History History

First traces of hominids on the present Portuguese territory in the Paleolithic period. From south to north, the caves of Escoural in the Alentejo, Vale de Côa in the Beiras and Mazouco in Trás-os-Montes are home to remarkable cave paintings from this period.

The Celts built many megalithic funerary monuments throughout the country, such as in Galicia or Brittany. The Crolmech des Almendres, near Evora, is the most important on the Iberian Peninsula: 24 monoliths, some of which have enigmatic engravings, are arranged around three concentric circles.

Installation of the Celtiberian people in the Iberian Peninsula. Greek and Phoenician merchants then establish colonies.

Foundation of the port of Lisbon, Olissipo (named after Ulysses), the enchanting port.

The Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks settled on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula to open trading posts; the west of the peninsula was occupied by the Lusitanians, tribes of Iberian and possibly Celtic origin.

The Romans invaded the lands and extended their empire as far as Alentejo.

Foundation of the bishoprics in Braga and Evora. The Christian religion spreads throughout the Roman Empire.

After various barbarian invasions of Germanic origin (Vandals, Swabians, Visigoths), the region was invaded and occupied by the Moors, Berbers with an Arab component, in 711. These traces of centuries of occupation are still visible in Portugal, whether in the architecture, the layout of the alleys in the villages of the Algarve, the pastries or the artistic azulejos.

Victory of the Christians over the Moors in Cavadonga (Asturias) and beginning of the reconquest.

He is one of Portugal's most emblematic and historical figures. Afonso Henriques, known as Alfonso I, was the first king of Portugal. He was nicknamed the "Conqueror", the "Founder" or the "Great. "He would have been born in Guimarães or Coimbra, son of Henry of Burgundy and Teresa of Leon, known as Dona Teresa.

Battle of São Mamede (near Guimarães). Afonso Henriques defeated the troops of his own mother Dona Teresa.

Afonso Henriques became the first king of Portugal after winning the battle of Ourique on 25 July 1139 against the Moors. Having become Alfonso I, he founded the dynasty of Burgundy which lasted until 1383. Portugal is then called the Kingdom of "Portucale."

Conquest of Lisbon by Alfonso I at the head of a group of armed French, English, German and Flemish knights.

The capture of Faro marks the end of the Muslim occupation.

Lisbon becomes the capital of Portugal instead of Coimbra.

The Treaty of Alcacines recognizes the borders of the Kingdom of Portugal, which are practically identical to those of today. The current borders date back to 1926 but have hardly moved.

The country experienced an era of prosperity with King Denis I and the construction of a large number of castles and fortresses. The University of Lisbon is created.

King Denis I, after the definitive loss of the Holy Land and the dissolution of the order, decided to reinstate the Knights Templar of Tomar in 1318 under the order of Christ to thank them for their support. This new order will contribute to the extraordinary maritime expansion of this small country. Henri "the navigator", became Master of the Order at the beginning of the 15th century.

Marked by several wars of succession, during the Battle of Aljubarrota, Portugal definitively gained its independence from Castile. It is the beginning of the Alviz dynasty under the reign of John I.

Better known as Henry the Navigator (although in reality he only subsidised the voyages without ever sailing himself), the brother of King Edward (who reigned from 1433 to 1438) became the governor of the Algarve and the Grand Master of the Order of Christ. In this capacity, he settled in Sagres, built a fortress, a palace and an observatory and invited scholars, geographers and cartographers from several countries to participate in the budding adventure of discoveries that responded to every need: spirit of adventure, duty to evangelise, scientific curiosity and economic interest.

Taking Ceuta from the Muslims. Portugal overtakes the Spaniards. This city located on the African continent, in front of the Strait of Gibraltar, is a strategic point for the Portuguese. They can thus control maritime traffic. It is the beginning of African colonization and maritime discoveries.

Discovery of the Azores by Diogo de Silves.

Vasco de Gama, the last son of a noble family, was born in Sines. Renowned for his science of navigation, the king called upon him to lead the expedition on the road to India. He managed to reach the Indian coast in May 1498 after having circumnavigated Africa. A second trip in 1502 allowed Portugal to set up its first trading post in Asia, in Cochin. After twenty years of inactivity, appointed Viceroy of India in 1524, Vasco de Gama wanted to fight the corruption that was developing in the three trading posts. He died a few months after his arrival in Cochin.

The Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) is overtaken by Bartolomeu Dias and Pêro de Alenquer.

The Treaty of Tordesillas (Spanish province of Valladolid) divided the world between the two colonial powers of Portugal and Spain under the aegis of Pope Alexander VI.

Departure of Vasco de Gama's expedition from the Indies under the command of King Emmanuel I. Four ships set out on the ocean with Pero Escola, Paulo de Gama, Vasco's brother and Péro Alenquer on board. They will reach Calicut in India (today Kozhicode) on 20 May 1498

Cabral arrives in Brazil (Vera Cruz).

Arrival in Japan of Francisco Zeimoto, Antonio Peixoto and Antonio da Mota, the first Europeans to discover the Land of the Rising Sun.

King Sebastian, at the head of an economically weakening Portugal, decides to wage a holy war against the Moors. He will lose his life in the battle Alcacer-Quibir (El-Ksar el-Kebir), without an heir. It was the cruelest and most pointless defeat in Portugal's history. Out of a regiment of 15,000 men, barely a hundred survived.

King Philip II of Spain took advantage of this disastrous situation and proclaimed himself Philip I of Portugal. This leads to the integration of the kingdom into the Spanish domain for 60 years.

The Portuguese admirals were forced to fight alongside the Spanish and their "Invincible Armada" against their longstanding ally, England. The Battle of Gravelines, on the Channel coast, was a bitter failure for the Spaniards.

Bahia (Brazil) back in Dutch hands.

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

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

Signing of the Methuen Treaty stimulating Anglo-Portuguese trade by granting preferential rates for the import of English textiles into Portugal and promoting the export of Port wine to England. This creates close relations between the two countries and, above all, a certain dependence of Portugal on England.

Access to the throne of Joseph I known as the king of pleasures as he is so spendthrift. He will reign for 27 years.

Known as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal joined the government of Joseph I and became his Prime Minister. He was one of the great minds of the Enlightenment who revealed his talents of organization and clairvoyance. After the 1755 earthquake, he was the first to seek scientific causes for the earthquake. The Marquis of Pombal, who only had this title at the age of 70, encouraged Portuguese trade (especially in wine). He modernized the administration. In 1759, he expelled the Jesuits from Portugal by means of decrees. When he came to power, Marie Ire oust Pombal from the government: he could convey the French revolutionary ideas that haunted the monarchy.

Lisbon is struck by a terrible earthquake. The intensity of the earthquake is such that its waves spread as far as Scotland. It causes a huge fire, and a tidal wave completely devastates the lower part of the city. Out of an estimated population of 250,000 inhabitants, more than 80,000 Lisboteans lost their lives. France and England offer their help. The Marquis de Pombal, Prime Minister of Joseph I, will rebuild the city rationally, in a neoclassical style. Lisbon lost an inestimable number of monuments, but above all it was no longer able to assert its role as Europe's leading port.

Eldest daughter of Joseph I of Portugal and Marie-Anne-Victoire of Spain, she became Queen of Portugal on the death of her father on February 24, 1777. Her husband, Peter III, who was also her uncle, became King Consort (title given to the husband or wife of the sovereign). Her first act as queen was to sack Marquis Pombal who was waging war against the Jesuits and could have threatened the monarchy with his revolutionary spirit. Mary I was considered the queen of piety. She initiated the construction of the Estrela Basilica in Lisbon. Taken mad, her son Jean replaced her in 1791. The invasions of the country by Napoleon's troops forced the royal family into exile in Brazil. Marie died at the age of 82 in Rio de Janeiro. She was buried in the Estrela Basilica.

Succession of Napoleonic invasions.

Liberal constitution.

Constitution granted by the King.

Portuguese civil war between supporters of absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy demanding respect for the 1826 constitution. The civil war ended on 26 May 1834 with the signing of the Convention of Evora-Monte (Alentejo) which re-established a liberal and constitutional regime. Royalists still persist in the Algarve...

Compromise constitution.

New civil war.

The Republic is proclaimed. Constitution September 3, 1911.

Antonio Oliveiro de Salazar is a statesman who ruled Portugal from 1932 to 1968, leading the country's harshest dictatorship. Then professor of political economy at the University of Coimbra, Salazar joined the provisional government of the military dictatorship after the Republic in 1928. He was first Minister of Finance and then Prime Minister in 1932, where he consolidated the totalitarian regime. In 1933, he founded the Estado Novo with a constitution that gave him full powers and control of the state. He pursued a policy of national seclusion and colonialism. In 1968, suffering a stroke, Salazar gave up his post. He died two years later at the age of 81.

Overthrow of the fragile Republic in a military coup d'état launched by General Gomes da Costa. It places the country in a military dictatorship (see box).

The Estado Novo (New State) was established after the Constitution of March 19, 1933. Portugal was to experience almost half a century of dictatorship under the authority of Salazar, head of the Council, i.e. Prime Minister.

Admission of Portugal to the United Nations

Ultramar" war between the Portuguese armed forces and the liberation movements of the former African colonies (Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique). This marks the beginning of the end of the dictatorship.

The Carnation Revolution put an end to fifty years of dictatorship with the fall of the regime in place.

General Spinola becomes president of the first provisional government. Several will succeed one another before the real constitution is drawn up.

The principle of independence of the colonies is accepted by the president.

The Constituent Assembly adopts the Constitution, which comes into force on that date. In the Constituent Elections, the majority is given to the Socialists.

Voting rights for all women. Under Salazar, only women with a bachelor's or master's degree were allowed to vote.

Portugal joins the European Union in the same year as Spain.

Lisbon hosts the Universal Exhibition.

A large fire strikes the Chiado, an emblematic district of Lisbon, burning 18 shops and buildings. This event is considered the most catastrophic for the capital since the 1755 earthquake. Chiado has regained its presence thanks to Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.

Porto is elected European Capital of Culture

Portugal hosts the Euro football tournament. Ronaldo's country lost to Greece in the final (0-1) at the Luz stadium in Lisbon.

Aníbal Cavaco Silva was elected President. He took office in March 2006 and will remain in the Portuguese Presidency until 2016.

Signature of the Lisbon Treaty between the 27 Member States of the European Union. The Treaty enters into force on¹ January 2009. It modifies the old agreements (without bringing them together) and lays the new foundations of the EU.

An estimated one million demonstrators (including 500,000 in Lisbon) are in the streets to protest against the financial rescue plan and budget reforms called for by the Troika (made up of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank). It is the largest demonstration since the Carnation Revolution of 1974.

Portugal is finally coming out of the financial tutelage of the Troika. The public deficit was brought down to 5% of GDP, but not without collateral damage to the population: loss of jobs, lower pensions, etc. The government deficit was reduced to 5% of GDP.

José Socrates, Socialist Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011, has been remanded in Evora prison on charges of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. Placed under house arrest in 2015, he maintains his innocence. In 2017, he was formally charged with these offences, along with his friend and businessman Carlos Santos Silva, and Ricardo Espirito Santo Salgado, former head of Espirito Santo Bank.

In the legislative elections, the PSD (Social Democratic Party), the right-wing party in government, won a majority. But it was a left-wing majority that won the elections and governed for the next few years; the PS, together with the PCP and the BE (Left Bloc), formed an alliance that came to be known as the "Geringonça".

Election of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as President of the Republic; he took office on 9 March.

Former president Mario Soares dies at 92. Prime Minister from June 9, 1983 to November 6, 1985, he then served two terms as Socialist President of the Portuguese Republic from March 1986 to March 1996.

After an anti-austerity policy pursued by the government, Portugal has emerged from its excessive deficit in just two years.

In the legislative elections, the left-wing majority was renewed.

The presidential elections are taking place while the country is reconfined since January 15. To protest against the sexist remarks of the far-right candidate André Ventura towards the left-wing candidate Maria Matias, some Portuguese, anonymous and public personalities posted on the networks their lips made up in red, accompanied by a political tirade.

The result: outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a moderate conservative, was largely re-elected in the first round, despite a low turnout (39.3%).

The first case of Covid-19 was detected on March 2, 2020. After an initial containment well managed by the government, strict containment was necessary after the end-of-year holidays in 2020. Portugal then decontaminated itself in March 2021, while carrying out a vaccination campaign. The sanitary pass was adopted, but with fewer restrictions than in France. Little by little, the restrictions (wearing a mask, health pass, limit gauge in public places...) were lifted and the return to "normal life" took place.

Legislative elections have been called following the President's dissolution of Parliament on November 4, 2021. The cause: the National Assembly's rejection of the 2022 budget. The PS won the elections with an absolute majority.

In November 2023, Prime Minister António Costa was suspected of corruption in connection with the awarding of energy contracts to a number of people close to the government and his cabinet. He resigned and the National Assembly was once again dissolved on January 15, 2024.

In early legislative elections, Luis Montenegro, leader of the Right Cendre, was appointed Prime Minister. He took office on April 2, 2024.