This is a map of the world's shipping lanes
showcasing the intricate network of maritime routes
that connect our modern world through global trade.
Although some of these routes were established in more recent times
such as the Suez and Panama canals,
most of these oceanic highways were chartered long ago
in an age where there was no reliable way of navigation
other than local knowledge and some rudimentary maps.
However, just over 500 years ago
at the beginning of the 16th century
these international trade routes did not even exist.
Only due to the emergence of the small Iberian nation of Portugal
as a maritime superpower,
were these connections to other parts of the world
made possible through their daring voyages and navigational prowess.
Portugal quickly established an empire for itself,
stretching from Africa, to Asia and South America.
These maritime exploits not only fueled Portugal's wealth.
an astonishing rise to power,
but also laid the foundation for the interconnected global economy
that we benefit from today.
But how did this relatively obscure nation on the edge of Europe emerged
to forge an Empire that would shape the course of History
for centuries to come?
This is the History of the Portuguese Empire.
All of our videos are available to watch ad free over on our substack page.
you can also read along to the original scripts
as well as listen to the audio generation as podcasts
by following the link in the video description below
and subscribing with your email.
Thank you.
The kingdom of Portugal emerged out of the series of events
known to History as the Reconquista
which was the the gradual reconquest of Christian lands
on the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Moors
who had invaded the territory far back in the 8th century,
having established itself as a sovereign kingdom
by the middle of the 12th century,
the Portuguese went on to push out the remaining Moors to the South
by capturing the territory of the Algarve in 1249,
effectively setting out the borders of their kingdom
along the same lines to which they exist today.
With their own territory secured from external threats
and the possibility of further expansion on the Iberian Peninsula ruled out
on account of their friendly relations
with the neighboring Christian kingdom of Castile to the east.
Portugal turned its attention towards the sea
and the possibility of exerting its own influence
upon both it and the lands that lay beyond in North Africa.
The year 1415 marked a pivotal moment in Portuguese expansion
for a decision was made to orchestrate an attack on the city of Ceuta,
which was held by the Marinid Sultanate.
Although many at the time considered this
nothing more than a continuation of the hostilities
between Christians and Muslims,
in reality it paved the way for the Portuguese
to expand their dominions and economic interests
beyond the Iberian Peninsula
and marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire.
Despite capturing the city,
the Portuguese were not able to advance further into North Africa
as they had initially planned,
owing to determined resistance by local Muslim forces.
Nevertheless they continued to guarnison Ceuta
and used its harbor as a base
to explore the Atlantic coastline of Africa.
This policy of maritime exploration
was championed by a prominent figure
in the early days of the Portuguese Empire´:
Prince Henry, the Navigator.
He was curious to know how far the Muslim territories in Africa
extended Southward,
and whether it would be possible to reach Asia by an easterly sea route.
Consequently, scores of Portuguese ships began to set off into the Atlantic Ocean
and around the coast of North Africa
probing further and further into what were at the time uncharted waters.
The islands of Madeira and the Azores
were first cited in 1419 and 1427, respectively,
and were subsequently incorporated
as the latest additions to the expanding Portuguese Empire.
One of the first natural barriers
the Portuguese encountered on their explorations
was Cape Bojador.
The violent waters that surround it had claimed many vessels
that had previously tried to pass through
and it was widely deemed to be a point of no return.
That was until 1434,
when Gil Eanes successfully found the navigable passage
around the cape
and opened up further exploration South
towards subsaharan Africa.
No sooner had this feat been achieved
that the merchants of Lisbon began to search
for newer and more exotic markets
to which they could trade to.
gold, ivory, pepper, cotton and sugar, all from Africa,
soon became more commonplace
amongst the trading stools of Lisbon
as did the practice of selling African slaves
which began the long and
dark history of the transatlantic slave 5:04 trade that would continue for the next 5:06 400 5:08 years over the subsequent Decades of the 5:10 15th century the Portuguese ventured 5:12 further and further south down the coast 5:14 of Africa reaching the cape verdie 5:16 Islands in 1456 and the Gulf of Guinea 5:20 by the 5:21 1460s as they explored they left behind 5:24 a series of padro stone crosses engraved 5:27 with the Portuguese coat of arms marking 5:29 out their territorial claims which were 5:31 followed up with the construction of 5:33 forts and trading posts from these bases 5:36 they engaged profitably in the gold and 5:38 slave trades which they held a virtual 5:40 monopoly on for well over a 5:43 century the real prize for the 5:45 Portuguese Merchants however was a 5:47 supposed but as yet unconfirmed sea 5:49 route to Asia they hoped that the 5:52 discovery of such a route would allow 5:54 them direct access to the spice markets 5:56 of the Indies and bypass the expensive 5:59 Arab and Venetian Merchants who 6:01 controlled the Overland trade routes 6:02 through the Middle East and across the 6:04 Mediterranean into Europe then in 1488 6:08 news reached the ears of the Portuguese 6:09 authorities that Bartholomew di had 6:12 rounded the southern tip of Africa and 6:14 reached the Indian Ocean proving that 6:16 such an easterly passage did indeed 6:19 exist however this Revelation would soon 6:22 be eclipsed in magnitude Just 4 years 6:25 later when Christopher Columbus sailed 6:27 westwards across the Atlantic Ocean in 6:29 in search of his own theoretical route 6:31 to the Indies and in the process 6:33 inadvertently discovered an entirely New 6:36 World the discovery of the Americas 6:39 which Columbus claimed in the name of 6:40 Spain and initially believed to be part 6:42 of Eastern Asia quickly created a 6:45 problem for the two Iberian Nations not 6:48 knowing where one set of recently 6:49 discovered lands ended and another began 6:52 they consequently agreed to divide the 6:54 world in two spheres of influence 6:55 between themselves marked by a north 6:58 south line of Meridian roughly halfway 7:00 between the cape verie Islands 7:02 controlled by Portugal and the Caribbean 7:04 islands of the Americas which Columbus 7:06 had recently discovered and claimed for 7:08 Spain the Treaty of pesas ratified this 7:12 agreement in 1494 and effectively carved 7:15 the world in two with the lands to the 7:17 east of this line to be claimed solely 7:19 by Portugal and the lands to the West 7:21 claimed solely by 7:23 Spain with the dispute settled Portugal 7:26 could finally begin to undertake its 7:28 long-standing ambition of charting a sea 7:30 route to Asia and so on the 8th of July 7:33 1497 the Explorer Vasco de Gama left 7:37 Lisbon with a fleet of four ships and a 7:39 crew of 170 men Bound for the Indian 7:42 Ocean in search of Asia after a voyage 7:45 of some 10 months de's Expedition 7:48 finally made landfall on the Malibar 7:50 coast of India in May 1498 and 7:53 subsequently met with the zamorin or 7:55 king of Calicut to establish the trade 7:58 relations that they they had longed hop 8:00 for whilst the portuguese's arrival was 8:03 greeted with hospitality the local 8:05 Indian Traders found little value in the 8:07 Trinkets and commodities the Europeans 8:09 had brought with them to exchange and so 8:12 D's Expedition largely left empty-handed 8:15 their return Journey back to Portugal 8:17 took an agonizing amount of time owing 8:19 to the monsoon conditions they had to 8:21 face up at Sea which took an immense 8:23 toll on both the crew and the ships 8:26 nevertheless the survivors arrived back 8:28 in Lisbon during the summer of 1499 and 8:31 were given a hero's welcome despite the 8:34 me quantities of spices and other Goods 8:36 they had brought 8:37 back although the Expedition itself may 8:40 not have been profitable it demonstrated 8:42 that Maritime trade to Asia was possible 8:45 and had huge 8:47 potential the second expedition to India 8:49 set sail in 1500 under the command of 8:52 Pedro Alvarez Cabra although while 8:55 traversing across the Atlantic Ocean 8:56 sailed Too Far West and unexpectedly 8:59 reached the coast of what is now 9:01 Brazil although this discovery may have 9:03 been unintentional some speculation 9:05 suggests that the Portuguese may have 9:07 already been aware of Brazil's existence 9:09 and secretly knew that this part of 9:11 South America fell within their 9:13 designated territory according to the 9:15 Treaty of 9:16 tordas cabal recommended to the 9:19 Portuguese King Manuel the that the land 9:22 be settled and two follow-up voyages 9:24 were sent in 1501 and 9:26 1503 the land was found to be abundant 9:29 in brazilwood from which it later 9:31 inherited its name but the failure to 9:33 find gold or silver meant that for the 9:35 time being the Portuguese instead 9:38 decided to concentrate their efforts on 9:39 the invaluable trade out of 9:41 India as the first decade of the 16th 9:44 century progressed the Portuguese 9:46 ventured further into other parts of 9:48 Asia such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia 9:51 where they discovered the sources of 9:52 cinnamon and Nutmeg so valuable were 9:55 these Commodities that Alfonso de 9:57 Albuquerque the first appointed Vice Roy 9:59 of Portuguese India ordered the