2. History of Portugal The Treaty of Windsor, 1386, created the alliance between Portugal and England that still remains. Portugal’s main economic activities has largely included fishing for centuries In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was a leading European power. This is known as the “Age of Discovery”
3. History of Portugal Portugal had an extensive colonial trading empire that was world renowned. However, many wars and natural disasters weakened Portugal’s economy. In 1578, the Battle of AlcacerQuibir in Morocco. In 1588, Spain tried to conquer England. There was a massive earthquake in 1755 that greatly damaged the capital city and weakened.
4. Colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil lasted from the 1500s until 1815. The Portuguese colony held on to their territory and linguistic integrity after independence. This territory became the largest country in the region: Brazil. The discovery of Brazil by the European colonies started an onset of many treaties and negotiations between the kings of Portugal and Castile.
5. Colonial Brazil After 1621, the colony was divided into two states, created by King Philip II. Estado do Brasil, the most prominent. It’s capital was Salvador. Estado do Maranhao, with the capital, Sao Luis. The Portuguese economy was mostly based on the production of agricultural goods. Most of these goods were exported to Europe. Sugar was the most important good found in Brazil, followed by tobacco, cotton and cachaca.
6. Colonial Brazil By the 18th century, sugar was the leading export in Brazil. The first sugarcane farms were established in the mid-16th century. The Portuguese relied on aborigine slaves to do most of the harvesting in the sugarcane farms. Eventually, they began importing African slaves, which took on most of the labor intensive harvesting. Brazil exported sugar, tobacco, cotton, and other goods. They imported wine, olive oil, textiles, and other luxury goods that were not readily available.
7. The Portuguese Empire August 21st, 1415, The Portuguese Empire was founded with the conquest of Ceuta, a city on the North African coast. In 1494, The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed. This divided the world between the Spanish and the Portuguese. In 1488, trade was opened up with India when Bartolomeu Dias opened the Cape of Good Hope. Vasco de Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope to solidify this trade with India.
