The Portuguese Empire

History 140

By Ryan Babers

History of Portugal Dates back to early Middle Ages Roman name- Portus Cale, and early settlement located

at the mouth of the Duro River

2000 B.C. Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from theCarthaginians during the 2nd Punic Wars. RenamedPortus Cale (Port of Cale)

The name would eventually evolve into Portugal

Almost all of the peninsula was annexed to the RomanEmpire

The Carthaginians were expelled from their coastalcolonies

Rome installed a colonial regime, and Lusitania Grew inprosperity and many of modern day Portugal’s cities werefounded

15th & 16th century Portugal Ascended to world powerstatus during European Age of Discovery

Military decline with battle of Alcacer Wuibir in Morocco1578 and Spain’s aborted attempt to conquer England in1588

Portuguese history cont. Early 5th century Germanic tribes, the Suevi & Buri

invaded the Iberian peninsula and colonized Gallaecia(Modern Northern Portugal and Galicia)

The Buri settled in the region Terras de Boiro (Lands ofthe Buri)

In 711 A.D. the Islamic Moors (Berbers & Arabs) fromNorth Africa invaded the peninsula and destroyed theVisigothic kingdom

War broke out after the Moors kicked the Goths out andthey fought to reclaim land. Known as war of Reconquest

In 1065 Portugal gained it’s independence under rule ofGarcia II due to Feudal power struggles, Portuguese andGarcian nobles rebelled

The country rejoined under Garcia II’s brother, Alfonso VIof Leon

On June 24, 1128, Portugal officially declares its nationalorigin with the battle of Sao Mamede

Alfonso proclaimed himself first prince of Portugal andeventually first King of Portugal

In 1249 to 1250 the Algarve (Southernmost Region) wasreconquered from the Moors

Portugal advanced in maritime, geographic, mathematicaltechnology

The Portuguese Empire Also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or

Portuguese Colonial Empire

Was the first global empire in history

Longest-lived of the modern European colonial empiresspanning almost 6 centuries

With recent gains in science and technology, Portuguesesailors started to explore the coast of Africa in 149 to finda sea route to the valuable Asian spice trade market

In 1500, Pedro Alvares accidentally discovers Brazil

A string of outposts or “padroes” were created alongAfrican, Middle Eastern, and Asian coastlines

Between 1580 & 1640 Portugal partnered with Spain butruled separately

Portugal became subject of attacks by France, Britain,and the Netherlands due to new partnership with Spainwhich also began the decline for Portugal

During the 17th century, Portuguese trade monopolycollapsed in the Indian Ocean with losses to the Dutch inPortuguese India and Southeast Asia

Brazil had become Portugal’s prized possession untilBrazil broke away in 1822

Portuguese empire was reduced to colonies on theAfrican coastline

Colonial Brazil In 1500 Pedro Alvares Carbal landed in Brazil and made

claim under King Manuel I of Portugal

Portuguese extracted brazil wood from the rainforest forit’s value and red dye

The Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494 created theTordestillas Meridian, dividing the world between theKings of Portugal & Castile (Spain)

All Land discovered or to be discovered east of themeridian was to be property of Portugal, west of it Spain

Treaty was most likely the most decisive event in Brazilianhistory

The Treaty of Madrid likewise mapped out Brazil’scoastline

In 1534, King John III divided land into 15 captavies ofBrazil which were given to Portuguese noblemen

Only Pernambuco and San Vicente prospered

Most captaincies failed due to the resilience of indigenouspeoples, shipwrecks, and internal disputes, between thecolonies

City of Olinda prospered from sugarcane mills whichsugar was very valuable to Europe empires at the time

Colonial Brazil Sao Vincente profited more traffic of indigenous slaves

A large fleet led by Tome de Sousa set sail to Brazil toestablish a government in the colony

Tome became the first Governor-General of Brazil

He established the capital City, Sulvador da Bahia(Northeastern Brazil)

During the establishment of the government much of theinhabitants rebelled and resisted

In 1763, the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro

Governor Tome brought over the first Jesuits who alsohelped in the founding of Rio de Janeiro

Most Jesuits were successful at converting the nativesdue to the understanding of their culture

During 1530-1700, Brazil profited from it’s sugarcaneindustry as well as its cotton and tobacco but declinedwith competition from the French and Dutch

The Spanish Empire

The History of Spain Rome in the 4th century much like the Portuguese ruled

most of present day Spain in the Iberian Peninsula (knownas Hispania)

After the Roman empire had collapsed from invadingGermanic tribes, the Iberian Peninsula was controlledmostly by the Visigoths

Some of the late Roman empire’s influence remained withthe Visigothic empire

With the arrival of the Moors in the 8th century, they hadbegun to control much of the Iberian Peninsula

The Battle of Covadonga had signified a Muslim defeatand under King Pelagrus of Asturias a monarchy wascreated being one of the first stages of the Reconquista

The spread of Christianity had rivaled Islam rule in thearea and drove out many Muslims however, they hadinfluence the peninsula with their technology, culture, andsociety

During the reconquista, new Christian kingdoms arose

The Kingdom of Castile and Kingdom of Aragon hadbecome most important kingdoms

The Catholic monarchs, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinandof Aragon married in 1469 laying down the foundation forthe Kingdom of Spain

In 1492 Christopher Columbus had been authorized toexplore the “New World” and was the first European to doso

Isabella had strategize for long-term political stability byarranging special marriages for her five children

A vast majority of Jews and Muslims from former Islamrule and Jewish settlement were given an ultimatum toconvert to Christianity or face expulsion from Spain

Gypsies who also inhabited the area also shared thesame fate or were ordered for execution

Habsburg Spain Hapsburg Spain is the history of Spain over 16th & 17th

centuries (1506-1700) where Spain was ruled by themajor branch of the Hapsburg dynasty under Charles Vand Philip II of Spain

Spain had reached its peak under Hapsburg rule andbegan to decline near the end of the 17th century

The Spanish Habsburg had created the first de factounified state in the Iberian Peninsula with the inclusion ofPortugal

Through several political changes, Spain eventually wasunited under a single ruler, Ferdinand II of Aragon

Before Ferdinand II’s rise to power a confederacy was inplace if kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre

In 1516m Ferdinand II died which led to the ascension ofthe young Charles to the throne as Charles I of castile andAragon which founded the monarchy of Spain

Charles had inherited all of the new world claimed bySpain

With territorial Habsburg acquisitions, Charles eventuallywould become Emperor Charles V

Hapsburg Spain France facing being surrounded by Habsburg territories

invaded Spain’s territories mostly in Italy and Navarre(2nd Franco-Spanish conflict)

France was easily defeated and forced to abandon Milanagain

After the death of Charles in 1558, Philip II came to powerand repelled the French once more

Spain relied heavily on it’s assets overseas

It’s most important colonial city establishment in the newworld was Mexico city in 1524 which served as anadministrative HQ in the region

The Spanish Empire The Spanish empire was one of the first modern global empires

and one of the largest in world history

Religion played a very strong role in the spread of the Spanishempire

The ideology that Spain could bring Christianity to the new worldplayed a strong role in the expansion of Spain’s empire

Spanish sea exploration and expansion opened up trade routesacross the Atlantic to the Americas and across the Pacificbetween East Asia and Mexico through the Philippines

After arrival, Spanish conquistadors had disintegrated theAztec, Inca, and Mayan governments

Spain was dominating the seas and hit a cultural golden age inthe 16th & 17th centuries

Disease had wiped out much of the natives in Spain’s newterritories who were seen as potential growth to their economy

Spain experienced a golden age in the 17th century which was aperiod of arts and letter in the Spanish empire coinciding with thepolitical decline and fall of the Habsburgs

A Greek artist El Greco settled in Spain and infused Spanish artwith Italian renaissance styles and helped create a uniqueSpanish style of painting

Spanish literature was also in the spotlight that showcased thefamous work of Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega

Hernan Cortez had achieved Spanish conquest of theAztec empire in 1519-521

The new territory would become Viceroyalty of New Spainor present day Mexico

The conquest of the Incas by Francisco Pizarro was ofequal significance as well (Viceroyalty of Peru)

In the Pacific (1565), the Spanish made its first Spanishsettlement in the Philippines founded by Miguel Lopez deLegazpi and the service of Manila galleons was instituted

The galleons shipped goods from all over Asia across thePacific to the Mexican coast

Goods would then be shipped to Spanish treasure fleetsfor shipment to Spain

The Spanish post of Manila was established for trade in1572

The islands of Guam, Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands,and Palau followed

Struggle & Survival in Colonial America:The people of the Portuguese and Spanish Colonies

in America

(Por) Damiana da Cunha (Female) , Tribal group: Caiapo Origin: Goias, Brazil

Luis da Cunha is the godfather of Damiana

Damiana is the Indian heroine of Goias- granddaughter ofAngrai-oxa

Was a teacher, missionary, mediator, frontierswoman, andexpedition leader

Was baptized and given the Christian name, Damiana inhonor of her godfather

In her teenage years she went to live in the new village ofMaria Primera as a hostage in the governor’s householdto be raised in European fashion as an ambassador of(Caiapo)

She may have possibly attended a domestic school inspinning cotton and weaving on wooden looms where shehad received extensive training from non-white women

Her 1st husband from Portugal left but she remarried to aBrazilian Manuel Pereira da Cruz, a civilian, former militiacorporal, and poor Mulatto peasantPresent day Goias, Brazil

Damiana continued Damiana lived in the context of the late colonial aldeia,

the secular descendant of the old frontier mission-stationof earlier times

Her ideals regarding the conditions of Indian life weredeveloped there

She had distinguished herself as a communal leader

Supporter of the church and mediator between inhabitantsand colonial and Brazilian state

Principal Indian leader of the community

She Died in 1831

(Por) Catarina de Monte Sinay Female, Nun and Entrepreneur Desterro Convent of Bahia Brazil

Became Madre Catarina de Monte Sinay (Nun) Vowed to God, the Virgin, Saint Francis, and Saint

Clare she would forever honor her sacred promise tolive in poverty, chastity, and obedience

Signified a spiritual wedding; “Bride of Christ”

For 6 years she lived as a pupil and secular ward of thenuns

Bahia was the leading sugar producer but lost it’s edgeto British, French, and Dutch Islands emerging assugar producers in the Caribbean and pacific

Bahia was left in a state of depression

Catarina continued The church had been so well integrated with the natural

order in Bahia which was known as the Bay of All Saintsand All Sinners

Catarina felt her relationship with God was direct andimmediate because of her passion for the lord

She had been drawn to the faith by the procession, thecolors, the rhythm of movement and sound

She also felt purified by performing such rituals andbelieved the convent life was satisfying. She hadparticipated in elaborate rituals

The convent life provided her with companionship of hersister and other friends

Catarina felt the humility within taking much interest in herintelligence and skill at business and financial dealings

She had accumulated an immense amount of wealth fromher father and herself which she had made profits frommaking sweets

Most of her wealth she had given away

(Esp.) Diego Vasicuio Male, Native priest of Peru

Mission was to convert Indians of Peru into sincere,observant Catholics

He and others were influential member(s) of Indiancommunities, and worked through individual, informalcontacts with their neighbors to hand down Gods andgospels from one generation of believers to another

Was taught to recite proper prayers and perform thespecific ceremonies of the cult

Diego and other had been key elements to converting theIndians of Peru

He had defended the Sormina Cult from a parish priestwho wanted to eradicate them

Diego was over 90 years at the time he had testified tothe parish priest

He had left his home to serve in the militia or to find apraying job to meet tribute obligations

Diego continued Due to heavy deaths in the mita mines, he had

to serve in the mita more frequently than hoped

The working conditions had been brutal formany Indians who made up majority of theworkers

The mid 17th century saw the cult flourishingagain

(Esp.) Isabel Moctezuma Aztec female, Mexico-New Spain

(Donas Isabel (Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin)- daughter ofMoctezuma II

Daughter of Emperor and Cathololic queen of Spain

Devout Catholic and Hispanicized woman who bridged theworlds of Spanish and Indian together

Was a symbol of great legal and sociological importance to theHispanization and Christianization of Mexico

Awarded encomienda of Tacuba by Hernan Cortes

Encomienda would provide her with a suitable dowry formarriage which was seem as a signifier to the evangelization ofMexico

Mix of races in New Spain was to be founded on principle of thelegitimate grounds of holy matrimony, providing a solid matrix fora new society

Isabel was thought to hasten evangelization of the country

Had become wife of Cortes (as mistress)

Isabel continued

(Esp.) Miguel Hernandez Male, free mulatto (mixed black/white ancestry)

Born in Mexico city

Lived a good, full life in the 16th century

Married with kids, his wife a Mexican Indian (Aztec)

Miguel faced racism, at the time life was difficult for peopleof mixed blood

Very average man who wasn’t spiritual or adventurous

Has a distinct signature, was literate, and wrote out worlds

Unusual for mulattos, blacks, and Indians

Legitimate son of Pedro & Ana Hernandez

2nd generation Mexican

Miguel continued Was a muleteer- A person who drives mules

Moved to the provinces for opportunities to avoid harshracism in city

The town of Queretaro promoted economic growth thatgenerated social opportunities

Miguel became one of the leading mulatto citizens (due tohis skills and traits)

He had become friends with commoners and higher classcitizens, whites

Defied stereotypes

Constructed own freighting business

Many of his friends had lived next to him

(Esp.) Micaeia Angela Carrillo Female, Mexico-New Spain

Labored fields, manufactured pulque, a intoxicating drink,proded, rode horseback

Her daughter Maria Antonia also participated in samework

Prior to her death Micaeia provided her kids with propertyand training in a craft

Lived in Nuestra Senora de Asucron Amozoque, apredominantly Indian village near Puebla de los Angeles

Puebla was in a good location for commercial tradebetween the colonial capital and its principal port

Micaeia continued Puebla was in a good location for commercial trade

between the colonial capital and its principal port

Amozoque was comprised of Spaniards, mestizos, andmalattoes, and also some local Indians

Dona Micaela and her family rented and owned landswithin Indian Amozoque

Micaela had purchased land worth more than 1000 pesos

She married a cacique, Juan Tapia y Luna and increasedher nobility in the town

They occupied a halfway position between Indian andSpanish society. They embraced the privileges of theIndian nobility

Her husband died in 1730 and had begun to rent magueyplants on other people’s land

The plants sap had helped Micaeia raise her kids andsupported her with wealth