The History of Portugal

Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe with eight centuries of history and a happy mixture of peoples, cultures and traditions, according to legend.

The Burial of Vasco da Gama

Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe with eight centuries of history and a happy mixture of peoples, cultures and traditions, according to legend.

This week Portugal received the baton and begins to chair the European Union. As is customary, the presidency is accompanied by a dedicated homepage presenting the overall programme of the presidency, its preoccupations and its leanings. Part of this homepage consists of a crash course on Portuguese history. This crash course is introduced with the following statement: "Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe, with eight centuries of history and a happy mixture of peoples, cultures and traditions". But is this really true?

Is it one of the oldest nations?
The history of Portugal as a nation is generally dated from 1139. This is the year when the count of Portugal breaks the bonds of vassalage to the king of Castile, who finally agrees to this in 1143. From this position the Portuguese conquer the whole of Portugal until the capture of Faro in 1249 that marks the end of Moorish occupation. The truth of the matter is, however, that Spain at that time was governed by what one historian has recently described as a "thong of kings". Each kingdom - Aragon, Navarre, Portugal, Leon - was nothing but a bunch of feudal realms. This concept was, however, historically very problematic to stomach for Iberian historians during the reign of the two dictators, Franco and Salazar and keeps haunting the official history of Portugal.

During the next centuries this situation in Iberia continued, characterised not least by a series of what by the catholic Church was considered to be incestuous marriages between the Portuguese, Castilian and Aragonese ruling families. When all else failed the Portuguese, the English came to help out, thus confirming the age-old Atlantic connections of trade and commerce.

Of real significance was the founding of the University of Coimbra (1308) in the reign of Dinis, who also established Portuguese, a dialect from the Oporto-region as the official language. (It pays though to remember that this was definitely inspired by Dinis' Castilian grandfather, Alfonso el Sabio). Another feature of his reign was the recruitment of a Genoese Admiral who led the future sea-journeys of the Portuguese nation, resulting in the golden age of the discoveries of Vasco Da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral and Magellan.

In 1580 this feast, however, came to an end. First the Spaniards reigned until 1668, when a new Portuguese kingdom was instituted. This lasted until 1750 when the despot Pombal took over reducing the king to a puppet, after which followed invasions of the Spaniards, the French and the English. Finally the 19th and 20th century can boast of a long period of upheavals, revolutions, chaos and dictatorship finally ending as late as 1974 with the Carnation revolution.

Was it a happy mixture of peoples, cultures and traditions?
A significant part of the riches of Portugal came from the colonies (Africa and Brazil) and the slave-trade. It is estimated that as much as 10 to 15 % of the population in Lisbon were African slaves in the 17th and 18th century. Slavery was not abolished in Portugal until 1858 with a moratorium until 1878. This of course created a racial mix which was later turned into an advantage, when the dictator Salazar had to negotiate the Portuguese administration of its colonies against the public opinion in the international community in the 1950s. To this end Salazar instituted a definition of the colonies as departments and the concept of the Portuguese empire as a "pluri-continental nation". The idea was further bolstered by the work of a sociologist Gilberto Freyre, who travelled across Portugal and its "ultramarine" empire in order to establish the idea of "Portuguese exceptionalism". The idea was that Portugal had always been characterised by a "racial cordiality". He called it '"lusotropicalism".

Is it a happy mixture nowadays?
Today the celebration of the happy mixture is not so evident, the reason being that Portugal is determined to demonstrate to the world and itself that it is truly a modern European country, peopled by ordinary Europeans. Portugal is in no sense backward, primitive or undemocratic, it claims. Nor is it located in the periphery of Europe, rather it is a modern and forward-looking nation. For this reason Portugal is busy distancing itself from its former colonies and not least from their immigrants. One way is to statistically downplay the recognition of the existence of minorities or immigrant communities in Portugal. Another is the commitment to uphold the gates of "Fortress Europe" as may be seen in the treatment of illegal immigrants.

Long tradition for "spinning"
One of the Portuguese challenges today is definitely the long tradition for spreading propaganda, which became engrained in the tradition during the long and tumultuous 20th century. Such old habits die hard. This is a shame. The real history of Portugal is both fascinating and well worth getting to know and should be a lesson to all of us. We just need someone to tell it to us thoroughly, truthfully and in English, please. It would be a genuine gift if the Presidency should occasion a renewed flow of scientific works exploring this magnificent but often misunderstood corner of Europe.

Official Portugese EU presidency website