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| Moorish influence in Portugal |
Portugal
is the western-most country in Europe. It was settled by Celts, then
made part of the Roman Republic; it was settled later by Germanic
peoples such as the Visigoths, then conquered by the Moors (Islamic
people from Africa and Arabia). When Christian people reconquered the
area, in 1139, Portugal established itself as an independent kingdom,
and it claims to be the oldest nation-state in Europe.
Westernmost
and oldest? Can we add some more “most-ests” to the list?
Well,
in the 15th and early 16th centuries, Portugal
was the leader of all of Europe in the Age of Exploration. Inspired
by Henry the Navigator, Portuguese “discovered,” explored,
settled, and conquered islands in the Atlantic Ocean, parts of Africa
and India, and Asia, and Brazil in South America. The Portuguese
Empire was the first transoceanic empire in history (that is, the
first to cross a major ocean, as opposed to a mere sea), and of all
the European colonial empires, it was the longest lasting.
Still,
the Portugal of today is considered of less power and influence than
many other nations.
Celebrate!
Portugal has its primary national day on June 10; called Portugal Day, it commemorates the
June 10, 1580, death of national poet Luis Vaz de Camoes. This Republic Day celebrates the first democratic republic which was set
up on this date in 1910, after the king of Portugal was overthrown. The best news of all is
that the overthrow was bloodless—no fighting, no deaths!
- Learn a little Portuguese here.
- Learn about Portugal here.
- Check out the mixture of old and new that is Portugal, here.
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