, the new regime proved to be somewhat unstable: between 1911 and 1926 there were no fewer than 44 changes of government (even better than under the Fourth French Republic!)

The First World War brought the archipelago its share of setbacks and disenchantment. Madeira is strategically located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the ships and submarines of the French and English fleets, allies of Portugal, stop over there. On 3 and 12 December 1916, the German army bombed the enemy fleet in the port of Funchal. The city was also hit and there were a few casualties among the inhabitants of the island. The Madeira forest was damaged: the world conflict had caused the price of coal to skyrocket and it was shamelessly used to supply passing ships

Led by Generals Gomez da Costa and Carmona, the military took power in Portugal. The Republic disappears. But the inhabitants of the archipelago did not hear it this way: in 1931, they rose up against the dictatorial regime and began a general strike. The repression in Lisbon is severe and puts an end to the movement after three weeks. This popular uprising, although it had no direct consequences in Portugal, was nevertheless the only one that the whole country and its territorial possessions experienced during the long years of dictatorship.

Salazar came to power in a coup led by the army a few years earlier. A professor at the University of Coimbra, then Minister of Finance under the previous military regime, he seemed to be entirely at the service of one idea: to save Portugal, to give it back its rightful place in the great concert of the world. A rather reserved, tormented character, with an extraordinary logic, who was reluctant to submit to "mob baths", he gradually took control of the country, not hesitating, in times of crisis, to combine several ministries. Under the name Estado Novo (New State), he established a very austere, authoritarian and disciplined regime, vigorously anti-communist, anti-parliamentary and officially Catholic. Political prisoners were deported to Madeira.

Despite the political instability affecting the mainland, the Madeira archipelago continues to grow. The construction of the Santa Catarina airport has been completed, which will help Funchal's tourism boom in the years to come

But the political news is catching up with the archipelago! On 24 April 1974, the dictatorial regime was overthrown by the Carnation Revolution, which marked the end of Salazar's dictatorship and the establishment of a democratic political life. The Maderian partisans of the old regime fled to Brazil

The archipelago officially becomes an Autonomous Region of the Portuguese Republic

Together with Portugal, Madeira is joining the European Union, opening up new prospects. Through the various regional aid programmes, the archipelago will greatly benefit from European integration, following the example of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)

The island's infrastructure is being modernized (construction of the expressway, urban development, etc.). Its openness to European tourism is widening considerably, injecting new providential resources into the island's economy

Madeira is becoming a popular tourist destination for Europeans. It also aims to become the "Singapore of the Atlantic", attracting entrepreneurs and start-ups from all over the world through tax incentives. From 2019 to 2023, the region's economic growth was 30%.