1. The Portuguese Empire
History 140
By Ryan Babers

2. History of Portugal
 Dates back to early Middle Ages
 Roman name- Portus Cale, and early settlement located
at the mouth of the Duro River
 2000 B.C. Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from the
Carthaginians during the 2nd Punic Wars. Renamed
Portus Cale (Port of Cale)
 The name would eventually evolve into Portugal
 Almost all of the peninsula was annexed to the Roman
Empire
 The Carthaginians were expelled from their coastal
colonies
 Rome installed a colonial regime, and Lusitania Grew in
prosperity and many of modern day Portugal’s cities were
founded
 15th & 16th century Portugal Ascended to world power
status during European Age of Discovery
 Military decline with battle of Alcacer Wuibir in Morocco
1578 and Spain’s aborted attempt to conquer England in
1588

3. Portuguese history cont.
 Early 5th century Germanic tribes, the Suevi & Buri
invaded the Iberian peninsula and colonized Gallaecia
(Modern Northern Portugal and Galicia)
 The Buri settled in the region Terras de Boiro (Lands of
the Buri)
 In 711 A.D. the Islamic Moors (Berbers & Arabs) from
North Africa invaded the peninsula and destroyed the
Visigothic kingdom
 War broke out after the Moors kicked the Goths out and
they fought to reclaim land. Known as war of Reconquest
 In 1065 Portugal gained it’s independence under rule of
Garcia II due to Feudal power struggles, Portuguese and
Garcian nobles rebelled
 The country rejoined under Garcia II’s brother, Alfonso VI
of Leon
 On June 24, 1128, Portugal officially declares its national
origin with the battle of Sao Mamede
 Alfonso proclaimed himself first prince of Portugal and
eventually first King of Portugal
 In 1249 to 1250 the Algarve (Southernmost Region) was
reconquered from the Moors
 Portugal advanced in maritime, geographic, mathematical
technology

4. The Portuguese Empire
 Also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or
Portuguese Colonial Empire
 Was the first global empire in history
 Longest-lived of the modern European colonial empires
spanning almost 6 centuries
 With recent gains in science and technology, Portuguese
sailors started to explore the coast of Africa in 149 to find
a sea route to the valuable Asian spice trade market
 In 1500, Pedro Alvares accidentally discovers Brazil
 A string of outposts or “padroes” were created along
African, Middle Eastern, and Asian coastlines
 Between 1580 & 1640 Portugal partnered with Spain but
ruled separately
 Portugal became subject of attacks by France, Britain,
and the Netherlands due to new partnership with Spain
which also began the decline for Portugal

5.  During the 17th century, Portuguese trade monopoly
collapsed in the Indian Ocean with losses to the Dutch in
Portuguese India and Southeast Asia
 Brazil had become Portugal’s prized possession until
Brazil broke away in 1822
 Portuguese empire was reduced to colonies on the
African coastline

6. Colonial Brazil
 In 1500 Pedro Alvares Carbal landed in Brazil and made
claim under King Manuel I of Portugal
 Portuguese extracted brazil wood from the rainforest for
it’s value and red dye
 The Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494 created the
Tordestillas Meridian, dividing the world between the
Kings of Portugal & Castile (Spain)
 All Land discovered or to be discovered east of the
meridian was to be property of Portugal, west of it Spain
 Treaty was most likely the most decisive event in Brazilian
history
 The Treaty of Madrid likewise mapped out Brazil’s
coastline
 In 1534, King John III divided land into 15 captavies of
Brazil which were given to Portuguese noblemen
 Only Pernambuco and San Vicente prospered
 Most captaincies failed due to the resilience of indigenous
peoples, shipwrecks, and internal disputes, between the
colonies
 City of Olinda prospered from sugarcane mills which
sugar was very valuable to Europe empires at the time

7. Colonial Brazil
 Sao Vincente profited more traffic of indigenous slaves
 A large fleet led by Tome de Sousa set sail to Brazil to
establish a government in the colony
 Tome became the first Governor-General of Brazil
 He established the capital City, Sulvador da Bahia
(Northeastern Brazil)
 During the establishment of the government much of the
inhabitants rebelled and resisted
 In 1763, the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro
 Governor Tome brought over the first Jesuits who also
helped in the founding of Rio de Janeiro
 Most Jesuits were successful at converting the natives
due to the understanding of their culture
 During 1530-1700, Brazil profited from it’s sugarcane
industry as well as its cotton and tobacco but declined
with competition from the French and Dutch

8. The Spanish Empire

9. The History of Spain
 Rome in the 4th century much like the Portuguese ruled  In 1492 Christopher Columbus had been authorized to
most of present day Spain in the Iberian Peninsula (known explore the “New World” and was the first European to do
as Hispania) so
 After the Roman empire had collapsed from invading
Germanic tribes, the Iberian Peninsula was controlled  Isabella had strategize for long-term political stability by
mostly by the Visigoths arranging special marriages for her five children
 Some of the late Roman empire’s influence remained with  A vast majority of Jews and Muslims from former Islam
the Visigothic empire rule and Jewish settlement were given an ultimatum to
convert to Christianity or face expulsion from Spain
 With the arrival of the Moors in the 8th century, they had
begun to control much of the Iberian Peninsula  Gypsies who also inhabited the area also shared the
same fate or were ordered for execution
 The Battle of Covadonga had signified a Muslim defeat
and under King Pelagrus of Asturias a monarchy was
created being one of the first stages of the Reconquista
 The spread of Christianity had rivaled Islam rule in the
area and drove out many Muslims however, they had
influence the peninsula with their technology, culture, and
society
 During the reconquista, new Christian kingdoms arose
 The Kingdom of Castile and Kingdom of Aragon had
become most important kingdoms
 The Catholic monarchs, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand
of Aragon married in 1469 laying down the foundation for
the Kingdom of Spain

10. Habsburg Spain
 Hapsburg Spain is the history of Spain over 16th & 17th
centuries (1506-1700) where Spain was ruled by the
major branch of the Hapsburg dynasty under Charles V
and Philip II of Spain
 Spain had reached its peak under Hapsburg rule and
began to decline near the end of the 17th century
 The Spanish Habsburg had created the first de facto
unified state in the Iberian Peninsula with the inclusion of
Portugal
 Through several political changes, Spain eventually was
united under a single ruler, Ferdinand II of Aragon
 Before Ferdinand II’s rise to power a confederacy was in
place if kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre
 In 1516m Ferdinand II died which led to the ascension of
the young Charles to the throne as Charles I of castile and
Aragon which founded the monarchy of Spain
 Charles had inherited all of the new world claimed by
Spain
 With territorial Habsburg acquisitions, Charles eventually
would become Emperor Charles V

11. Hapsburg Spain
 France facing being surrounded by Habsburg territories
invaded Spain’s territories mostly in Italy and Navarre
(2nd Franco-Spanish conflict)
 France was easily defeated and forced to abandon Milan
again
 After the death of Charles in 1558, Philip II came to power
and repelled the French once more
 Spain relied heavily on it’s assets overseas
 It’s most important colonial city establishment in the new
world was Mexico city in 1524 which served as an
administrative HQ in the region

12. The Spanish Empire
 The Spanish empire was one of the first modern global empires
and one of the largest in world history
 Religion played a very strong role in the spread of the Spanish
empire
 The ideology that Spain could bring Christianity to the new world
played a strong role in the expansion of Spain’s empire
 Spanish sea exploration and expansion opened up trade routes
across the Atlantic to the Americas and across the Pacific
between East Asia and Mexico through the Philippines
 After arrival, Spanish conquistadors had disintegrated the
Aztec, Inca, and Mayan governments
 Spain was dominating the seas and hit a cultural golden age in
the 16th & 17th centuries
 Disease had wiped out much of the natives in Spain’s new
territories who were seen as potential growth to their economy
 Spain experienced a golden age in the 17th century which was a
period of arts and letter in the Spanish empire coinciding with the
political decline and fall of the Habsburgs
 A Greek artist El Greco settled in Spain and infused Spanish art
with Italian renaissance styles and helped create a unique
Spanish style of painting
 Spanish literature was also in the spotlight that showcased the
famous work of Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega

13.  Hernan Cortez had achieved Spanish conquest of the
Aztec empire in 1519-521
 The new territory would become Viceroyalty of New Spain
or present day Mexico
 The conquest of the Incas by Francisco Pizarro was of
equal significance as well (Viceroyalty of Peru)
 In the Pacific (1565), the Spanish made its first Spanish
settlement in the Philippines founded by Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi and the service of Manila galleons was instituted
 The galleons shipped goods from all over Asia across the
Pacific to the Mexican coast
 Goods would then be shipped to Spanish treasure fleets
for shipment to Spain
 The Spanish post of Manila was established for trade in
1572
 The islands of Guam, Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands,
and Palau followed

14. Struggle & Survival in Colonial America:
The people of the Portuguese and Spanish Colonies
in America

15. (Por) Damiana da Cunha
 (Female) , Tribal group: Caiapo
 Origin: Goias, Brazil
 Luis da Cunha is the godfather of Damiana
 Damiana is the Indian heroine of Goias- granddaughter of
Angrai-oxa
 Was a teacher, missionary, mediator, frontierswoman, and
expedition leader
 Was baptized and given the Christian name, Damiana in
honor of her godfather
 In her teenage years she went to live in the new village of
Maria Primera as a hostage in the governor’s household
to be raised in European fashion as an ambassador of
(Caiapo)
 She may have possibly attended a domestic school in
spinning cotton and weaving on wooden looms where she
had received extensive training from non-white women
 Her 1st husband from Portugal left but she remarried to a
Brazilian Manuel Pereira da Cruz, a civilian, former militia
Present day Goias, Brazil corporal, and poor Mulatto peasant

16. Damiana continued
 Damiana lived in the context of the late colonial aldeia,
the secular descendant of the old frontier mission-station
of earlier times
 Her ideals regarding the conditions of Indian life were
developed there
 She had distinguished herself as a communal leader
 Supporter of the church and mediator between inhabitants
and colonial and Brazilian state
 Principal Indian leader of the community
 She Died in 1831

17. (Por) Catarina de Monte Sinay
 Female, Nun and Entrepreneur
 Desterro Convent of Bahia Brazil
 Became Madre Catarina de Monte Sinay (Nun)
 Vowed to God, the Virgin, Saint Francis, and Saint
Clare she would forever honor her sacred promise to
live in poverty, chastity, and obedience
 Signified a spiritual wedding; “Bride of Christ”
 For 6 years she lived as a pupil and secular ward of the
nuns
 Bahia was the leading sugar producer but lost it’s edge
to British, French, and Dutch Islands emerging as
sugar producers in the Caribbean and pacific
 Bahia was left in a state of depression

18. Catarina continued
 The church had been so well integrated with the natural
order in Bahia which was known as the Bay of All Saints
and All Sinners
 Catarina felt her relationship with God was direct and
immediate because of her passion for the lord
 She had been drawn to the faith by the procession, the
colors, the rhythm of movement and sound
 She also felt purified by performing such rituals and
believed the convent life was satisfying. She had
participated in elaborate rituals
 The convent life provided her with companionship of her
sister and other friends
 Catarina felt the humility within taking much interest in her
intelligence and skill at business and financial dealings
 She had accumulated an immense amount of wealth from
her father and herself which she had made profits from
making sweets
 Most of her wealth she had given away

19. (Esp.) Diego Vasicuio
 Male, Native priest of Peru
 Mission was to convert Indians of Peru into sincere,
observant Catholics
 He and others were influential member(s) of Indian
communities, and worked through individual, informal
contacts with their neighbors to hand down Gods and
gospels from one generation of believers to another
 Was taught to recite proper prayers and perform the
specific ceremonies of the cult
 Diego and other had been key elements to converting the
Indians of Peru
 He had defended the Sormina Cult from a parish priest
who wanted to eradicate them
 Diego was over 90 years at the time he had testified to
the parish priest
 He had left his home to serve in the militia or to find a
praying job to meet tribute obligations

20. Diego continued
 Due to heavy deaths in the mita mines, he had
to serve in the mita more frequently than hoped
 The working conditions had been brutal for
many Indians who made up majority of the
workers
 The mid 17th century saw the cult flourishing
again

21. (Esp.) Isabel Moctezuma
 Aztec female, Mexico-New Spain
 (Donas Isabel (Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin)- daughter of
Moctezuma II
 Daughter of Emperor and Cathololic queen of Spain
 Devout Catholic and Hispanicized woman who bridged the
worlds of Spanish and Indian together
 Was a symbol of great legal and sociological importance to the
Hispanization and Christianization of Mexico
 Awarded encomienda of Tacuba by Hernan Cortes
 Encomienda would provide her with a suitable dowry for
marriage which was seem as a signifier to the evangelization of
Mexico
 Mix of races in New Spain was to be founded on principle of the
legitimate grounds of holy matrimony, providing a solid matrix for
a new society
 Isabel was thought to hasten evangelization of the country
 Had become wife of Cortes (as mistress)

22. Isabel continued

23. (Esp.) Miguel Hernandez
 Male, free mulatto (mixed black/white ancestry)
 Born in Mexico city
 Lived a good, full life in the 16th century
 Married with kids, his wife a Mexican Indian (Aztec)
 Miguel faced racism, at the time life was difficult for people
of mixed blood
 Very average man who wasn’t spiritual or adventurous
 Has a distinct signature, was literate, and wrote out worlds
 Unusual for mulattos, blacks, and Indians
 Legitimate son of Pedro & Ana Hernandez
 2nd generation Mexican

24. Miguel continued
 Was a muleteer- A person who drives mules
 Moved to the provinces for opportunities to avoid harsh
racism in city
 The town of Queretaro promoted economic growth that
generated social opportunities
 Miguel became one of the leading mulatto citizens (due to
his skills and traits)
 He had become friends with commoners and higher class
citizens, whites
 Defied stereotypes
 Constructed own freighting business
 Many of his friends had lived next to him

25. (Esp.) Micaeia Angela Carrillo
 Female, Mexico-New Spain
 Labored fields, manufactured pulque, a intoxicating drink,
proded, rode horseback
 Her daughter Maria Antonia also participated in same
work
 Prior to her death Micaeia provided her kids with property
and training in a craft
 Lived in Nuestra Senora de Asucron Amozoque, a
predominantly Indian village near Puebla de los Angeles
 Puebla was in a good location for commercial trade
between the colonial capital and its principal port

26. Micaeia continued
 Puebla was in a good location for commercial trade
between the colonial capital and its principal port
 Amozoque was comprised of Spaniards, mestizos, and
malattoes, and also some local Indians
 Dona Micaela and her family rented and owned lands
within Indian Amozoque
 Micaela had purchased land worth more than 1000 pesos
 She married a cacique, Juan Tapia y Luna and increased
her nobility in the town
 They occupied a halfway position between Indian and
Spanish society. They embraced the privileges of the
Indian nobility
 Her husband died in 1730 and had begun to rent maguey
plants on other people’s land
 The plants sap had helped Micaeia raise her kids and
supported her with wealth