Portuguese Empire
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The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history, and also the earliest and longest lived of the Western European colonial empires, existing from 1415 to 1999.
The conquest of Ceuta in 1415 and the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean in the early 15th century was a consequence of the kingdom's connection to the sea. The creation of a navigation school at Sagres by Henrique the Navigator allowed developments like the caravel and improved the quality of Portuguese cartography. A century later the main objective of a sea route to India was achieved and Portugal extended its possessions to a world distribution, being homeland to such explorers as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, and Magellan, although the latter sailed for the Spanish crown, Portugal's oceanic rival since 1492.
Portugal's small size and population restricted the empire to a collection of small but well defended outposts along the shoreline. The height of the empire power was reached in the 16th century but the indifference of the Habsburg kings and the competition with new colonial empires like the British, French and Dutch started its long and gradual decline. After the 18th century Portugal concentrated in the colonization of Brazil and African possessions. Brazilian gold gave a new pace to the empire but the catastrophic earthquake of 1755 that seriously affected Lisbon marked the symbolic end of Portuguese influence in the international political sphere. In 1822 Brazil became independent and in 1890 the British Ultimatum ended Portuguese intentions of a similar large colony in Africa.
 High relief on the façade of National Overseas Bank (Banco Nacional Ultramarino) in Lisbon, Portugal, with coats-of-arms symbolizing the colonies of the Portuguese Empire. |
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After World War II, Portugal (ruled by Salazar) tried to resist the decolonization and the Overseas War ensued (1961-1974). Also in 1961, after the invasion of Goa and Daman and Diu by India, Portuguese possessions in Asia were restricted to Macau (strictly a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration) and East Timor. After the Carnation Revolution of 1974, Portugal changed policy and supported the independence of its colonies. The Portuguese overseas Empire finally came to an end when Portugal handed Macau over to China in 1999 although East Timor remained a Portuguese territory de jure until its independence in 2002. The CPLP is the cultural successor of the Empire.
[edit] The Beginning of the Empire (1415-1494)
The Portuguese Reconquista culminated in 1249 with the conquest of the Algarve by Afonso III, setting the Portuguese borders which have lasted nearly unchanged to this day on the Iberian Peninsula. Throughout the 15th century, the Crowns of Aragon and Portugal expanded territorially seawards (the Kingdom of Castile did not complete the conquest of the last Moorish stronghold at Granada until 1492). The Aragonese Empire, which had accomplished its Reconquista in 1266, focused on the Mediterranean Sea while the Portuguese Empire turned to the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa.
Portuguese soldiers captured Ceuta (on the North African coast) in 1415 and again defeated the Moors, who attempted to re-take it in 1418. In 1419 two of the captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, João Gonçalves Zarco, Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Perestrelo were driven by a storm to Madeira. In 1427, another Portuguese captain discovered the Azores.
In an expedition to Tangier, undertaken in 1436 by King Edward of Portugal (1433-1438), the Portuguese army was defeated and only escaped destruction by surrendering as hostage Prince Ferdinand, the king's youngest brother. By sea, Prince Henry's captains continued their exploration of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1434, Cape Bojador was crossed by Gil Eanes; in 1441, the first consignment of slaves was brought to Lisbon; slave trading soon became one of the most profitable branches of Portuguese commerce. Senegal and Cape Verde were reached in 1445. In 1446, António Fernandes pushed on almost as far as Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, colonization progressed in the Azores (from 1439) and Madeira, where sugar and wine were now produced by settlers from Portugal, France, Flanders and Genoa; above all, gold brought home from Guinea stimulated the commercial energy of the Portuguese. It had become clear that, apart from their religious and scientific aspects, these voyages of discovery were highly profitable.
Under Afonso V, the African (1443–1481), the Gulf of Guinea was explored as far as Cape St Catherine, and three expeditions (1458, 1461, 1471) were sent to Morocco. In 1458, Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir, in Arabic) was taken; in 1471, Arzila (Asila) and Tangier were captured, all from the Moors.
In 1474 an explorer named João Vaz Corte-Real received a capitancy in Azores because he discovered Terra Nova dos Bacalhaus (New Land of Codfish) in 1472. Some claim this land is Newfoundland. The possibility of this discovery is very high, but evidencies are few because of Portuguese secrecy about the discoveries. However, some evidencies may prove the theory of the discovery of Newfoundland right. In fact, João Vaz Corte-Real was the father of the Corte-Real brothers that explored Newfoundland in 1500.
Afonso V of Portugal claimed the Castilan-Leonese throne when he married Joan, but Isabella proclaimed herself queen of Castile. The Treaty of Alcáçovas, signed in 1479, gave exclusive navigation to Portugal of the sea below the Canary Islands and the Portuguese then recognized Isabella as queen of Castile.
Under John II (1481–1495), the fortress of São Jorge da Mina, the modern Elmina, in Ghana, was founded for the protection of the Guinea trading and became Portugal's West African headquarters until 1637. Diogo Cão discovered Congo in 1482 and reached Cape Cross in 1486. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The passage to the Indian Ocean was open.
[edit] The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
The possibility of a sea route around Africa to India and the rest of Asia would open enormous opportunities to trade for Portugal, so it aggressively pursued with the establishment of both trade outposts and fortified bases.
Knowing that Indian Ocean connected the Atlantic Ocean (Bartolomeu Dias voyage of 1488), John II refuse support to Christopher Columbus's offer to reach India by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. (Columbus's next turned successfully to Queen Isabella of Castile, and his unintended discovery of the West Indies led to to the establishment of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.) However, new theories claim that in fact Christopher Columbus was under John II service, and that he worked to move Spanish eyes out of the Portuguese objective of a sea route to India. These theories say that Columbus was a Portuguese explorer, and its famous name was just a pseudonym. Following these theories, the Americas (at least in part) were known to the Portuguese, because of the voyages of people like João Vaz Corte-Real and Duarte Pacheco Pereira. Some evidencies agree with these theories, like the marking of the line of Tordesillas.
The Portuguese Empire was guaranteed by the papal bull of 1493 and the Treaty of Tordesillas of 6 June 1494. These two actions (and related bulls and treaties) divided the world outside of Europe in an exclusive duopoly between the Portuguese and the Spanish. The dividing line in the Western Hemisphere was established along a north-south meridian 370 leagues (1550 km; 970 miles) west of the Cape Verde islands (off the west coast of Africa) (and the antipodal line extended around the globe to divide the Eastern Hemisphere). As a result, all of Africa and almost all of Asia would belong to Portugal, while almost all of the New World would belong to Spain.
The Pope's initial proposal of the line was moved a little west by John II of Portugal, and it was accepted. However, the new line granted Brazil and (thought at that time) Newfoundland to Portugal both in 1500. As the distance proposed by John II is not "round" (370 leagues), some see the evidence that Portugal knew the existence of those lands before the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). John II died one year later, in 1495.
[edit] The Height of the Empire (1494-1580)
With the Treaty of Tordesillas signed, Portugal assured exclusive navigation around Africa and in 1498 Vasco da Gama reached India and established the first Portuguese outposts there. Soon Portugal become the center of the commerce with the East.
In East Africa, small Islamic states along the coast of Mozambique, Kilwa, Brava, Sofala and Mombasa were destroyed, or became either subjects or allies of Portugal. Pêro da Covilhã had reached Ethiopia, travelling secretly, as early as 1490; a diplomatic mission reached the ruler of that nation October 19, 1520. Explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, on April 22, 1500, landed in what is today Porto Seguro, Brazil and temporary trading posts were established to collect brazilwood, used as a dye. In the Arabian Sea, Socotra was occupied in 1506, and in the same year Lourenço d'Almeida visited Ceylon. In the Indian Ocean, one of Pedro Álvares Cabral's ships discovered Madagascar, which was partly explored by Tristão da Cunha in 1507, the same year Mauritius was discovered. In 1509, the Portuguese won the sea Battle of Diu against the combined forces of Ottoman Sultan Beyazid II, Sultan of Gujarat, Mamlûk Sultan of Cairo, Samoothiri Raja of Kozhikode, Venetian Republic, and Ragusan Republic (Dubrovnik). A second Battle of Diu in 1538 finally ended Ottoman ambitions in India and confirmed Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean.
Portugal established trading ports at far-flung locations like Goa, Ormuz, Malacca, Kochi, the Maluku Islands, Macau, and Nagasaki. Guarding its trade from both European and Asian competitors, Portugal dominated not only the trade between Asia and Europe, but also much of the trade between different regions of Asia, such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan. Jesuit missionaries, such as the Spanish Francis Xavier, followed the Portuguese to spread Roman Catholic Christianity to Asia with mixed success.
While Portuguese ships explored Asia and South America, king Manuel I of Portugal gave permition of exploration of the North Atlantic to João Fernandes "The Lavrador" and to the Corte-Real brothers. Lavrador rediscovered Greenland and explored Labrador (named after him) and Miguel and Gaspar Corte-Real explored Newfoundland and nearby lands. The codfish of the Newfoundland banks was explored and taxes were created to assure wealth to the kingdom. In 1521 João Álvares Fagundes asked permition to built a colony in those lands and the king accepted. Five years later the colony was abandoned but the reasons of the failure are not known. The interest in North America faded as the African and Asiatic possessions were more wealthy. In the late half of the 16th century Portugal restricted its presence in Newfoundland and Labrador to the fishermen.
In 1503, an expedition under the command of Gonçalo Coelho found the French making incursions on the land that is today Brazil and looting it. John III, in 1530, organized the colonization of Brazil around 15 capitanias hereditárias ("hereditary captainships"), that were given to anyone who wanted to administer and explore them. That same year, there was a new expedition from Martim Afonso de Souza with orders to patrol the whole Brazilian coast, banish the French, and create the first colonial towns: São Vicente on the coast, and São Paulo on the border of the altiplane. From the 15 original captainships, only two, Pernambuco and São Vicente, prospered. With permanent settlement came the establishment of the sugar cane industry and its intensive labor demands which were met with Native American and later African slaves. Deeming the capitanias system ineffective, Tomé de Sousa, the first Governor-General was sent to Brazil in 1549. He built the capital of Brazil, Salvador at the Bay of All Saints. The first Jesuits arrived the same year.
From 1565 through 1567 Mem de Sá, a Portuguese colonial official and the third Governor General of Brazil, successfully destroyed a ten year-old French colony called France Antarctique, at Guanabara Bay. He and his nephew, Estácio de Sá, then founded the city of Rio de Janeiro on March 1567.
In 1578, the Portuguese crusaders crossed into Morocco and were routed by Ahmed Mohammed of Fez, at the Alcazarquivir (Field of the Three Kings). King Sebastian of Portugal was almost certainly killed in battle or subsequently executed. This battle marked the end of Portugal's global ambitions.
[edit] The Habsburg Kings (1580-1640)
From 1580 to 1640, the throne of Portugal was held by the Habsburg kings of Spain resulting in the biggest colonial empire until then (see Iberian Union). In 1583 Philip I of Portugal, II of Spain, sent his combined Iberian fleet to clear the French traders from the Azores, decisively hanging his prisoners-of-war from the yardarms and contributing to the "Black Legend". The Azores were the last part of Portugal to resist Philip's reign over Portugal.
In the Americas, the Portuguese expansion continued beyond the west side by the meridian set by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Portugal was able to mount a military expedition, which defeated and expelled the French colonists of France Équinoxiale in 1615, less than four years after their arrival in the land. On April 30th of 1625, the fleet under the command of Fadrique de Toledo recovered the city of Salvador de Bahia to the Dutch. The square was composed by 22 Portuguese ships, 34 Spanish ships and 12,500 men (three quarters were Spanish and the rest were Portuguese).
However, 1627 saw the collapse of the Castilian economy. The Dutch, who during the Twelve Years’ Truce had made their navy a priority, devastated Spanish maritime trade after the resumption of war, on which Spain was wholly dependent after the economic collapse. Even with a number of victories Spanish resources were now fully stretched across Europe and also at sea protecting their vital shipping against the greatly improved Dutch fleet. Spain's enemies, such as the Netherlands and England, coveted its overseas wealth, and in many cases found it easier to attack poorly-defended Portuguese outposts than Spanish ones. The Spanish were simply no longer able to cope with naval threats. Thus the Dutch-Portuguese War came into being.
Between 1638 and 1640 the Netherlands came to control part of Brazil's Northeast region, with their capital in Recife. The Portuguese won a significant victory in the Second Battle of Guararapes in 1649. By 1654, the Netherlands had surrendered and returned control of all Brazilian land to the Portuguese.
Although Dutch colonies in Brazil were wiped out, during the course of the 17th century the Dutch were able to occupy Ceylon, the Cape of Good Hope, and the East Indies, and to take over the trade with Japan at Nagasaki. Portugal's Asiatic territories were reduced to bases at Macau, East Timor and Portuguese India.
[edit] The Wealth of Brazil (1640-1822)
The loss of colonies was one of the reasons that contributed to the end of the personal union with Spain. In 1640 John IV was acclaimed king of Portugal and the Portuguese Restoration War begun. In 1668 Spain recognized the end of the Iberic Union and in exchange Portugal gave Ceuta to the Spanish crown.
In 1661 the Portuguese offered Bombay and Tangier to England as part of a dowry, and over the next hundred years the British would gradually become the dominant power in India as the Moghul Empire disintegrated, excluding other powers almost completely from trading there. Portugal was able to cling onto Goa and several minor bases through the remainder of the colonial period.
In 1755 Lisbon suffered a catastrophic earthquake, which together with a subsequent tsunami killed more than 100,000 people out of a population of 275,000. This sharply checked Portuguese colonial ambitions in the late 18th century.
Although initially less important, Brazil would become the main centre for Portuguese colonial ambitions, from which Portugal gathered resources such as gold, precious stones, sugar cane, coffee and other cash crops. Voluntary immigration from Europe and the slave trade from Africa increased its population immensely (today Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world).
Unlike the Spanish, the Portuguese did not divide its colonial territory in America. The captaincies there created were subdued to a centralized administration in Salvador which reported directly to the Crown in Lisbon.
In 1789, there was the Inconfidência Mineira, a rebel movement that failed, and the leader of which, Tiradentes, was hanged.
In 1808, the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Portugal, and Dom João, prince regent in place of his mother, Dona Maria I, ordered the transfer of the royal court to Brazil. In 1815 Brazil was elevated to the condition of kingdom, the Portuguese state officially becoming the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves (Reino Unido de Portugal, Brasil e Algarves). There was also the election of Brazilian representatives to the Cortes Constitucionais Portuguesas (Portuguese Constitutional Courts).
Dom João, fleeing from Napoleon's army, moved the seat of government to Brazil in 1808. Brazil thereupon became a kingdom under Dom João VI. Although the royal family returned to Portugal in 1821, the interlude led to a growing desire for independence amongst Brazilians. In 1822, the son of Dom João VI, then prince-regent Dom Pedro I, proclaimed the independence, September 7, 1822, and was crowned emperor.
[edit] The Portuguese Africa and the Overseas Provinces (1822-1961)
By the height of European colonialism in the 19th century, Portugal had lost its territory in South America and all but a few bases in Asia. During this phase, Portuguese colonialism focused on expanding its outposts in Africa into nation-sized territories to compete with other European powers there. Portuguese territories eventually included the modern nations of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, and Mozambique.
Portugal now explored the interior of Angola and Mozambique, and explorers as Hermenegildo Capelo and Roberto Ivens were among the first Europeans to cross Africa west to east. The project of the connection of the two colonies, the Pink Map, was Portuguese main objective in the second half of the XIX century. However, the idea was unacceptable to the British, who had their own project: the Cairo-Cape Town, connecting the Egypt to the South Africa. The British Ultimatum of 1890 was respected by king Carlos I of Portugal and the Pink Map came to an end. The king's reaction to the Ultimatum was one of the anti-monarchic ideas spread by the republicans. In 1908 king Carlos and prince Luís Filipe were murdered in Lisbon. Luís Filipe's brother, Manuel, become king Manuel II of Portugal. Two years later Portugal become a republic.
In World War I German troops threathened Mozambique. Portugal entered the war to protect its colonies. The country situation wasn't good because of the successive uneffective short-lived republican governments and the war contributed to the problem. In 1926 Portugal entered in a fascist regime.
Salazar dictatorship begun in 1933 and he considered Portuguese colonies as overseas provinces of Portugal. In the wake of World War II, the decolonization movement started. It was against Salazar's will, and he tried to avoid the independence of its colonies, unlike other colonial powers as the British, the French and the Dutch. Portugal was the last nation to retain its major colonies. The Cold War also created instabilities among Portuguese overseas population, as United States and Soviet Union tried to increase their spheres of influence. In 1957 India invaded Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and in 1961 the Portuguese India come to an end when Goa, Daman and Diu were also invaded[1][2]. In 1961 the independentist movement in Africa couldn't be stopped, and the Colonial War begun.
[edit] Decline and Fall (1961-1999)
The Portuguese Colonial War was more severe in Portuguese Guinea, Angola and Mozambique, and Portuguese forces often suffered fatal attacks. The cost of the unsuccessful war against the various guerrilla movements overseas eventually led to collapse of the Salazar regime in 1974 (the "Carnation Revolution"). One of the first acts of the democratic government which then came into power was to end the wars and negotiate Portuguese withdrawal from its African colonies. In both Mozambique and Angola a civil war promptly broke out, with incoming communist governments formed by the former rebels (and backed by the Soviet Union, Cuba, and other communist countries) fighting against insurgent groups supported by nations like Zaire, South Africa, and the United States.
East Timor also became independent at this time, but was promptly invaded by neighbouring Indonesia, which occupied it until 1999.
The Portuguese overseas empire finally came to an end when Portugal handed Macau over to China in 1999 under the terms of a negotiated agreement similar to the one under which the United Kingdom handed over Hong Kong. Also in 1999 East Timor was liberated from Indonesian occupation and a referendum chose independence for the small country, achieved in 2002.
The seven former colonies of Portugal that are now independent nations, together with Portugal, are members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
[edit] Territories of the Portuguese empire
[edit] In Africa
- Angola/Portuguese West Africa - colony (1575-1589); crown colony (1589-1951); overseas province (1951-1971); state (1971-1975). Independence in 1975.
- Arguin/Arguim - (1455-1633)
- Accra (1557-1578)
- Cabinda - protectorate (1883-1887); Congo district (1887-1921); intendancy subordinate to Maquela (1921-1922); dependency of Zaire district (1922-1930); Intendacy of Zaire and Cabinda (1930-1932); intendancy under Angola (1932-1934); dependency under Angola (1934-1945); restored as District (1946-1975). Controlled by Frente Nacional para a Libertação de Angola (National Liberation Front of Angola) as part of independent Angola in 1975. Declared Cabinda a Republic in 1975, but not recognized by Portugal nor Angola.
- Cabo Verde/Cape Verde - settlements (1462-1495); dominion of crown colonies (1495-1587); crown colony (1587-1951); overseas province (1951-1974); autonomous republic (1974-1975). Independence in 1975.
- Ceuta - possession (1415-1640). Became Spanish in 1640.
- Elmina - possession (1482-1637)
- Fernando Póo and Annobón - colonies (1474-1778). Ceded to Spain in 1778.
- Portuguese Gold Coast - (1482-1642), ceded to Dutch Gold Coast in 1642
- Guiné Portuguesa/Portuguese Guinea - colony (1879-1951); overseas province (1951-1974). Unilateral independence declared in 1973, recognized by Portugal in 1974.
- Madagascar - southern part (1496-1550)
- Madeira - possession (1418-1420); colony (1420-1580); crown colony (1580-1834); autonomous district (1834-1976). Made an autonomous region in 1976.
- Mascarene Islands - fortified post (1498-1540)
- Malindi - occupation (1500-1630)
- Mombassa - occupation (1593-1638); colony subordinate to Goa (1638-1698; 1728-1729). Under Omani sovereignty in 1729.
- Morocco enclaves
- Aguz/Souira Guedima (1506-1525)
- Alcacer Ceguer/El Qsar es Seghir (1458-1550)
- Arzila/Asilah (1471-1550; 1577-1589). Restored to Morocco in 1589.
- Azamor/Azemmour (1513-1541). City restored to Morocco in 1541.
- Mazagan/El Jadida (1485-1550); possession (1506-1769). Incorporation into Morocco in 1769.
- Mogador/Essaouira (1506-1510)
- Safim/Safi (1488-1541)
- Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué/Agadir (1505-1541)
- Mozambique/Portuguese East Africa) - possession (1498-1501); subordinate to Goa (1501-1569); captaincy-general (1569-1609); colony subordinate to Goa (1609-1752); colony (1752-1951); overseas province (1951-1971); state (1971-1974); local transitional administration (1974-1975). Independence in 1975.
- Quíloa (1505-1512)
- Saint Laurent Islands (Madagascar) - fortified post (1498-1540)
- São João Baptista de Ajudá - fort subordinate to Brazil (1721-1730); subordinate to São Tomé e Príncipe (1865-1869). Annexed by Dahomey in 1961.
- São Tomé e Príncipe - crown colony (1753-1951); overseas province (1951-1971); local administration (1971-1975). Independence in 1975.
- Tangier - possession (1471-1662). Ceded to England in 1662.
- Zanzibar - possession (1503-1698). Became part of Oman in 1698.
- Ziguinchor - possession (1645-1888). Ceded to France in 1888.
[edit] In North America & North Atlantic
- Azores - colonies (1427-1766); captaincy-general (1766-1831); autonomous districts of Angra do Heroismo, Horta and Ponta Delgada (1831-1976). Made an autonomous region in 1976.
- Land of the Corte-Real - possession (1500-1521); colony (1521-1526); abandoned
- Terra Nova, also known as Terra dos Bacalhaus (Land of Codfish) - possession (1500-1521); colony (1521-1526)
- Nova Scotia - possession (1500-1521); colony (1521-1526)
- Land of Lavrador - possession (1499-1521); colony (1521-1526); abandoned
- South Greenland (Island of Lavrador) - possession (1499-?); abandoned[citation needed]
[edit] In Central & South America
- Barbados - Possession known as Os Barbados, discovered by Pedro Campos in 1536 being an exile post for Brazilian Jews. The only Caribbean possession the Portuguese held for eighty-four years until Portugal abandoned the island to continue exploring nearby Brazil.
- Brazil - possession known as Ilha de Santa Cruz, later Terra de Vera Cruz (1500-1530); colony (1530- 1714); vice-kingdom (1714-1815); kingdom under United Kingdom of Portugal (1815-1822), independence in 1822.
- Cisplatina (Uruguay) - occupation (1808-1822). Captaincy in 1817 (of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves). Adhered as a province of the new Empire of Brazil in 1822. Became independent 1827, changing its name to Uruguay.
- French Guiana - occupation (1809-1817). Restored to France in 1817.
- Nova Colônia do Sacramento - colony in present Uruguay (1680; 1683-1705; 1715-1777). Ceded to Spain in 1777.
[edit] In Asia & Oceania
- Banda Islands (1512-1621)
- Bahrain - possession (1521-1602)
- Burma - settled by Portuguese merchants in the 1600s and led by Felipe de Britto (colony called Syriam, not renamed Thanlyn).
- Ceylon - colony (1597-1658). Dutch took control in 1656, Jaffna taken in 1658.
- Flores Island - possession (16th-19th century)
- Gamru/Bandar Abbas - possession (1506-1615)
- Hormuz/Ormuz - possession subordinate to Goa (1515-1622). Incorporated into Persia in 1622.
- Laccadive Islands (1498-1545)
- Macau/Macao - settlement (1553-1557), leased territory subordinated to Goa (1557-1844); overseas province (1844-1883); combined overseas province with Timor-Leste under Goa (1883-1951); overseas province (1951-1976); Chinese territory under Portuguese administration (1976-1999). Returned to full sovereignty of People's Republic of China) as a special administrative region in 1999.
- Coloane - occupation in 1864
- Taipa - occupation in 1851
- Ilha Verde - incorporated in 1890
- D. João, Lapa and Montanha Islands - settled by Portuguese missionaries in the XIX century; occupation by Portuguese troops in 1938. Taken in 1941 by the Empire of Japan and restored to China in 1945.
- Makassar (1512-1665)
- Malacca - settlement (1511-1641); lost to the Dutch
- Maldives - possession (1518-1521, 1558-1573)
- Moluccas
- Muscat - possession (1515-1650)
- Nagasaki (Deshima) (1571-1639)
- Índia Portuguesa/Portuguese India - overseas province (1946-1962). Taken over by India in 1962 and recognised by Portugal in 1974.
- Baçaim/Vasai - possession (1535-1739)
- Bombay/Mumbai - possession (1534-1661)
- Calicut/Kozhikode - settlement (1512-1525)
- Cambay/Khambhat - possession
- Cannanore - possession (1502-1663)
- Chaul - possession (1521-1740)
- Chittagong - possession (1528-1666)
- Cochin - possession (1500–1663)
- Cranganore - possession (1536-1662)
- Damão/Daman - acquisition in 1559. Became part of overseas province in 1946. Retaken over by India in Dec 1961.
- Diu - acquisition in 1535. Became part of overseas province in 1946. Retaken over by India in Dec 1961.
- Dadra - acquisition in 1779. Retaken over by India in 1954.
- Goa - colony (1510-1946). Became part of overseas province in 1946. Retaken over by India in Dec 1961.
- Hughli - possession (1579-1632)
- Nagar Haveli - acquisition in 1779. Retaken over by India in 1954.
- Masulipatnam (1598-1610)
- Mangalore (1568-1659)
- Negapatam/Nagapattinam (1507-1657)
- Paliacate (1518-1610). occupied by the Dutch in 1610.
- Coulão/Quilon - possession (1502-1661)
- Salsette Island - possession (1534-1737). conquered by the Marathas.
- São Tomé de Meliapore - settlement (1523-1662; 1687-1749)
- Surat - settlement (1540-1612)
- Tuticorin/Thoothukudi (1548-1658)
- Socotra - possession (1506-1511). Became part of Mahri Sultanate of Qishn and Suqutra
- Timor-Leste (East-Timor) - colony subordinate to Portuguese India (1642-1844); subordinate to Macau (1844-1896); separate colony (1896-1951); overseas territory (1951-1975); republic and unilateral independence proclaimed, annexed by Indonesia (1975-1999, UN recognition as Portuguese territory). UN administration from 1999 until independence in 2002.
[edit] Table
Portuguese Empire|
15th century |
16th century |
|
15th century |
16th century |
17th century |
| 1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753. 2 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. | ||
|
16th century |
|
15th century |
16th century |
17th century |
|
16th century |
17th century |
|
|
1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world. |
||
|
15th century |
16th century |
|
16th century |
17th century |
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources, References & External links
- Portuguese Empire Timeline
- Japanese Screen Painting of the Portuguese in the Indies(Enlarge)
- Dutch Portuguese Colonial HistoryDutch Portuguese Colonial History: history of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Ceylon, India, Malacca, Bengal, Formosa, Africa, Brazil. Language Heritage, lists of remains, maps.
- Current and Former Colonies and Possessions of Portugual from World Statesmen
- The Portuguese and the East (in Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Thai) with English introduction.
- WorldStatesmen
- Sizes of the largest Empires in History:"To Rule the Earth"
- The First Global Village by Martin Page
| Colonialism | |
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 Belgian Empire |  British Empire |  Danish Empire |  Dutch Empire |  Japanese Empire |  French colonial Empire |  German colonial Empire |  Italian Empire |  Portuguese Empire |  Russian Empire |  Spanish Empire |  Swedish Empire |  United States overseas colonies |
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