Portugal’s Significance Sara Bruni, Marjan Mahmoudian, Sihara Wickremasinghe,

Background of Portugal - The kingdom of 15th century Portugal was one

of the first European powers to build a colonial empire.

- The Portuguese Renaissance was an era of exploration (1481-1557).

- Was governed and ruled by an Absolute Monarchy.

Monarchs of PortugalJohn II:

- Restored the policies of Portuguese exploration, making it the main priority during his reign.

- Reformed the country’s economy and re-established the power of the Portuguese throne.

Manuel I: Many of the greatest achievements of explorers occurred under his rule.John III:

- Portuguese possessions were extended to Asia and Brazil (which was also colonized by the Portuguese).

- Reinforced Portugal’s bases in India.

Reason for Exploration- Due to Portugal's long shoreline, there were naturally many

sailors that aided in making their country one of the leaders in exploration during the Middle Ages.

- They explored to establish their independence and drive any other religions/cultures out, such as the Moors and Islam (especially since they were heavily Christian).

- An important reason for their exploration was to trump the expensive trade routes as a result of the conquest of Constantinople.

- Also, due to their proximity to Muslim states, the exchange of knowledge and technological development was strong during exploration. These explorations to discover what the world of Islam had to offer lead to important advancements in naval technology, cartography, and mathematics.

Exploration Period (1481-1557)- John II restored the concept of exploration (his main

priority throughout his reign). Routed journeys to India based off known accustomed routes to Africa in the hopes of breaking into spice trade.

- John III extended the reach of Portuguese exploration into Asia in the hopes of obtaining new resources.

- Explorations such as these, especially during the Treaty of Tordesillas, also lead to the discovery of many Atlantic Archipelagos (Azores, Cape Verde, etc), and the whole of Brazil.

Exploration Benefits- The Portuguese gained an abundance of knowledge about navigation and the

geography of the Atlantic Ocean.- 1488= Bartolomeu Dias was a great Portuguese navigator and explorer who

explored the west coast of Africa. He led the first European expedition to sail around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. This opened up lucrative trading routes from Europe to Asia.

Exploration Benefits cont.- May 20th, 1498= Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama ended up in Calicut, a coastal Indian

city. When asked what they came for, him and his crew said “Christians and spices”. He returned home without two ships and two-thirds of his crew dead but his mission was considered successful because the spices he brought back were sold for sixty times the price they were bought at.

- The Portuguese also reached Japan in 1542, establishing a Spice trade with the East

Impact- Built the first European settlement in India, built the St. Francis

Church in Kerala.- Established several forts and trading posts.- Many small African countries were either destroyed or became

allies of Portugal.- Discovered and colonized Brazil.- Many forts in East Africa were built by 1505, mainly in Tanzania.

Indigenous PeopleThe first slaves were brought to Portugal for Prince Henry in 1441 from the North and West coasts of Africa. At first they were kidnapped, but eventually, slave trade became the norm. By 1455, eight hundred Africans were transported to Portugal annually. The Portuguese traded slaves for weapons, leaving conflict in in some regions. The king of Kongo, Alonso I lost half his kingdom to slavery despite trying to ban it.