WEBVTT

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This is a map
of the world's shipping lanes

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showcasing the intricate network
of maritime routes

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that connect our modern world
through global trade.

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Although some of these routes 
were established in more recent times

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such as the Suez and Panama canals,

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most of these oceanic highways
were chartered long ago

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in an age where there was
no reliable way of navigation

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other than local knowledge
and some rudimentary maps.

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However, just over 500 years ago

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at the beginning of the 16th century

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these international trade routes
did not even exist.

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Only due to the emergence
of the small Iberian nation of Portugal

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as a maritime superpower,

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were these connections 
to other parts of the world

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made possible through their daring
voyages and navigational prowess.

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Portugal quickly established
an empire for itself,

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stretching from Africa, to Asia
and South America.

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These maritime exploits
not only fueled Portugal's wealth.

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an astonishing rise to power,

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but also laid the foundation
for the interconnected global economy

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that we benefit from today.

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But how did this relatively obscure nation
on the edge of Europe emerged

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to forge an Empire that would shape
the course of History

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for centuries to come?

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This is the History 
of the Portuguese Empire.

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All of our videos are available to watch
ad free over on our substack page.

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you can also read along
to the original scripts

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as well as listen to the audio generation
as podcasts

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by following the link
in the video description below

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and subscribing with your email.

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Thank you.

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The kingdom of Portugal emerged out
of the series of events

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known to History as the Reconquista

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which was the the gradual reconquest
of Christian lands

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on the Iberian Peninsula
from the Muslim Moors

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who had invaded the territory
far back in the 8th century,

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having established itself 
as a sovereign kingdom

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by the middle of the 12th century,

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the Portuguese went on to push
out the remaining Moors to the South

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by capturing the territory
of the Algarve in 1249,

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effectively setting out the borders
of their kingdom

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along the same lines
to which they exist today.

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With their own territory secured
from external threats

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and the possibility of further expansion
on the Iberian Peninsula ruled out

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on account of their friendly relations

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with the neighboring Christian
kingdom of Castile to the east.

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Portugal turned its attention
towards the sea

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and the possibility
of exerting its own influence

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upon both it and the lands
that lay beyond in North Africa.

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The year 1415 marked a pivotal
moment in Portuguese expansion

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for a decision was made to orchestrate
an attack on the city of Ceuta,

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which was held by the Marinid Sultanate.

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Although many at the time
considered this

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nothing more than a continuation
of the hostilities

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between Christians and Muslims,

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in reality it paved the way 
for the Portuguese

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to expand their dominions 
and economic interests

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beyond the Iberian Peninsula

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and marked the beginning 
of the Portuguese Empire.

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Despite capturing the city,

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the Portuguese were not able
to advance further into North Africa

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as they had initially planned,

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owing to determined resistance
by local Muslim forces.

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Nevertheless they continued
to guarnison Ceuta

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and used its harbor as a base

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to explore the Atlantic 
coastline of Africa.

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This policy of maritime exploration

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was championed by a prominent figure

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in the early days 
of the Portuguese Empire´:

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Prince Henry, the Navigator.

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He was curious to know
how far the Muslim territories in Africa

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extended Southward,

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and whether it would be possible
to reach Asia by an easterly sea route.

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Consequently, scores of Portuguese ships
began to set off into the Atlantic Ocean

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and around the coast of North Africa

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probing further and further into what
were at the time uncharted waters.

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The islands of Madeira and the Azores

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were first cited in 1419 and 1427,
respectively,

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and were subsequently
incorporated

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as the latest additions
to the expanding Portuguese Empire.

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One of the first natural barriers

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the Portuguese encountered
on their explorations

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was Cape Bojador.

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The violent waters that surround it
had claimed many vessels

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that had previously tried to pass through

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and it was widely deemed 
to be a point of no return.

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That was until 1434,

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when Gil Eanes successfully
found the navigable passage

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around the cape

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and opened up further
exploration South

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towards subsaharan Africa.

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No sooner had this feat been achieved

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that the merchants of Lisbon
began to search

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for newer and more exotic markets

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to which they could trade to.

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gold, ivory, pepper, cotton and sugar,
all from Africa,

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soon became more commonplace

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amongst the trading stools of Lisbon

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as did the practice
of selling African slaves

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which began the long and dark history
of the transatlantic slave trade

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that would continue for the next 400 years

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Over the subsequent decades
of the 15th century,

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the Portuguese ventured 
further and further South

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down the coast of Africa.

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reaching the Cape Verde Islands
in 1456

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and the Gulf of Guinea by the 1460s.

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As they explored, they left behind
a series of "padrões",

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stone crosses engraved
with the Portuguese coat of arms,

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marking out their territorial claims

NOTE Paragraph

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which were followed up
with the construction of forts

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and trading posts.

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From these bases they engaged
profitably in the gold and slave trades

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which they held a virtual monopoly on

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for well over a century.

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The real prize for the
portuguese merchants however

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was a supposed, but as yet unconfirmed,
sea route to Asia .

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They hoped that the discovery
of such a route

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would allow them direct access 
to the spice markets of the Indies

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and bypass the expensive
arab and venetian merchants

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who controlled the overland trade routes
through the Middle East

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and across the Mediterranean
into Europe.

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Then, in 1488 news reached
the ears of the Portuguese authorities

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that Bartholomew Dias had rounded
the southern tip of Africa

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and reached the Indian Ocean,

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proving that such an easterly
passage did indeed exist.

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However, this revelation would soon
be eclipsed in magnitude,

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just four years later,

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when Christopher Columbus sailed
westwards across the Atlantic Ocean

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in search of his own theoretical route
to the Indies

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and in the process inadvertently
discovered an entirely New World.

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The discovery of the Americas

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which Columbus claimed
in the name of Spain

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and initially believed to be part
of Eastern Asia

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quickly created a problem
for the two Iberian Nations.

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Not knowing where one set of recently
discovered lands ended

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and another began,

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they consequently agreed to divide
the world in two spheres of influence,

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between themselves, marked 
by a north/south line of Meridian

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roughly halfway

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between the Cape Verde Islands
controlled by Portugal

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and the Caribbean Islands of the Americas

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which Columbus had recently discovered 
and claimed for Spain.

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The Treaty of Tordesilhas
ratified this agreement in 1494

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and effectively carved the world in two.

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with the lands to the East of this line
to be claimed solely by Portugal

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and the lands to the West 
claimed solely by Spain.

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With the dispute settled,
Portugal could finally begin to undertake

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its long-standing ambition
of charting a sea route to Asia

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and so, on the 8th of July 1497,

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the explorer Vasco de Gama left Lisbon

NOTE Paragraph

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with a fleet of four ships 
and a crew of 170 men

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bound for the Indian Ocean
in search of Asia.

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After a voyage of some 10 months
Vasco da Gama's expedition

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finally made landfall 
on the Malibar coast of India

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in May 1498

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and subsequently met with the Zamorin,
or king of Calicut

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to establish the trade relations

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that they they had long hoped for.

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Whilst the Portuguese's arrival
was greeted with hospitality,

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the local indian traders
found little value

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in the trinkets and commodities

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the Europeans had brought with them
to exchange

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and so, da Gama's expedition
largely left empty-handed.

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Their return journey back to Portugal
took an agonizing amount of time

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owing to the monsoon conditions
they had to face up at sea

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which took an immense toll
on both the crew and the ships

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Nevertheless the survivors arrived back
in Lisbon during the summer of 1499

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and were given a hero's welcome.

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Despite the meager quantities
of spices and other goods

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they had brought back.

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Although the expedition itself 
may not have been profitable,

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it demonstrated that maritime trade
to Asia was possible

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and had huge potential .

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The second expedition to India
set sail in 1500

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under the command of
Pedro Alvares Cabral.

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Although while traversing

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across the Atlantic Ocean
sailed too far West

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and unexpectedly, reached 
the coast of what is now Brazi.

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Although this discovery
may have been unintentional

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some speculation suggests

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the Portuguese may have
already been aware of Brazil's existence

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and secretly knew that this part
of South America

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fell within their designated territory 
according to the Treaty of Tordesilhas.

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Cabral recommended
to the Portuguese King, Manuel I,

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that the land be settled

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and two follow-up voyages
were sent in 1501 and 1503.

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The land was found to be abundant
in brazilwood

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from which it later inherited its name

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but the failure to find gold or silver
meant that for the time being

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the Portuguese instead decided
to concentrate their efforts

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on the invaluable trade out of India.

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As the first decade of the 16th century
progressed,

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the Portuguese ventured further
into other parts of Asia

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such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia,

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where they discovered the sources 
of cinnamon and nutmeg.

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So valuable were these commodities
that Alfonso de Albuquerque.

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the first appointed Vice-Roy
of Portuguese India

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ordered the construction
of trading posts and fortifications

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along the 14,000 miles long route,

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stretching from Portugal 
to the East Indies.

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These served as basis of operations
for conducting trade

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and ensured the safeguarding
of their valuable cargos

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that were to be transported 
on the long arduous journey

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back to the markets of Europe.

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Shortly thereafter,
the Portuguese trading network

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stretched to cover an area
surrounding the coastlines of Africa,

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Arabia, India, Indonesia 
and even as far as China and Japan.

00:10:34.283 --> 00:10:37.075
Although the Portuguese were
primarily motivated

00:10:37.135 --> 00:10:39.576
to establish trade relations
through peaceful means

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their arrival into Asia was often met
with a fair degree of suspicion

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from local merchants
who saw them

00:10:46.294 --> 00:10:49.318
as nothing more than foreign
interlopers on their territory.

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Consequently as tensions grew,

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the Portuguese took to enforcing
their trading activity

00:10:54.684 --> 00:10:56.643
with the use of force

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Throughout the 16th century
numerous conflicts broke out

00:10:59.770 --> 00:11:01.737
across the wider indopacific region,

00:11:01.757 --> 00:11:03.702
as the Portuguese engaged in warfare

00:11:03.702 --> 00:11:06.629
against the numerous
sultanates and empires of Asia.

00:11:07.319 --> 00:11:09.463
Often possessing
superior military technology

00:11:09.523 --> 00:11:11.048
over their adversaries,

00:11:11.048 --> 00:11:14.982
the Portuguese were largely successful
at defending their commercial enterprises

00:11:15.042 --> 00:11:18.489
as well as going on the offensive
to capture strategic targets

00:11:18.489 --> 00:11:21.133
that they wish to take for themselves.

00:11:21.213 --> 00:11:23.808
However, it was not just
trade and conquest

00:11:23.865 --> 00:11:26.447
that advanced the realms 
of the Portuguese Empire.

00:11:26.506 --> 00:11:29.041
Religion also had its part to play

00:11:29.251 --> 00:11:33.199
Accompanying the officials, merchants,
mariners and soldiers,

00:11:33.239 --> 00:11:35.323
on board the ships leaving Lisbon

00:11:35.418 --> 00:11:38.707
were small numbers 
of priests and missionaries

00:11:38.747 --> 00:11:40.919
typically belonging to the Jesuit order.

00:11:41.089 --> 00:11:43.404
They had been ordered
by the Portuguese monarchy

00:11:43.444 --> 00:11:45.145
to spread the Catholic faith

00:11:45.165 --> 00:11:47.446
amongst the native peoples
of Asia and Africa

00:11:47.496 --> 00:11:49.632
who they had come into contact with.

00:11:49.642 --> 00:11:52.085
this policy had mixed successes

00:11:52.085 --> 00:11:54.959
for, though their efforts
help towards establishing relations

00:11:55.049 --> 00:11:58.817
and new settlements, such as the port
of Nagasaki in Japan, in 1571,

00:11:58.949 --> 00:12:01.649
Elsewhere the priests and missionaries

00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:04.566
spread the word of God
through violence and coercion.

00:12:04.839 --> 00:12:07.334
In the case of the Goa,
Inquisition for example,

00:12:07.354 --> 00:12:11.231
they heavily persecuted the Hindu
population of Portuguese India

00:12:11.314 --> 00:12:13.913
in a bid to convert them 
to Christianity.

00:12:14.461 --> 00:12:16.796
The early period 
of the Portuguese Empire

00:12:16.846 --> 00:12:20.069
was concentrated on developing
trade across Asia and Africa,

00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:25.318
which were much more lucrative
and easily accessible compared to Brazil.

00:12:25.375 --> 00:12:28.011
attitudes towards this quickly changed.

00:12:28.093 --> 00:12:31.506
However, when other European explorers,
particularly the French,

00:12:31.506 --> 00:12:34.264
began to develop interests
of their own in the territory

00:12:34.264 --> 00:12:37.863
and established a trading post
there, in 1531,

00:12:38.243 --> 00:12:39.657
the Portuguese response,

00:12:39.657 --> 00:12:43.639
as decreed by King John III
on the 28th of September 1532

00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.863
was to deter further 
French incursions to the region

00:12:46.893 --> 00:12:50.025
by initiating a large-scale
colonization program

00:12:50.055 --> 00:12:54.516
that would see the land divided up
and ruled by 15 separate captaincies

00:12:54.956 --> 00:12:57.276
with instructions to build settlements,

00:12:57.316 --> 00:12:59.516
grant allotments and administer Justice.

00:12:59.636 --> 00:13:02.531
Each Captain was responsible
for developing and absorbing

00:13:02.551 --> 00:13:04.607
the costs of colonization,

00:13:04.607 --> 00:13:07.585
although they were not allowed
to own the land outright.

00:13:07.635 --> 00:13:09.631
Despite their best efforts, however,

00:13:09.651 --> 00:13:13.687
only two of the captaincies reached
any stage of significant development,

00:13:13.697 --> 00:13:16.175
owing principally to their dedication

00:13:16.175 --> 00:13:18.959
in growing the highly profitable 
crop of sugar cane.

00:13:19.189 --> 00:13:21.893
This required an enormous amount
of labor to produce

00:13:21.903 --> 00:13:25.526
and over time it became exclusively
reliant on enslaved Africans

00:13:25.645 --> 00:13:27.236
to work in its fields.

00:13:27.306 --> 00:13:29.967
Such was the scale and importance
of the sugar industry

00:13:30.017 --> 00:13:32.476
that of the estimated 4 million Africans

00:13:32.556 --> 00:13:34.569
who were sold into slavery in the Americas

00:13:34.589 --> 00:13:36.635
between the 16th and 19th centuries,

00:13:36.655 --> 00:13:39.343
up to 40% ended up in Brazil.

00:13:39.940 --> 00:13:42.199
The Portuguese presence in South Americ

00:13:42.199 --> 00:13:44.797
began to slowly develop,
as time passed,

00:13:44.827 --> 00:13:48.178
with the cities of Bahia, São Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro,

00:13:48.251 --> 00:13:50.847
all being founded in the
mid-6th century.

00:13:51.647 --> 00:13:55.651
However, a significant change
in the progress of the Portuguese Empire

00:13:55.671 --> 00:13:58.733
occurred in 1580, 
when a succession crisis

00:13:58.843 --> 00:14:02.179
triggered by the untimely death
of King Sebastian, two years earlier,

00:14:02.429 --> 00:14:07.212
saw Philip II of Spain invade Portugal
and take the throne for himself.

00:14:08.420 --> 00:14:12.311
With that, the two crowns
and overseas empires of Spain and Portugal

00:14:12.421 --> 00:14:15.276
were united under the Iberian Union

00:14:15.366 --> 00:14:18.929
although they would continue
to be ruled separately and distinctly

00:14:18.979 --> 00:14:20.785
from one another.

00:14:20.950 --> 00:14:23.596
During this time, however, 
in the late 16th century,

00:14:23.798 --> 00:14:28.067
Spain was at war with England,
France and the Netherlands

00:14:28.107 --> 00:14:30.747
and as a result of the union
with its Iberian neighbor,

00:14:30.777 --> 00:14:33.767
Portugal quickly found itself 
embroiled in the wider conflict

00:14:33.767 --> 00:14:35.324
with European rivals

00:14:35.344 --> 00:14:38.860
who were all competing to establish
overseas empires of their own.

00:14:38.953 --> 00:14:42.839
The Dutch, in particular, posed
the most comprehensive threat to Portugal

00:14:42.918 --> 00:14:44.130
at this time,

00:14:44.130 --> 00:14:46.156
for they had just gained
their independence

00:14:46.156 --> 00:14:48.829
from the Spanish Habsbourg monarchy
in 1581

00:14:48.839 --> 00:14:51.147
and being adept merchants
and maritime explorers

00:14:51.165 --> 00:14:55.208
were keen to participate in the lucrative
trade to Asia for themselves.

00:14:55.378 --> 00:14:57.671
These ambitions were also shared
by the English

00:14:57.851 --> 00:15:00.738
and both soon learned 
of the navigational routes

00:15:00.805 --> 00:15:02.725
established by the Portuguese

00:15:02.735 --> 00:15:04.790
that would take them
to the spice markets

00:15:04.790 --> 00:15:06.507
of India and Indonesia.

00:15:06.517 --> 00:15:09.051
So much so, by the turn
of the 17th century,

00:15:09.141 --> 00:15:13.485
Dutch and English mercantile interests
had been established in Asian ports

00:15:13.535 --> 00:15:17.532
such as Surat, Madras, 
Bantam and Sri Lanka

00:15:17.572 --> 00:15:20.502
much to the dislike of the Portuguese
traders in the region.

00:15:21.633 --> 00:15:24.068
Not only did this posed
a commercial threat

00:15:24.067 --> 00:15:25.339
to the Portuguese Empire

00:15:25.339 --> 00:15:28.366
with other European merchants
now competing for the same trade

00:15:28.386 --> 00:15:30.520
but it also led to colonial conflict

00:15:30.630 --> 00:15:34.157
as the Dutch began to attack 
Portuguese trading posts and colonies..

00:15:35.037 --> 00:15:39.830
The Dutch-Portuguese War 
which was fought from 1598 to 1663

00:15:39.970 --> 00:15:42.672
saw battles rage across the globe

00:15:42.722 --> 00:15:45.512
wherever the colonial interests
of the two European powers

00:15:45.542 --> 00:15:46.973
came into contact.

00:15:47.303 --> 00:15:50.403
Although the Portuguese were able
to successfully repel the Dutch,

00:15:50.523 --> 00:15:54.383
some areas such as the Second Battle
of Guararapes in northeastern Brazil,

00:15:55.375 --> 00:15:57.492
many of their territories in Asia,

00:15:57.552 --> 00:16:00.869
such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka 
and the Gold Coast of Africa

00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:02.201
were lost.

00:16:02.486 --> 00:16:04.310
The wider fallout from this conflict

00:16:04.390 --> 00:16:07.177
also resulted in further losses
for the Portuguese Empire

00:16:07.187 --> 00:16:09.785
around the Persian Gulf and in Japan,

00:16:09.785 --> 00:16:13.824
where local rulers sought to capitalize
on the weakened position of the Portuguese

00:16:13.874 --> 00:16:17.132
and expel them
from their respective regions.

00:16:17.212 --> 00:16:20.843
The loss of these colonial territories
spurred the Portuguese to end

00:16:20.904 --> 00:16:23.094
the personal union
with the Spanish monarchy,

00:16:23.124 --> 00:16:26.601
believing they had largely been
abandoned by their Iberian neighbor

00:16:26.654 --> 00:16:29.124
who had prioritized 
their own colonial interests

00:16:29.174 --> 00:16:31.414
at the expense of Portugal's.

00:16:31.684 --> 00:16:35.749
The resulting Portuguese Restoration War
which broke out in 1640

00:16:35.802 --> 00:16:38.137
saw John the 4th proclaimed as king

00:16:38.257 --> 00:16:41.088
and the establishment
of the Overseas Council

00:16:41.108 --> 00:16:43.868
which was to govern all aspects
of the Portuguese Empire

00:16:43.868 --> 00:16:45.641
from that point onward.

00:16:45.711 --> 00:16:49.256
However, as the second half
of the 17th century progressed,

00:16:49.306 --> 00:16:52.214
Portugal's colonial might
continue to decline

00:16:52.214 --> 00:16:55.756
and other European nations
began to fill the power vacuum

00:16:55.768 --> 00:16:57.933
which had had once occupied

00:16:57.983 --> 00:17:00.759
with the English becoming
the most dominant power in India

00:17:00.861 --> 00:17:04.030
and the Dutch cementing their control
over what is now Indonesia.

00:17:04.999 --> 00:17:07.645
This, for the most part, left only Brazil

00:17:07.645 --> 00:17:10.980
as the remaining territory 
of significance within the Empire

00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:14.126
and consequently became viewed
with increasing importance.

NOTE Paragraph

00:17:14.996 --> 00:17:18.548
The interest in developing Brazil
was quickly helped in 1693

00:17:18.548 --> 00:17:21.617
by the discoveries of gold
and later diamonds

00:17:21.697 --> 00:17:23.529
in the Minas Gerais region,

00:17:23.529 --> 00:17:25.350
which led to a gold rush

00:17:25.350 --> 00:17:28.000
and a large influx of migrants
to the territory.

00:17:28.100 --> 00:17:31.353
within four decades,
the population of Minas Gerais

00:17:31.393 --> 00:17:35.621
had reached somewhere
between 200,000 and 250,000 people

00:17:35.688 --> 00:17:39.062
as migrants from Portugal
arrived as prospectors

00:17:39.072 --> 00:17:41.873
and African slaves were brought in
to work in the mines.

00:17:42.668 --> 00:17:46.209
The Gold Rush considerably increased
the revenue of the Portuguese Crown

00:17:46.258 --> 00:17:48.499
and, by the middle of the 18th century,

00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:51.925
it constituted for some 46%
of the exports from Brazil,

00:17:51.925 --> 00:17:56.242
although the sugar industry 
remained the primary source of wealth.

NOTE Paragraph

00:17:57.642 --> 00:17:59.879
Although the Portuguese Empire
had regained

00:17:59.899 --> 00:18:02.524
some of its former prestige
and wealth by this time,

00:18:02.534 --> 00:18:04.213
a devastating earthquake,

00:18:04.243 --> 00:18:06.902
which struck the capital of Lisbon in 1755

00:18:06.952 --> 00:18:09.166
marked what would ultimately become

00:18:09.166 --> 00:18:12.048
the beginning of the end
for Portuguese colonial ambitions-

00:18:12.458 --> 00:18:16.364
The natural disaster not only
put a huge financial strain on the Empire,

00:18:16.664 --> 00:18:20.147
but the loss of life, estimated
to be somewhere in the region

NOTE Paragraph

00:18:20.147 --> 00:18:22.299
of 40 to 60,000 people,

00:18:22.329 --> 00:18:25.304
also significantly diminished 
the ability of the Portuguese

00:18:25.334 --> 00:18:27.282
to fully recover.

00:18:27.512 --> 00:18:29.686
As the 18th century progressed,

00:18:29.706 --> 00:18:33.217
a wave of Revolution began to sweep
across the wider Atlantic region,

00:18:33.363 --> 00:18:36.341
first starting in North America
with the 13 colonies

00:18:36.361 --> 00:18:39.330
declaring their independence
from Britain in 1775,

00:18:39.330 --> 00:18:43.380
which in turn inspired
the French Revolution of 1789.

00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.925
The Portuguese Empire soon began
to experience this phenomenon for itself

00:18:48.017 --> 00:18:52.380
with the air of dissension finding its way
to their largest colony of Brazil.

00:18:54.173 --> 00:18:57.663
Despite being initially confined
to localized slave revolts

00:18:57.663 --> 00:18:59.342
that were quickly suppressed

00:18:59.342 --> 00:19:02.442
there was a growing sentiment
within the South American territory

00:19:02.442 --> 00:19:04.312
that it should embark
on its own journey

00:19:04.312 --> 00:19:07.572
towards self-determination
outside of colonial rule.

00:19:07.902 --> 00:19:11.272
The year 1808 would mark 
a significant step in this direction

00:19:11.322 --> 00:19:15.607
when the Portuguese royal family
led by the prince regent John VI

00:19:15.787 --> 00:19:17.567
decided to flee Lisbon

00:19:17.587 --> 00:19:20.261
in response to Napoleon Bonaparte
invasion of Portugal

00:19:20.301 --> 00:19:22.778
and relocate the Royal Court to Brazil .

00:19:23.008 --> 00:19:25.121
Seven years later, in 1815,

00:19:25.171 --> 00:19:28.658
Brazil itself was elevated
to the state of a kingdom

00:19:28.688 --> 00:19:32.651
within the wider United Kingdom
of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves,

00:19:32.651 --> 00:19:34.779
and witnessed to the unprecedented honor

00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:36.908
of having the capital moved from Lisbon

00:19:36.908 --> 00:19:38.941
to its own city of Rio de Janeiro.

00:19:39.031 --> 00:19:42.093
This further emboldened sentiment 
within Brazil for independence

00:19:42.113 --> 00:19:45.174
and within a year of the royal family
returning to Portugal,

00:19:45.244 --> 00:19:48.689
the fourth son of John VI, Don Pedro I,

00:19:48.729 --> 00:19:50.762
who had remained behind in Rio,

00:19:50.782 --> 00:19:53.584
saw the chance to capitalize
upon the opportunity

00:19:53.584 --> 00:19:55.732
to declare himself as emperor

00:19:55.742 --> 00:19:58.698
of a newly independent
Empire of Brazil in 1822.

00:19:58.738 --> 00:20:00.754
19:58
2 this left the Portuguese Empire as
20:01
shadow of its former self now comprising
20:03
only of a few outposts in Asia and the
20:05
territories of Angola and mosambique in
20:08
Africa for the remainder of the 19th