WEBVTT 00:00:10.214 --> 00:00:14.116 This is a map of the world's shipping lanes 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:17.081 showcasing the intricate network of maritime routes 00:00:17.111 --> 00:00:19.797 that connect our modern world through global trade. 00:00:19.847 --> 00:00:23.655 Although some of these routes were established in more recent times 00:00:23.865 --> 00:00:26.319 such as the Suez and Panama canals, 00:00:26.509 --> 00:00:30.270 most of these oceanic highways were chartered long ago 00:00:30.330 --> 00:00:33.779 in an age where there was no reliable way of navigation 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.678 other than local knowledge and some rudimentary maps. 00:00:38.108 --> 00:00:41.158 However, just over 500 years ago 00:00:41.188 --> 00:00:43.573 at the beginning of the 16th century 00:00:43.654 --> 00:00:46.921 these international trade routes did not even exist. 00:00:47.991 --> 00:00:51.439 Only due to the emergence of the small Iberian nation of Portugal 00:00:51.499 --> 00:00:53.688 as a maritime superpower, 00:00:53.751 --> 00:00:56.716 were these connections to other parts of the world 00:00:56.736 --> 00:01:00.631 made possible through their daring voyages and navigational prowess. 00:01:00.778 --> 00:01:04.194 Portugal quickly established an empire for itself, 00:01:04.427 --> 00:01:07.931 stretching from Africa, to Asia and South America. 00:01:08.961 --> 00:01:12.187 These maritime exploits not only fueled Portugal's wealth. 00:01:12.237 --> 00:01:14.205 an astonishing rise to power, 00:01:14.205 --> 00:01:18.307 but also laid the foundation for the interconnected global economy 00:01:18.376 --> 00:01:19.881 that we benefit from today. 00:01:20.381 --> 00:01:24.801 But how did this relatively obscure nation on the edge of Europe emerged 00:01:24.864 --> 00:01:27.704 to forge an Empire that would shape the course of History 00:01:27.704 --> 00:01:29.393 for centuries to come? 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:32.628 This is the History of the Portuguese Empire. 00:01:36.948 --> 00:01:40.911 All of our videos are available to watch ad free over on our substack page. 00:01:42.063 --> 00:01:44.616 you can also read along to the original scripts 00:01:44.626 --> 00:01:47.607 as well as listen to the audio generation as podcasts 00:01:47.607 --> 00:01:50.206 by following the link in the video description below 00:01:50.206 --> 00:01:51.829 and subscribing with your email. 00:01:51.999 --> 00:01:53.255 Thank you. 00:01:53.885 --> 00:01:56.833 The kingdom of Portugal emerged out of the series of events 00:01:56.833 --> 00:01:59.363 known to History as the Reconquista 00:01:59.413 --> 00:02:02.208 which was the the gradual reconquest of Christian lands 00:02:02.208 --> 00:02:04.843 on the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Moors 00:02:04.873 --> 00:02:08.144 who had invaded the territory far back in the 8th century, 00:02:08.504 --> 00:02:11.078 having established itself as a sovereign kingdom 00:02:11.108 --> 00:02:12.765 by the middle of the 12th century, 00:02:12.785 --> 00:02:16.388 the Portuguese went on to push out the remaining Moors to the South 00:02:16.428 --> 00:02:20.021 by capturing the territory of the Algarve in 1249, 00:02:20.121 --> 00:02:22.867 effectively setting out the borders of their kingdom 00:02:22.877 --> 00:02:25.565 along the same lines to which they exist today. 00:02:25.600 --> 00:02:28.186 With their own territory secured from external threats 00:02:28.216 --> 00:02:31.749 and the possibility of further expansion on the Iberian Peninsula ruled out 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:33.881 on account of their friendly relations 00:02:33.891 --> 00:02:36.914 with the neighboring Christian kingdom of Castile to the east. 00:02:36.914 --> 00:02:39.287 Portugal turned its attention towards the sea 00:02:39.397 --> 00:02:41.885 and the possibility of exerting its own influence 00:02:41.971 --> 00:02:45.667 upon both it and the lands that lay beyond in North Africa. 00:02:46.595 --> 00:02:50.656 The year 1415 marked a pivotal moment in Portuguese expansion 00:02:50.997 --> 00:02:54.722 for a decision was made to orchestrate an attack on the city of Ceuta, 00:02:54.813 --> 00:02:57.331 which was held by the Marinid Sultanate. 00:02:57.921 --> 00:02:59.847 Although many at the time considered this 00:02:59.847 --> 00:03:02.246 nothing more than a continuation of the hostilities 00:03:02.286 --> 00:03:03.915 between Christians and Muslims, 00:03:03.955 --> 00:03:06.891 in reality it paved the way for the Portuguese 00:03:06.941 --> 00:03:09.714 to expand their dominions and economic interests 00:03:09.766 --> 00:03:12.038 beyond the Iberian Peninsula 00:03:12.068 --> 00:03:14.629 and marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire. 00:03:15.849 --> 00:03:17.870 Despite capturing the city, 00:03:17.870 --> 00:03:21.265 the Portuguese were not able to advance further into North Africa 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:22.960 as they had initially planned, 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.615 owing to determined resistance by local Muslim forces. 00:03:25.915 --> 00:03:28.803 Nevertheless they continued to guarnison Ceuta 00:03:28.843 --> 00:03:30.857 and used its harbor as a base 00:03:30.917 --> 00:03:33.094 to explore the Atlantic coastline of Africa. 00:03:33.824 --> 00:03:36.197 This policy of maritime exploration 00:03:36.237 --> 00:03:38.384 was championed by a prominent figure 00:03:38.404 --> 00:03:40.637 in the early days of the Portuguese Empire´: 00:03:40.677 --> 00:03:42.399 Prince Henry, the Navigator. 00:03:42.769 --> 00:03:46.297 He was curious to know how far the Muslim territories in Africa 00:03:46.370 --> 00:03:47.845 extended Southward, 00:03:47.865 --> 00:03:51.373 and whether it would be possible to reach Asia by an easterly sea route. 00:03:52.177 --> 00:03:56.461 Consequently, scores of Portuguese ships began to set off into the Atlantic Ocean 00:03:56.501 --> 00:03:58.768 and around the coast of North Africa 00:03:58.848 --> 00:04:03.215 probing further and further into what were at the time uncharted waters. 00:04:03.782 --> 00:04:06.113 The islands of Madeira and the Azores 00:04:06.113 --> 00:04:10.045 were first cited in 1419 and 1427, respectively, 00:04:10.098 --> 00:04:12.344 and were subsequently incorporated 00:04:12.364 --> 00:04:15.171 as the latest additions to the expanding Portuguese Empire. 00:04:15.971 --> 00:04:17.767 One of the first natural barriers 00:04:17.767 --> 00:04:20.227 the Portuguese encountered on their explorations 00:04:20.244 --> 00:04:22.029 was Cape Bojador. 00:04:22.031 --> 00:04:25.099 The violent waters that surround it had claimed many vessels 00:04:25.099 --> 00:04:27.104 that had previously tried to pass through 00:04:27.114 --> 00:04:29.781 and it was widely deemed to be a point of no return. 00:04:30.031 --> 00:04:32.105 That was until 1434, 00:04:32.135 --> 00:04:35.537 when Gil Eanes successfully found the navigable passage 00:04:35.637 --> 00:04:37.043 around the cape 00:04:37.053 --> 00:04:38.926 and opened up further exploration South 00:04:38.969 --> 00:04:40.907 towards subsaharan Africa. 00:04:41.137 --> 00:04:43.190 No sooner had this feat been achieved 00:04:43.256 --> 00:04:45.921 that the merchants of Lisbon began to search 00:04:45.921 --> 00:04:48.355 for newer and more exotic markets 00:04:48.355 --> 00:04:49.801 to which they could trade to. 00:04:49.981 --> 00:04:54.208 gold, ivory, pepper, cotton and sugar, all from Africa, 00:04:54.248 --> 00:04:56.085 soon became more commonplace 00:04:56.105 --> 00:04:58.363 amongst the trading stools of Lisbon 00:04:58.363 --> 00:05:00.698 as did the practice of selling African slaves 00:05:00.868 --> 00:05:05.089 which began the long and dark history of the transatlantic slave trade 00:05:05.109 --> 00:05:08.539 that would continue for the next 400 years 00:05:09.285 --> 00:05:11.870 Over the subsequent decades of the 15th century, 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:14.207 the Portuguese ventured further and further South 00:05:14.277 --> 00:05:16.006 down the coast of Africa. 00:05:16.006 --> 00:05:18.745 reaching the Cape Verde Islands in 1456 00:05:18.855 --> 00:05:21.825 and the Gulf of Guinea by the 1460s. 00:05:22.215 --> 00:05:25.469 As they explored, they left behind a series of "padrões", 00:05:25.469 --> 00:05:29.152 stone crosses engraved with the Portuguese coat of arms, 00:05:29.212 --> 00:05:31.523 marking out their territorial claims NOTE Paragraph 00:05:31.543 --> 00:05:34.154 which were followed up with the construction of forts 00:05:34.164 --> 00:05:35.589 and trading posts. 00:05:35.629 --> 00:05:39.312 From these bases they engaged profitably in the gold and slave trades 00:05:39.342 --> 00:05:41.693 which they held a virtual monopoly on 00:05:41.733 --> 00:05:43.709 for well over a century. 00:05:43.989 --> 00:05:46.852 The real prize for the portuguese merchants however 00:05:46.852 --> 00:05:50.502 was a supposed, but as yet unconfirmed, sea route to Asia . 00:05:51.268 --> 00:05:53.901 They hoped that the discovery of such a route 00:05:53.921 --> 00:05:57.211 would allow them direct access to the spice markets of the Indies 00:05:57.268 --> 00:06:00.800 and bypass the expensive arab and venetian merchants 00:06:00.871 --> 00:06:04.118 who controlled the overland trade routes through the Middle East 00:06:04.148 --> 00:06:06.341 and across the Mediterranean into Europe. 00:06:06.351 --> 00:06:10.308 Then, in 1488 news reached the ears of the Portuguese authorities 00:06:10.358 --> 00:06:14.251 that Bartholomew Dias had rounded the southern tip of Africa 00:06:14.271 --> 00:06:15.921 and reached the Indian Ocean, 00:06:15.921 --> 00:06:19.328 proving that such an easterly passage did indeed exist. 00:06:20.138 --> 00:06:24.627 However, this revelation would soon be eclipsed in magnitude, 00:06:24.687 --> 00:06:26.221 just four years later, 00:06:26.221 --> 00:06:29.582 when Christopher Columbus sailed westwards across the Atlantic Ocean 00:06:29.634 --> 00:06:32.110 in search of his own theoretical route to the Indies 00:06:32.110 --> 00:06:36.403 and in the process inadvertently discovered an entirely New World. 00:06:37.473 --> 00:06:39.578 The discovery of the Americas 00:06:39.578 --> 00:06:41.904 which Columbus claimed in the name of Spain 00:06:41.914 --> 00:06:44.205 and initially believed to be part of Eastern Asia 00:06:44.215 --> 00:06:47.144 quickly created a problem for the two Iberian Nations. 00:06:47.144 --> 00:06:50.645 Not knowing where one set of recently discovered lands ended 00:06:50.665 --> 00:06:52.645 and another began, 00:06:52.685 --> 00:06:56.190 they consequently agreed to divide the world in two spheres of influence, 00:06:56.190 --> 00:06:59.586 between themselves, marked by a north/south line of Meridian 00:06:59.667 --> 00:07:01.021 roughly halfway 00:07:01.096 --> 00:07:03.580 between the Cape Verde Islands controlled by Portugal 00:07:03.610 --> 00:07:06.492 and the Caribbean Islands of the Americas 00:07:06.492 --> 00:07:09.566 which Columbus had recently discovered and claimed for Spain. 00:07:09.798 --> 00:07:13.918 The Treaty of Tordesilhas ratified this agreement in 1494 00:07:13.958 --> 00:07:16.808 and effectively carved the world in two. 00:07:17.048 --> 00:07:20.528 with the lands to the East of this line to be claimed solely by Portugal 00:07:20.608 --> 00:07:23.353 and the lands to the West claimed solely by Spain. 00:07:24.413 --> 00:07:27.676 With the dispute settled, Portugal could finally begin to undertake 00:07:27.686 --> 00:07:31.497 its long-standing ambition of charting a sea route to Asia 00:07:31.547 --> 00:07:34.383 and so, on the 8th of July 1497, 00:07:34.393 --> 00:07:37.651 the explorer Vasco de Gama left Lisbon NOTE Paragraph 00:07:37.676 --> 00:07:41.244 with a fleet of four ships and a crew of 170 men 00:07:41.334 --> 00:07:44.278 bound for the Indian Ocean in search of Asia. 00:07:45.288 --> 00:07:48.301 After a voyage of some 10 months Vasco da Gama's expedition 00:07:48.341 --> 00:07:51.223 finally made landfall on the Malibar coast of India 00:07:51.242 --> 00:07:53.313 in May 1498 00:07:53.343 --> 00:07:56.923 and subsequently met with the Zamorin, or king of Calicut 00:07:57.163 --> 00:07:59.354 to establish the trade relations 00:07:59.354 --> 00:08:01.279 that they they had long hoped for. 00:08:01.489 --> 00:08:04.496 Whilst the Portuguese's arrival was greeted with hospitality, 00:08:04.586 --> 00:08:07.193 the local indian traders found little value 00:08:07.193 --> 00:08:09.178 in the trinkets and commodities 00:08:09.178 --> 00:08:11.537 the Europeans had brought with them to exchange 00:08:11.577 --> 00:08:15.092 and so, da Gama's expedition largely left empty-handed. 00:08:15.824 --> 00:08:19.221 Their return journey back to Portugal took an agonizing amount of time 00:08:19.231 --> 00:08:21.979 owing to the monsoon conditions they had to face up at sea 00:08:22.085 --> 00:08:25.812 which took an immense toll on both the crew and the ships 00:08:26.272 --> 00:08:31.317 Nevertheless the survivors arrived back in Lisbon during the summer of 1499 00:08:31.694 --> 00:08:33.895 and were given a hero's welcome. 00:08:33.945 --> 00:08:36.746 Despite the meager quantities of spices and other goods 00:08:36.776 --> 00:08:38.802 they had brought back. 00:08:38.942 --> 00:08:41.824 Although the expedition itself may not have been profitable, 00:08:41.914 --> 00:08:45.128 it demonstrated that maritime trade to Asia was possible 00:08:45.241 --> 00:08:47.199 and had huge potential . 00:08:48.339 --> 00:08:51.353 The second expedition to India set sail in 1500 00:08:51.383 --> 00:08:54.033 under the command of Pedro Alvares Cabral. 00:08:54.175 --> 00:08:56.698 Although while traversing 00:08:56.766 --> 00:08:58.891 across the Atlantic Ocean sailed too far West 00:08:58.921 --> 00:09:02.197 and unexpectedly, reached the coast of what is now Brazi. 00:09:02.284 --> 00:09:04.719 Although this discovery may have been unintentional 00:09:04.815 --> 00:09:06.891 some speculation suggests 00:09:06.891 --> 00:09:09.929 the Portuguese may have already been aware of Brazil's existence 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:12.768 and secretly knew that this part of South America 00:09:12.808 --> 00:09:17.122 fell within their designated territory according to the Treaty of Tordesilhas. 00:09:17.902 --> 00:09:21.584 Cabral recommended to the Portuguese King, Manuel I, 00:09:21.734 --> 00:09:23.411 that the land be settled 00:09:23.411 --> 00:09:27.174 and two follow-up voyages were sent in 1501 and 1503. 00:09:27.984 --> 00:09:30.725 The land was found to be abundant in brazilwood 00:09:30.725 --> 00:09:33.066 from which it later inherited its name 00:09:33.066 --> 00:09:36.441 but the failure to find gold or silver meant that for the time being 00:09:36.741 --> 00:09:39.689 the Portuguese instead decided to concentrate their efforts 00:09:39.749 --> 00:09:41.833 on the invaluable trade out of India. 00:09:42.823 --> 00:09:45.635 As the first decade of the 16th century progressed, 00:09:45.655 --> 00:09:48.721 the Portuguese ventured further into other parts of Asia 00:09:48.771 --> 00:09:51.344 such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia, 00:09:51.374 --> 00:09:54.100 where they discovered the sources of cinnamon and nutmeg. 00:09:54.650 --> 00:09:58.528 So valuable were these commodities that Alfonso de Albuquerque. 00:09:58.528 --> 00:10:01.152 the first appointed Vice-Roy of Portuguese India 00:10:01.202 --> 00:10:04.877 ordered the construction of trading posts and fortifications 00:10:04.927 --> 00:10:07.671 along the 14,000 miles long route, 00:10:07.671 --> 00:10:10.107 stretching from Portugal to the East Indies. 00:10:10.164 --> 00:10:13.620 These served as basis of operations for conducting trade 00:10:13.631 --> 00:10:16.484 and ensured the safeguarding of their valuable cargos 00:10:16.556 --> 00:10:19.617 that were to be transported on the long arduous journey 00:10:19.627 --> 00:10:21.968 back to the markets of Europe. 00:10:22.028 --> 00:10:24.803 Shortly thereafter, the Portuguese trading network 00:10:24.823 --> 00:10:27.909 stretched to cover an area surrounding the coastlines of Africa, 00:10:27.949 --> 00:10:32.693 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 00:10:39.591 --> 00:10:43.897 their arrival into Asia was often met with a fair degree of suspicion 00:10:43.937 --> 00:10:46.264 from local merchants who saw them 00:10:46.294 --> 00:10:49.318 as nothing more than foreign interlopers on their territory. 00:10:49.868 --> 00:10:51.995 Consequently as tensions grew, 00:10:52.055 --> 00:10:54.654 the Portuguese took to enforcing their trading activity 00:10:54.684 --> 00:10:56.643 with the use of force 00:10:56.876 --> 00:10:59.740 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. 00:19:59.988 --> 00:20:03.006 This left the Portuguese Empire a shadow of its former self 00:20:03.016 --> 00:20:05.615 now comprising only of a few outposts in Asia 00:20:05.645 --> 00:20:09.334 and the territories of Angola and Mozambique, in Africa. 00:20:09.644 --> 00:20:11.984 For the remainder of the 19th century, 00:20:12.056 --> 00:20:15.732 the efforts of the Portuguese to retain what little remain of their empire 00:20:15.802 --> 00:20:17.985 were focused on southern Africa 00:20:18.025 --> 00:20:20.686 and a proposal was soon made to connect the two colonies 00:20:20.686 --> 00:20:23.126 on either side of the continent with one another 00:20:23.136 --> 00:20:25.023 by expanding across the hinterland. 00:20:25.233 --> 00:20:28.101 This project known as the "Pink Map" 00:20:28.131 --> 00:20:30.569 was highly unpalatable to the British 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:33.513 who had become the world's most powerful Empire by this point 00:20:33.593 --> 00:20:35.930 for it directly affronted their own policy 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:38.318 for a connected system of colonies across Africa 00:20:38.318 --> 00:20:40.938 that was to stretch from Cairo to Cape Town. 00:20:40.958 --> 00:20:44.007 The British delivered an ultimatum to the Portuguese in 1890 00:20:44.087 --> 00:20:46.094 to end the "Pink Map" policy, 00:20:46.144 --> 00:20:48.125 which subsequently brought any hint 00:20:48.125 --> 00:20:51.089 of reviving Portuguese colonial ambition to an end. 00:20:51.149 --> 00:20:54.306 Having been humiliated on the world stage in such a manner, 00:20:54.326 --> 00:20:55.578 exposed the weakness 00:20:55.578 --> 00:20:57.510 of the Portuguese government in monarchy 00:20:57.530 --> 00:21:01.381 which played into the hands of a growing Republican movement within the country. 00:21:01.391 --> 00:21:03.877 Sensing an opportunity to further their cause, 00:21:03.897 --> 00:21:05.800 on the 1st of February 1908, 00:21:05.850 --> 00:21:09.596 King Carlos and Prince Louis Philipe were assassinated in Lisbon 00:21:09.636 --> 00:21:11.984 by two revolutionary Republican activists. 00:21:12.394 --> 00:21:15.393 Although King Manuel II immediately succeeded the throne, 00:21:15.493 --> 00:21:19.366 he too had to flee the country just 2 years later in 1910, 00:21:19.426 --> 00:21:22.168 when the monarchy and government were overthrown entirely 00:21:22.199 --> 00:21:25.130 and Portugal was declared a Republic. 00:21:25.330 --> 00:21:28.186 The continuing weakening position of the Portuguese Empire 00:21:28.306 --> 00:21:32.489 was exploited further by the outbreak of the I World War in 1914. 00:21:32.949 --> 00:21:34.990 The German Empire planned to expand 00:21:34.990 --> 00:21:37.211 its own dominions and influence in Africa 00:21:37.211 --> 00:21:39.691 at the expense of the neighboring Portuguese colonies 00:21:39.691 --> 00:21:41.321 of Angola and Mozambique. 00:21:41.341 --> 00:21:44.251 As there was only sporadic skirmishing in the region at first, 00:21:44.336 --> 00:21:48.448 Portugal did not formerly declare war against Germany until 1916 00:21:48.498 --> 00:21:51.034 but from that point on much of the war effort 00:21:51.034 --> 00:21:54.172 was forced in supplying the Allies fighting in France 00:21:54.354 --> 00:21:56.645 and neglected to defend its African colonies 00:21:56.675 --> 00:21:58.637 from further German attacks. 00:21:58.649 --> 00:22:02.221 As the war came to an end, in 1918, with the Treaty of Versailles, however, 00:22:02.471 --> 00:22:06.198 Portugal was able to regain control of all its lost territory. 00:22:06.897 --> 00:22:10.205 The interwar years bore witness to another coup in Portugal, 00:22:10.280 --> 00:22:12.836 this time replacing the unstable Republican government 00:22:12.856 --> 00:22:17.369 with a more right-wing regime called the "Estado Novo" in 1933. 00:22:18.118 --> 00:22:20.799 The new administration chose to remain neutral 00:22:20.829 --> 00:22:22.311 during the II World War 00:22:22.311 --> 00:22:25.512 and instead preserve what remained of its overseas Empire. 00:22:25.932 --> 00:22:29.247 By the war's conclusion however there was a growing shift in attitudes 00:22:29.317 --> 00:22:31.400 towards European imperialism 00:22:31.410 --> 00:22:35.042 and calls for decolonization began to grow louder around the world. 00:22:35.312 --> 00:22:37.018 The efforts of Britain and France 00:22:37.018 --> 00:22:39.858 in granting independence of the colonies under their control 00:22:39.868 --> 00:22:42.210 put great pressure on Portugal to do the same, 00:22:42.210 --> 00:22:44.644 although it remained reluctant to do so. 00:22:45.084 --> 00:22:48.141 The establishment of Indian independence from Britain in 1947 00:22:48.181 --> 00:22:50.609 created a flash point on this issue. 00:22:50.609 --> 00:22:53.433 As the Portuguese enclaves of Goa, Damon and Diu 00:22:53.533 --> 00:22:56.360 were not permitted to join the newly independent state, 00:22:56.560 --> 00:23:00.264 the Indian army was eventually ordered into the territories, in 1961. 00:23:00.809 --> 00:23:04.531 But Portugal, under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, 00:23:04.653 --> 00:23:08.166 continually refused to acknowledge their incorporation into India. 00:23:09.515 --> 00:23:12.803 Further reluctance to grant independence of their colonies in Africa 00:23:12.816 --> 00:23:15.282 resulted in the Portuguese Colonial War 00:23:15.382 --> 00:23:17.855 which was fought from 1961 to 1974. 00:23:17.875 --> 00:23:20.671 Many African Independence Movements 00:23:20.701 --> 00:23:22.934 received support from the Soviet Union 00:23:22.984 --> 00:23:25.362 as part of the wider Cold War during this time 00:23:25.362 --> 00:23:29.001 and as a result guerilla warfare soon became widespread 00:23:29.051 --> 00:23:31.632 across Portugal's African colonies. 00:23:31.702 --> 00:23:34.650 The growing cost and unpopularity of the war at home, however, 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:38.741 saw another military coup carried out against the Estado Novo regime 00:23:38.833 --> 00:23:41.405 in what became known as the "Carnation Revolution" 00:23:41.425 --> 00:23:44.011 on the 25th of April 1974. 00:23:44.471 --> 00:23:47.547 The new government quickly ended the hostilities overseas 00:23:47.547 --> 00:23:49.578 and began withdrawing its troops 00:23:49.588 --> 00:23:52.829 to start the process of recognizing the independence of its colonies. 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.784 Angola and Mozambique declared an independence in 1975 00:23:56.794 --> 00:23:58.582 as did East Timor. 00:23:58.592 --> 00:24:02.926 And the Portuguese government also finally recognized its former colonies in India 00:24:02.966 --> 00:24:05.208 as now being part of the Indian State. 00:24:05.538 --> 00:24:08.089 The final piece of the Portuguese overseas territory 00:24:08.129 --> 00:24:11.624 to undergo a transfer of sovereignty was that of Macau, 00:24:13.762 --> 00:24:16.402 which was handed over to the People's Republic of China 00:24:16.402 --> 00:24:18.781 on the 20th of December 1999 00:24:18.821 --> 00:24:22.055 and officially marked the end of the Portuguese. 00:24:22.835 --> 00:24:27.202 With that, one of the longest lived maritime and commercial empires in History 00:24:27.252 --> 00:24:28.871 came to an end. 00:24:28.901 --> 00:24:31.340 Although the territories of the Azores and Madeira 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:34.005 are now governed as autonomous regions of Portugal, 00:24:34.045 --> 00:24:36.663 the legacy of the Portuguese Empire lives on, 00:24:36.691 --> 00:24:39.145 with the Portuguese language continuing to be spoken 00:24:39.227 --> 00:24:42.268 by some 250 million people around the world 00:24:42.428 --> 00:24:44.224 and, perhaps most importantly, 00:24:44.234 --> 00:24:47.559 the sea roots that were established by those early maritime explorers 00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:51.572 continue to carry the world's trade over 5 centuries on.