HISTORY OF PORTUGAL

In ancient times inhabited the territory of present-day Portugal and Celtic tribes luzytańskie. In the third century BC, was conquered by the Carthaginians. After the collapse of the power of Carthage for the Romans arrived in the Iberian Peninsula.

In the fourth-fifth century, Portugal was one of the first countries in Southern Europe adopted the faith of state weakness chrześcijańską.Wykorzystując Visigoths, in the year 711 the Berbers and Arabs crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and conquered the Iberian peninsula.
Several years after the invasion of Arab rulers have never conquered the State of Asturias began the reconquista - or recovery of lost territories. At the end of the eleventh century the king of Castile and Leon Alfonso VI conquered the lands south of the Duero. Formed in this way, the new principality with its capital in Portugal, Porto and gave them to his sons-, Prince burgundzkiemu, Henry.

In 1147, his son Alphonse, from 1139 years the king of Portugal, Lisbon gained in the years 1158 to 1166 joined Alantejo. Enlargement process and the final establishment of territory boundaries was completed during the reign of Alfonso III, who in 1249 won the Algavre.

Since that time, Portugal was the first country in the world has definitely marked out and over the centuries unchanged boundaries.
Location of Portugal played an important role in the history of the country. This has helped her outstanding participation in the great discoveries of the fifteenth century geograficznych.Począwszy Portuguese sailors under the patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator (1395-1460) began to reach the western coast of Africa, India, Indonesia and China (Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeo Diaz, Ferdinand Magellan). Crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached South America. In 1500 years Pedro Alvarez Cabral took Brazil. Portugaland became a country of discoverers and colonizers, and the world trade center.
The first half of the nineteenth century brought the defeat of Portugal alone. First there was the invasion of Napoleon's army three times (1807-1811). In 1822, the largest colony became independent - Brazil. In the years 1830-1846 the country swept by civil war.

As a result of these disasters in the twentieth century, Portugal entered as one of the most backward countries in Europe. From 1926 to 1974, the country subject to the dictatorship. In April 1974 in a military coup toppled the dictatorship and initiated Portugal's pro-European policy.

In the years 1974 to 1975 Portugal recognized the independence of its African colonies. In 1984 he became a member of the EEC, in 1992, ratified the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993, she was a member of the European Union.