Fifth Empire
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The Fifth Empire, known as Quinto Império in Portuguese is a mythological concept which became widespread after the publication of the poem A Mensagem, by Fernando Pessoa.
[edit] The Concept
The Fifth Empire is not a mere territorial empire. It is a spiritual and linguistic body which spreads throughout the entire world. It represents the ultimate form of fusion between material (science, reason, intellectual speculation) and spiritual knowledge (the occult, mystical speculation, cabalism). It is the pinnacle of all the work undertaken by the previous empires, which are the following under Pessoa's point of view:
- First Empire - Ancient Greece, all knowledge and experience extracted from the ancient empires;
- Second Empire - Roman Empire, expansion of the First Empire's culture and knowledge;
- Third Empire - Christianity, fusion between the First and the Second Empires, with the absorption of several eastern elements (such as Judaism);
- Fourth Empire - Europe, spreading throughout the entire world the outcome of the previous empires.
The Fifth Empire, led by "the hidden one" (O Encoberto in the poem, an allusion to Sebastianism), will unite the entire world spiritually and culturally, led by the Portuguese Nation.
[edit] Origins
The origins of the myth of the Fifth Empire are intimately connected with the History of Portugal. The death of King Sebastian and subsequent loss of independence were disastrous for the country and its colonial ambitions. The restoration of independence in 1640 did, however, give a new hope for the entire nation. Father António Vieira, in many of his works and sermons, would present John IV as the saviour, who would restore the grandiosity of the Portuguese Empire, leader of the Age of Discovery, and succeed to the fourth empires of ancient History (Vieira's past empires did not coincide with those advocated by Pessoa and mentioned above).
From the 17th century on, and as the Portuguese Empire slowly crumbled, the dream became more and more mystical. Greater importance was given to Luís de Camões and his masterpiece, Os Lusíadas, which exalted Portugal as a nation of heroes aided by the classical gods.
