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122-617: The history of Portugal from the 1580 succession crisis to the House of Braganza monarchs was a period of transition. At its beginning, under the House of Aviz , the Portuguese Empire spice trade was near its height. It continued to enjoy widespread influence after Vasco da Gama reached the East Indies by sailing around Africa in 1497–1498. Vasco da Gama's achievement completed the exploratory efforts inaugurated by Henry

244-756: A nobility , which played a large social and political role during the Middle Ages . It was under the Visigoths that the Church began to play an important part within the state. Since the Visigoths did not learn Latin from the local people, they had to rely on Catholic bishops to continue the Roman system of governance. The laws established during the Visigothic monarchy were thus made by councils of bishops, and

366-652: A one-party state , dissolved the BDG and established the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). Sweeping political reforms in 1990 led to a new constitution, and the PDG garnered a large majority in the country's first multi-party elections in 30 years. Despite discontent from opposition parties, Bongo remained president until his death in 2009. The societies of the indigenous Pygmies were largely displaced from about AD 1000 onwards by migrating Bantu peoples from

488-527: A civil war that raged between León and Castile and distracted his enemies. Henry's son Afonso Henriques took control of the county upon his death. The city of Braga, the unofficial Catholic centre of the Iberian Peninsula, faced new competition from other regions. Lords of the cities of Coimbra and Porto fought with Braga 's clergy and demanded the independence of the reconstituted county. Portugal traces its national origin to 24 June 1128,

610-639: A considerable time. Brazil was partially conquered by both France and the Seventeen Provinces . In the 17th century, taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, many Portuguese territories in Brazil were occupied by the Dutch who gained access to the sugarcane plantations . John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by

732-593: A different approach on Portuguese issues. Taxes raised affected mainly the Portuguese merchants (Carmo Reis 1987). The Portuguese nobility began to lose its importance at the Spanish Cortes , and government posts in Portugal were occupied by Spaniards. Ultimately, Philip III tried to make Portugal a royal province, and Portuguese nobles lost all of their power. This situation culminated in a revolution by

854-471: A landslide victory in the legislative election, but several major cities, including Libreville , elected opposition mayors during the 1997 local election. President Bongo coasted to easy re-elections in December 1998 and November 2005 , with large majorities of the vote against a divided opposition. While Bongo's major opponents rejected the outcome as fraudulent, some international observers characterized

976-574: A mission at the mouth of the Komo River in 1842. In 1849, the French authorities captured an illegal slave ship and freed the captives on board. The captives were released near the mission station, where they founded a settlement which was called Libreville (French for "free town") French explorers penetrated Gabon's dense jungles between 1862 and 1887. The most famous, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza , used Gabonese bearers and guides in his search for

1098-802: A mountain region in modern northwestern Spain adjacent to the Bay of Biscay . He planned to use the Cantabrian Mountain range as a place of refuge and protection from the invaders and as a springboard to reconquer lands from the Moors. After defeating the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga in 722 AD, Pelagius was proclaimed king to found the Christian Kingdom of Asturias and start the war of reconquest known in Portuguese (and Spanish ) as

1220-535: A one-party state by dissolving the BDG and establishing a new party: the Gabonese Democratic Party (Parti Démocratique Gabonais) (PDG). He invited all Gabonese, regardless of previous political affiliation, to participate. Bongo was elected President in February 1973; in April 1975, the office of vice president was abolished and replaced by the office of prime minister, who had no right to automatic succession. Bongo

1342-591: A parliamentary system, neither party was able to win a majority; the leaders subsequently agreed against a two-party system and ran with a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election , held under the new presidential system, M'Ba became president and Aubame became foreign minister. The single-party solution disintegrated in 1963, and there was a single-day bloodless coup in 1964. In March 1967 , Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo were elected president and vice president. M'Ba died later that year. Bongo declared Gabon

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1464-523: A political settlement. These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which several opposition figures were included in a government of national unity, and constitutional reforms were approved in a referendum in 1995. This arrangement soon broke down, however, and the 1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics. The PDG won

1586-506: A rebellion against the kings assured the survival of the alliance. War with the Dutch led to invasions of many countries in Asia , including Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka ), and commercial interests in Japan , Africa ( Mina ), and South America . Even though the Portuguese were unable to capture the entire island of Ceylon, they were able to keep the coastal regions of Ceylon under their control for

1708-530: A reduced number of National Assembly deputies (from 67 to 47). The UDSG failed to muster a list of candidates able to meet the requirements of the electoral decrees. When the BDG appeared likely to win the election by default, the Gabonese military toppled M'Ba in a bloodless coup on 18 February 1964. French troops re-established his government the next day. Elections were held in April 1964 with many opposition participants. BDG-supported candidates won 31 seats and

1830-564: A sector-by-sector basis, making significant wage concessions. In addition, he promised to open up the PDG and to organize a national political conference in March–April 1990 to discuss Gabon's future political system. The PDG and 74 political organizations attended the conference. Participants essentially divided into two loose coalitions, the ruling PDG and its allies, and the United Front of Opposition Associations and Parties , consisting of

1952-404: A seven-year campaign. The Visigothic resistance to this invasion was ineffective, though sieges were required to sack a couple of cities. This is in part because the ruling Visigoth population is estimated at a mere 1 to 2% of the total population. On one hand this isolation is said to have been 'a reasonably strong and effective instrument of government'; on the other, it was highly 'centralised to

2074-501: A shepherd from Serra da Estrela who was expert in guerrilla tactics , waged relentless war against the Romans, defeating several successive Roman generals, until he was assassinated in 140 BC by traitors bought by the Romans. Viriatus has long been hailed as the first truly heroic figure in proto-Portuguese history. Nonetheless, he was responsible for raids into the more settled Romanized parts of Southern Portugal and Lusitania that involved

2196-496: A transitional government headed by a new Prime Minister, Casimir Oyé-Mba . The Gabonese Social Democratic Grouping (RSDG), as the resulting government was called, was smaller than the previous government and included representatives from several opposition parties in its cabinet. The RSDG drafted a provisional constitution in May 1990 that provided a basic bill of rights and an independent judiciary but retained strong executive powers for

2318-521: A two-party system, the two party leaders agreed on a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election , held under the new presidential system, M'Ba became president and Aubame became foreign minister. This one-party system appeared to work until February 1963, when the larger BDG element forced the UDSG members to choose between a merger of the parties or resignation. The UDSG cabinet ministers resigned, and M'Ba called an election for February 1964 and

2440-553: A video posted to social media since falling ill in October 2018 putting to rest any rumours he was dead. On 7 January 2019, soldiers in Gabon launched an unsuccessful coup d’etat attempt . On May 11, 2021, a Commonwealth delegation visited Gabon as Ali Bongo visited London to meet with the secretary general of the organization, which brings together 54 English-speaking countries. President Bongo expressed Gabon's willingness to join

2562-476: A written language, leaving many stelae , which are mainly found in the south of Portugal. Early in the first millennium BC, waves of Celts invaded Portugal from Central Europe and inter-married with the local populations, forming different tribes . Another theory suggests that Celts inhabited western Iberia / Portugal well before any large Celtic migrations from Central Europe . A number of linguists expert in ancient Celtic have presented compelling evidence that

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2684-710: Is a derivation of the Celtic word for 'port', like the Irish caladh or Scottish Gaelic cala . These explanations, would require the pre-Roman language of the area to have been a branch of Q-Celtic, which is not generally accepted because the region's pre-Roman language was Gallaecian . However, scholars like Jean Markale and Tranoy propose the Celtic branches all share the same origin, and placenames such as Cale, Gal, Gaia, Calais , Galatia, Galicia, Gaelic , Gael, Gaul ( Latin : Gallia ), Wales , Cornwall, Wallonia and others all stem from one linguistic root. Cala

2806-644: Is now Portugal. Vulgar Latin (the basis of the Portuguese language) became the dominant language of the region, and Christianity spread throughout Lusitania from the third century. In 409, with the decline of the Roman Empire , the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by Germanic tribes that the Romans referred to as barbarians . In 411, with a federation contract with Emperor Honorius , many of these people settled in Hispania . An important group

2928-430: Is sometimes considered not Celtic, but from Late Latin calatum > calad > cala , compare Italian cala , French cale , itself from Occitan cala "cove, small harbour" from a Pre-Indo-European root *kal / *cala (see calanque and maybe Galici-a < Callaeci or Calaeci ). Another theory claims it derives from the word Caladunum , in fact an unattested compound *Caladunum , that may explain

3050-454: Is that Theodemund (Teodemundo) most likely ruled the Suebians. The dark period ended with the reign of Karriarico (550–559) who reinstalled Catholic Christianity in 550. He was succeeded by Theodemar (559–570) during whose reign the 1st Council of Braga (561) was held. After the death of Theodemar, Miro (570–583) was his successor. During his reign, the 2nd Council of Braga (572)

3172-680: The Reconquista . Currently, historians and archaeologists generally agree that northern Portugal between the Minho and the Douro rivers kept a significant share of its population, a social and political Christian area that until the late 9th century had no acting state powers. However, in the late 9th century, the region became part of a complex of powers, the Galician - Asturian , Leonese and Portuguese power structures. The coastal regions in

3294-563: The Torrent of Portyngale , a Middle English romance composed around 1400, and " Old Robin of Portingale ", an English Child ballad. Portingal and variants were also used in Scots and survive in the Cornish name for the country, Portyngal . The early history of Portugal is shared with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula located in southwestern Europe. The name of Portugal derives from

3416-487: The Algarve region by Phoenicians – Carthaginians . Numerous pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula inhabited the territory when a Roman invasion occurred in the 3rd century BC. The Romanization of Hispania took several centuries. The Roman provinces that covered present-day Portugal were Lusitania in the south and Gallaecia in the north. Numerous Roman sites are scattered around present-day Portugal. Some of

3538-490: The Atlantic and Indian Oceans . The large area of Bahia and its city, the strategically important Salvador, was recovered quickly by a powerful Iberian military expedition in 1625. This laid the foundations for the recovery of remaining Dutch controlled areas. The other smaller, less developed areas were recovered in stages and relieved of Dutch piracy in the next two decades by local resistance and Portuguese expeditions. On

3660-624: The Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Morocco in 1578; this defeat led to the death of King Sebastian and the imprisonment of much of the high nobility, which had to be ransomed at great cost. This eventually led to a small interruption in Portugal's 800-year-old independence by way of a 60-year dynastic union with Spain between 1580 and the beginning of the Portuguese Restoration War led by John IV in 1640. Spain's disastrous defeat in its attempt to conquer England in 1588 by means of

3782-558: The Callaeci peoples, along with the Lebor Gabála Érenn narrations and the interpretation of the archaeological remains throughout the northern half of Portugal and Galicia, it is possible to infer that there was a matriarchal society, with a military and religious aristocracy probably of the feudal type. The figures of maximum authority were the chieftain (chefe tribal), of military type and with authority in his Castro or clan, and

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3904-670: The Celtici of Alentejo , and the Cynetes or Conii of the Algarve . Among the tribes or sub-divisions were the Bracari , Coelerni , Equaesi , Grovii , Interamici , Leuni , Luanqui , Limici , Narbasi , Nemetati , Paesuri , Quaquerni , Seurbi , Tamagani , Tapoli , Turduli , Turduli Veteres , Turduli Oppidani , Turodi , and Zoelae . A few small, semi-permanent, commercial coastal settlements (such as Tavira ) were also founded in

4026-530: The Dutch West India Company . He landed at Recife, the port of Pernambuco, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions from Sergipe on the south to São Luís de Maranhão in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Elmina Castle , Saint Thomas, and Luanda , Angola, on the west coast of Africa. After the dissolution of

4148-701: The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries . It entered the European Economic Community (now the European Union ) in 1986. The word Portugal derives from the combined Roman - Celtic place name Portus Cale ; a settlement where present-day's conurbation of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia (or simply, Gaia) stand, along the banks of river Douro in

4270-599: The Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG), led by Léon M'Ba , and the Gabonese Democratic and Social Union (UDSG), led by Jean-Hilaire Aubame . In the first post-independence election , held under a parliamentary system, neither party was able to win a majority. The BDG obtained support from three of the four independent legislative deputies, and M'Ba was named Prime Minister. Soon after concluding that Gabon had an insufficient number of people for

4392-544: The Invincible Armada was also a factor, as Portugal had to contribute ships for the invasion. Further setbacks included the destruction of much of its capital city in an earthquake in 1755 , occupation during the Napoleonic Wars , and the loss of its largest colony, Brazil , in 1822. From the middle of the 19th century to the late 1950s, nearly two million Portuguese left Portugal to live in Brazil and

4514-685: The Kingdom of Galicia . Its territories, consisting largely of mountains, moorland and forests, were bounded on the north by the Minho River, and on the south by the Mondego River . At the end of the 11th century, the Burgundian knight Henry became count of Portugal and defended its independence by merging the County of Portugal and the County of Coimbra . His efforts were assisted by

4636-562: The Kingdom of León . Suebi-Visigothic arts and architecture, in particular sculpture, had shown a natural continuity with the Roman period. With the Reconquista, new artistic trends took hold, with Galician-Asturian influences more visible than the Leonese. The Portuguese group was characterized by a general return to classicism. The county courts of Viseu and Coimbra played a very important role in this process. Mozarabic architecture

4758-461: The Suebi and Visigoths as Portucale . The name Portucale changed into Portugale during the 7th and 8th centuries. By the 9th century, Portugale was used extensively to refer to the region between the rivers Douro and Minho , the Minho flowing along what would become the northern Portugal–Spain border . By the 11th and 12th centuries, Portugale , Portugallia , Portvgallo or Portvgalliae

4880-461: The Tartessian language , once spoken in parts of SW Spain and SW Portugal, is at least proto-Celtic in structure. The Celtic presence in Portugal is traceable, in broad outline, through archaeological and linguistic evidence. They dominated much of northern and central Portugal; but in the south, they were unable to establish their stronghold, which retained its non-Indo-European character until

5002-479: The clergy started to emerge as a high-ranking class. Under the Visigoths, Gallaecia was a well-defined space governed by a doge of its own. Doges at this time were related to the monarchy and acted as princes in all matters. Both 'governors' Wamba and Wittiza (Vitiza) acted as doge (they would later become kings in Toledo). These two became known as the 'vitizians', who headquartered in the northwest and called on

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5124-549: The 'barbaric' and 'decadent' Visigoth royalty. The Visigothic territories included what is today Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar, and the southwestern part of France known in ancient times as Septimania . The invading Moors wanted to conquer and convert all of Europe to Islam, so they crossed the Pyrenees to use Visigothic Septimania as a base of operations. Muslims called their conquests in Iberia ' al-Andalus ' and in what

5246-525: The Arab invaders from the South to be their allies in the struggle for power in 711. King Roderic (Rodrigo) was killed while opposing this invasion, thus becoming the last Visigothic king of Iberia. From the various Germanic groups who settled in western Iberia, the Suebi left the strongest lasting cultural legacy in what is today Portugal, Galicia and western fringes of Asturias. According to Dan Stanislawski,

5368-574: The Buri). During the caliphate of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I , commander Tariq ibn-Ziyad led a small force that landed at Gibraltar on 30 April 711, ostensibly to intervene in a Visigothic civil war. After a decisive victory over King Roderic at the Battle of Guadalete on 19 July 711, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, joined by the Arab governor Musa ibn Nusayr of Ifriqiya , brought most of the Visigothic kingdom under Muslim occupation in

5490-664: The Christian Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula , were a mix of Berbers from North Africa and Arabs from the Middle East . By 714 Évora , Santarém and Coimbra had been conquered, and two years later Lisbon was in Muslim control. By 718 most of today's Portuguese territory was under Umayyad rule. The Umayyads eventually stopped in Poitiers but Muslim rule in Iberia would last until 1492 with

5612-588: The Commonwealth. In June 2022, Gabon joined the Commonwealth as its 55th member. In August 2023, following the announcement that Ali Bongo had won a third term in the general election , military officers announced that they had taken power in a coup d'état and cancelled the election results. They also dissolved state institutions including the Judiciary, Parliament and the constitutional assembly. On 31 August 2023, army officers who seized power, ending

5734-576: The Council of Portugal. In the kingdom of Portugal, the polisynodial system is reinforced: Nevertheless, the political conjuncture needed urgent reactions, and in this context a system of meetings appeared for specific issues, as the Junta for the reform of the Council of Portugal (1606–1607, 1610), the Junta for the classification of the debts to the treasury (since 1627) or the Juntas for the organization of

5856-636: The Council of War was created to organize all the operations. Next, the king created the Junta of the Frontiers, to take care of the fortresses near the border, the hypothetical defense of Lisbon , and the garrisons and sea ports. In December 1641, a tenancy was created to assure upgrades on all fortresses that would be paid with regional taxes. John IV also organized the army, established the Military Laws of King Sebastian, and developed intense diplomatic activity focused on restoring good relations with England. After gaining several decisive victories, John quickly tried to make peace. His demand that Philip recognize

5978-492: The Councils took place in the royal palace, and they did not count on the presence of the king habitually. In this polisynodial system stood out for its importance, the Consejo de Estado (Council of State). Relating to the particular government of the kingdom of Portugal itself. During the union of the kingdom of Portugal to the Spanish monarchy, the Spanish Habsburgs on the whole respected the pledges made at Thomar in 1581 to allow considerable Portuguese autonomy and to respected

6100-452: The Elder among others, about the social organization, and describing the inhabitants of these territories, the Gallaeci of Northern Portugal as: "A group of barbarians who spend the day fighting and the night eating, drinking and dancing under the moon." There were other similar tribes, and chief among them were the Lusitanians ; the core area of these people lay in inland central Portugal, while numerous other related tribes existed such as

6222-432: The House of Aviz and the period of the Iberian Union, led Portugal to a state of dependency on its colonies, first India and then Brazil . Due to complexity in the management of government affairs, the Spanish Monarch established auxiliary bodies called Councils ( Consejos ), dedicated to providing advice toward resolution of problems. The Councils needed a permanent seat, and so King Philip II of Spain established in 1562

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6344-424: The Iberian Peninsula in Portugal and Galicia. Orosius , at that time resident in Hispania, shows a rather pacific initial settlement, the newcomers working their lands or serving as bodyguards of the locals. Another Germanic group that accompanied the Suebi and settled in Gallaecia were the Buri . They settled in the region between the rivers Cávado and Homem , in the area known as Terras de Bouro (Lands of

6466-474: The Iberian Union in 1640, Portugal would reestablish its authority over the lost territories of the Portuguese Empire . The Dutch intrusion into Brazil was long-lasting and troublesome for Portugal. The Seventeen Provinces captured a large portion of the Brazilian coast including Bahia (and its capital Salvador ), Pernambuco (and its capital Recife ), Paraíba , Rio Grande do Norte , Ceará , and Sergipe , while Dutch privateers sacked Portuguese ships in both

6588-446: The Islamic State of Al-Andalus , gradually advancing through Iberia. In 1095, Portugal broke away from the Kingdom of Galicia . Afonso Henriques , son of the count Henry of Burgundy , proclaimed himself king of Portugal in 1139. The Algarve (the southernmost province of Portugal) was conquered from the Moors in 1249, and in 1255 Lisbon became the capital. Portugal's land boundaries have remained almost unchanged since then. During

6710-432: The Navigator , and opened an oceanic route for the profitable spice trade into Europe that bypassed the Middle East . Throughout the 17th century, the increasing predations and beleaguering of Portuguese trading posts in the East by the Dutch, English and French, and their rapidly growing intrusion into the Atlantic slave trade undermined Portugal's near monopoly on the lucrative oceanic spice and slave trades. This sent

6832-407: The North were also attacked by Norman and Viking raiders mainly from 844. The last great invasion, through the Minho (river) , ended with the defeat of Olaf II Haraldsson in 1014 against the Galician nobility who also stopped further advances into the County of Portugal. At the end of the 9th century, a small minor county based in the area of Portus Cale was established by Vímara Peres on

6954-399: The Portuguese spice trade into a long decline. To a lesser extent, the diversion of wealth from Portugal by the Habsburg monarchy to help support the Catholic side of the Thirty Years' War also created strains within the union, although Portugal did benefit from Spanish military power in helping to retain Brazil and in disrupting Dutch trade. These events, and those that occurred at the end of

7076-618: The Portuguese title and fought the Battle of Pedroso on 18 February 1071 with Garcia II of Galicia , who gained the Galician title, which included Portugal, after the 1065 partition of the Leonese realms. The battle resulted in Nuno Mendes' death and the declaration of Garcia as King of Portugal , the first person to claim this title. Garcia styled himself as "King of Portugal and Galicia" ( Garcia Rex Portugallie et Galleciae ). Garcia's brothers, Sancho II of Castile and Alfonso VI of Leon , united and annexed Garcia's kingdom in 1071 as well. They agreed to split it among themselves; however, Sancho

7198-405: The Portuguese way of living in regions North of the Tagus is mostly inherited from the Suebi, in which small farms prevail, distinct from the large properties of Southern Portugal. Bracara Augusta, the modern city of Braga and former capital of Gallaecia , became the capital of the Suebi. Apart from cultural and some linguistic traces, the Suebians left the highest Germanic genetic contribution of

7320-415: The Portuguese), the Portuguese counts started using the title of duke, indicating even larger importance and territory. The region became known simultaneously as Portucale , Portugale , and Portugalia  – the County of Portugal . The Kingdom of Asturias was later divided as a result of dynastic disputes; the northern region of Portugal became part of the Kingdom of Galicia and later part of

7442-464: The Roman conquest. In southern Portugal, some small, semi-permanent commercial coastal settlements were also founded by Phoenician-Carthaginians. Modern archaeology and research shows a Portuguese root to the Celts in Portugal and elsewhere. During that period and until the Roman invasions, the Castro culture (a variation of the Urnfield culture also known as Urnenfelderkultur ) was prolific in Portugal and modern Galicia. This culture, together with

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7564-433: The United States due to harsh volcanic conditions. In 1910, a revolution deposed the monarchy. A military coup in 1926 installed a dictatorship that remained until another coup in 1974. The new government instituted sweeping democratic reforms and granted independence to all of Portugal's African colonies in 1975. Portugal is a founding member of NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),

7686-427: The Visigoth influence. From 470, conflict between the Suebi and Visigoths increased. By 500, the Visigothic Kingdom had been installed in Iberia, it was based in Toledo and advancing westwards. They became a threat to the Suebian rule. After the death of Remismund in 469 a dark period set in, where virtually all written texts and accounts disappear. This period lasted until 550. The only thing known about this period

7808-399: The Visigoths moved south to expel the Alans and Vandals and founded a kingdom with its capital in Toledo . In 448 Rechila died, leaving the state in expansion to Rechiar . Subsequently, this new king started to print coins under his own name, becoming the first of the Germanic kings to do so, and then was baptised to Nicene Christianity , probably by the Bishop Balconius , also becoming

7930-468: The area beginning in the 14th century. Portuguese explorers and traders arrived in the area in the late 15th century. The coast subsequently became a centre of the transatlantic slave trade with European slave traders arriving to the region in the 16th century. In 1839 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coast. In 1849, captives released from a captured slave ship founded Libreville . In 1862–1887, France expanded its control including

8052-443: The arrival of the Roman army in the Iberian Peninsula in 218 BC during the Second Punic War against Carthage . The Romans sought to conquer Lusitania , a territory that included all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and Spanish Extremadura , with its capital at Emerita Augusta (now Mérida ). Mining was the primary factor that made the Romans interested in conquering the region: one of Rome's strategic objectives

8174-416: The border-less region of the northern Iberian peninsula. These were subsistence societies and although they did not establish prosperous settlements, they did form organized societies. Neolithic Portugal experimented with domestication of herding animals, the raising of some cereal crops and fluvial or marine fishing. Pre-Celtic tribes inhabited Portugal leaving a cultural footprint. The Cynetes developed

8296-415: The border. The most significant battles being the Battle of Montijo on May 26, 1644, the Battle of the Lines of Elvas (1659), the Battle of Ameixial (1663), the Battle of Castelo Rodrigo (1664), and the Battle of Montes Claros (1665); the Portuguese were victorious in all of these battles. Several decisions made by John IV to strengthen his forces made these victories possible. On December 11, 1640,

8418-425: The breakaway Morena Fundamental and the Gabonese Progress Party . The April 1990 conference approved sweeping political reforms, including creation of a national Senate, decentralization of the budgetary process, freedom of assembly and press, and cancellation of the exit visa requirement. In an attempt to guide the political system's transformation to multiparty democracy, Bongo resigned as PDG chairman and created

8540-459: The coast. They named the Gabon region after the Portuguese word gabão — a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Komo River estuary. More European merchants came to the region in the 16th century, trading for slaves , ivory and tropical woods. In 1838 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coastal regions of Gabon by treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs. American missionaries from New England established

8662-421: The coastal belt of the Algarve , Póvoa de Varzim , Matosinhos , Troia and the coast of Lisbon, for the manufacture of garum that was exported by Roman trade routes to the entire empire. Business transactions were facilitated by coinage and the construction of an extensive road network, bridges and aqueducts, such as Trajan's bridge in Aquae Flaviae (now Chaves ). Roman rule brought geographical mobility to

8784-530: The date of the Battle of São Mamede . Afonso proclaimed himself Prince of Portugal after this battle and in 1139, he assumed the title King of Portugal . In 1143, the Kingdom of León recognised him as King of Portugal by the Treaty of Zamora . In 1179, the papal bull Manifestis Probatum of Pope Alexander III officially recognised Afonso I as king. After the Battle of São Mamede , the first capital of Portugal

8906-460: The druid, mainly referring to medical and religious functions that could be common to several castros. The Celtic cosmogony remained homogeneous due to the ability of the druids to meet in councils with the druids of other areas, which ensured the transmission of knowledge and the most significant events. The first documentary references to Castro society are provided by chroniclers of Roman military campaigns such as Strabo , Herodotus and Pliny

9028-415: The empire and, at the end of the century, the emperor Diocletian founded the province of Gallaecia , which included modern-day northern Portugal , with its capital at Bracara Augusta (now Braga ). As well as mining, the Romans also developed agriculture, on some of the best agricultural land in the empire. In what is now Alentejo , vines and cereals were cultivated, and fishing was intensively pursued in

9150-736: The establishment of the provinces of Lusitania in the south and Gallaecia in the north of what is now Portugal. Following the fall of Rome, Germanic tribes controlled the territory between the 5th and 8th centuries, including the Kingdom of the Suebi centred in Braga and the Visigothic Kingdom in the south. The 711–716 invasion by the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Visigoth Kingdom and founded

9272-507: The extent that the defeat of the royal army left the entire land open to the invaders. The resulting power vacuum , which may have indeed caught Tariq completely by surprise, would have aided the Muslim conquest immensely. Indeed, it may have been equally welcome to the Hispano-Roman peasants who – as D.W. Lomax claims – were disillusioned by the prominent legal, linguistic and social divide between them and

9394-537: The fall of the Kingdom of Granada . For the next several centuries, much of the Iberian Peninsula remained under Umayyad rule. Much of the populace was allowed to remain Christian, and many of the lesser feudal rulers worked out deals where they would submit to Umayyad rule in order to remain in power. They would pay a jizya tax, kill or turn over rebels, and in return receive support from the central government. But some regions, including Lisbon, Gharb Al-Andalus , and

9516-511: The first of the Germanic kings to do so, even before Clovis , king of the Franks . This bellicose king, almost conquered the whole of Hispania , taking many prisoners and several important cities, but failed to consolidate his conquest over the territory and didn't even come near Tarragona . After the assassination of the patrician Flavius Aëtius , Rechiar attempted, yet again, to conquer

9638-605: The headwaters of the Congo River . France occupied Gabon in 1885, but did not administer it until 1903. Gabon's first political party, the Jeunesse Gabonais , was founded around 1922. In 1910 Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa . On 15 July 1960 France agreed to Gabon becoming fully independent. On 17 August 1960 Gabon became an independent country. At the time of Gabon's independence in 1960, two principal political parties existed:

9760-460: The inhabitants of Portugal and increased their interaction with the rest of the world as well as internally. Soldiers often served in different regions and eventually settled far from their birthplace, while the development of mining attracted migration into the mining areas. The Romans founded numerous cities, such as Olisipo (Lisbon), Bracara Augusta (Braga), Aeminium (Coimbra) and Pax Julia (Beja), and left important cultural legacies in what

9882-425: The interior of the state, and took full sovereignty. In 1910 Gabon became part of French Equatorial Africa and in 1960, Gabon became independent. At the time of Gabon's independence, two principal political parties existed: the Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG), led by Léon M'Ba , and the Gabonese Democratic and Social Union (UDSG), led by Jean-Hilaire Aubame . In the first post-independence election , held under

10004-569: The joined Romano-Celtic name Portus Cale . The region was settled by Pre- Celts and Celts, giving origin to peoples like the Gallaeci , Lusitanians , Celtici and Cynetes (also known as Conii ). Some coastal areas were visited by Phoenicians - Carthaginians and Ancient Greeks . It was incorporated in the Roman Republic dominions as Lusitania and part of Gallaecia , after 45 BC until 298 AD. The region of present-day Portugal

10126-419: The navies of succor of Brazil (since 1637)... The union of the two crowns deprived Portugal of a separate foreign policy, and Spain's enemies became Portugal's. England had been an ally of Portugal since the Treaty of Windsor in 1386. War between Spain and England led to a deterioration of the relations with Portugal's oldest ally, and the loss of Hormuz . English help provided by Elizabeth I of England in

10248-463: The new ruling dynasty in Portugal was not fulfilled until the reign of his son Afonso VI , during the regency of Afonso's brother Infante Pedro , by the Treaty of Lisbon (1668) . History of Portugal The history of Portugal can be traced from circa 400,000 years ago, when the region of present-day Portugal was inhabited by Homo heidelbergensis . The Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula , which lasted almost two centuries, led to

10370-491: The nobility and high bourgeoisie on December 1, 1640, 60 years after the crowning of Philip I. The plot was planned by Antão Vaz de Almada , Miguel de Almeida and João Pinto Ribeiro . They, together with several associates, killed Secretary of State Miguel de Vasconcelos and imprisoned the king's cousin, the Duchess of Mantua , who had governed Portugal in his name. The moment was well chosen, as Philip's troops were at

10492-598: The north of what is now Portugal. Porto stems from the Latin word for port or harbour, portus , with the second element Cale ' s meaning and precise origin being less clear. The mainstream explanation points to an ethnonym derived from the Callaeci also known as the Gallaeci peoples, who occupied the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. The names Cale and Callaici are the origin of today's Gaia and Galicia . Another theory proposes that Cale or Calle

10614-508: The north, such as the Fang . Little is known of tribal life before European contact, but tribal art suggests a rich cultural heritage. Gabon's first confirmed European visitors were Portuguese explorers and traders who arrived in the late 15th century. At this time, the southern coast was controlled by the Kingdom of Loango . The Portuguese settled on the offshore islands of São Tomé , Príncipe , and Fernando Pó , but were regular visitors to

10736-459: The once rich and fertile kingdom of the Suebi into the sixth province of the Visigothic kingdom . Leovigild was crowned King of Gallaecia, Hispania and Gallia Narbonensis . For the next 300 years and by the year 700, the entire Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Visigoths . With the Visigoths settled in the newly formed kingdom, a new class emerged that had been unknown in Roman times:

10858-496: The opposition 16. Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo (then known as Albert Bongo) were elected President and Vice President, with the BDG winning all 47 seats in the National Assembly. M'Ba died later that year, and Omar Bongo became president. In March 1968 Bongo declared Gabon

10980-464: The orders of King Alfonso III of León, Galicia and Asturias. After annexing the County of Portugal into one of the several counties that made up its realms, King Alfonso III named Vímara Peres as its first count. Since the rule of Count Diogo Fernandes , the county increased in size and importance and, from the 10th century onward, with Count Gonçalo Mendes as Magnus Dux Portucalensium (Grand Duke of

11102-721: The other hand, the Iberian Union opened to both countries a worldwide span of control, as Portugal dominated the African and Asian coasts that surrounded the Indian Ocean , and Spain the Pacific Ocean and both sides of Central and South America , while both shared the Atlantic Ocean space. When Philip II of Portugal (Philip III of Spain) died, he was succeeded by Philip III (and IV of Spain) who had

11224-655: The permanent capital in Madrid, seat of the Royal Court and of the administrative staff. During a brief period (1601–1606), the whole administrative staff held court in Valladolid . Administrative correspondence originated from different Councils and was delivered by each Council Secretary to Madrid for the attention of the Crown. The king would later assemble the secretaries to request the Council's opinion. The meetings of

11346-717: The port of the Gauls or Celts. Around 200 BC, the Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War . In the process they conquered Cale, renaming it Portus Cale ('Port of Cale') and incorporating it in the province of Gaellicia with its capital in Bracara Augusta (modern day Braga , Portugal). During the Middle Ages , the region around Portus Cale became known by

11468-679: The president. After further review by a constitutional committee and the National Assembly, this document came into force in March 1991. Under the 1991 constitution, in the event of the president's death, the Prime Minister, the National Assembly president, and the defence minister were to share power until a new election could be held. Opposition to the PDG continued, however, and in September 1990, two coup d'état attempts were uncovered and aborted. Despite anti-government demonstrations after

11590-468: The reign of King John I , the Portuguese defeated the Castilians in a war over the throne (1385) and established a political alliance with England (by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386). From the late Middle Ages , in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's " Age of Discovery " as it built up a vast empire . Signs of military decline began with

11712-442: The rest of the country's history. The border with Spain has remained almost unchanged since the 13th century. The Treaty of Windsor (1386) created an alliance between Portugal and England that remains in effect to this day. Since early times, fishing and overseas commerce have been the main economic activities. History of Gabon Little is known of the history of Gabon before European contact. Bantu migrants settled

11834-486: The rest of what would become Portugal, rebelled, succeeded in freeing themselves by the early 10th century In 718 AD, a Visigothic noble named Pelagius was elected leader by the ousted Visigoth nobles. Pelagius called for the remnant of the Christian Visigothic armies to rebel against the Moors and re-group in the unconquered northern Asturian highlands, better known today as the Cantabrian Mountains ,

11956-414: The results as representative despite any perceived irregularities. Legislative elections held in 2001–2002, which were boycotted by a number of smaller opposition parties and were widely criticized for their administrative weaknesses, produced a National Assembly almost completely dominated by the PDG and allied independents. Omar Bongo died at a Spanish hospital on 8 June 2009. His son Ali Bongo Ondimba

12078-561: The return from this failed campaign Miro died, thereby ending the prominence of the Suebi in Hispanic politics, and in two years the kingdom would be conquered by the Visigoths. In the Suebian Kingdom many internal struggles continued to take place. Eborico (Eurico, 583–584) was dethroned by Andeca (Audeca 584–585), who failed to prevent the Visigothic invasion led by Liuvigild . The Visigothic invasion, completed in 585, turned

12200-590: The surviving elements of the Atlantic megalithic culture and the contributions that come from the more Western Mediterranean cultures, ended up in what has been called the Cultura Castreja or Castro Culture . This designation refers to the characteristic Celtic populations called 'dùn', 'dùin' or 'don' in Gaelic and that the Romans called castrae in their chronicles. Based on the Roman chronicles about

12322-497: The territories of its empire. Public offices were reserved for Portuguese subjects at home and overseas. The king was represented at Lisbon sometimes by a governor and sometimes by a viceroy. So, Spain left the administration of Portugal and its empire largely to the Portuguese themselves, under general supervision from Madrid channeled through a viceroy in Lisbon. Important matters, however, were referred to Madrid, where they came before

12444-705: The time fighting the Thirty Years' War and also facing a revolution in Catalonia . The support of the people became apparent almost immediately and soon John, 8th Duke of Braganza , was acclaimed King of Portugal throughout the country as John IV. By December 2, 1640, John had already sent a letter to the Municipal Chamber of Évora as sovereign of the country. The subsequent Portuguese Restoration War against Philip III ( Portuguese : Guerra da Restauração ) consisted mainly of small skirmishes near

12566-566: The toponym Calezun in Gascony . A further explanation proposes Gatelo as having been the origin of present-day Braga , Santiago de Compostela , and consequently the wider regions of Northern Portugal and Galicia. A different theory has it that Cala was the name of a Celtic goddess (drawing a comparison with the Gaelic Cailleach , a supernatural hag). Some French scholars believe the name may have come from Portus Gallus ,

12688-564: The untimely death of an opposition leader, the first multiparty National Assembly elections in almost 30 years took place in September–October 1990, with the PDG garnering a large majority. Following President Bongo's re-election in December 1993 with 51% of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate the election results. Serious civil disturbances led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to work toward

12810-442: The urban remains are quite large, such as Conímbriga and Miróbriga . Several works of engineering, such as baths, temples, bridges, roads, circuses, theatres, and layman's homes are preserved throughout the country. Coins, sarcophagi, and ceramics are also numerous. Following the fall of Rome, the Kingdom of the Suebi and the Visigothic Kingdom controlled the territory between the 5th and 8th centuries. Romanization began with

12932-627: The victimization of the inhabitants. The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula was complete two centuries after the Roman arrival, when they defeated the remaining Cantabri, Astures and Gallaeci in the Cantabrian Wars in the time of Emperor Augustus (19 BC). In 74 AD, Vespasian granted Latin Rights to most municipalities of Lusitania. In 212 AD, the Constitutio Antoniniana gave Roman citizenship to all free subjects of

13054-531: The whole of the peninsula, however his ambitions were derailed by the invading Visigoths under their king and Roman foederatus Theodoric II acting on the orders of the emperor Avitus . This led to a resounding defeat of the Suebian kingdom, with Rechiar fleeing wounded from Braga, only to be captured at Oporto and executed in December of 456 (d.C.). The realm was then divided, with Frantan and Aguiulfo ruling simultaneously. Both reigned from 456 to 457,

13176-428: The year in which Maldras (457–459) reunified the kingdom. He was assassinated after a failed Roman-Visigothic conspiracy. Although the conspiracy did not achieve its true purposes, the Suebian Kingdom was again divided between two kings: Frumar (Frumario 459–463) and Remismund (Remismundo, son of Maldras ) (459–469) who would re-reunify his father's kingdom in 463. He would be forced to adopt Arianism in 465 due to

13298-465: Was Guimarães , from which the first king ruled. Later, when Portugal was already officially independent, he ruled from Coimbra. The Algarve , the southernmost region of Portugal, was finally conquered from the Moors in 1249, and in 1255 the capital shifted to Lisbon . Spain finally completed its Reconquista until 1492 , almost 250 years later. Portugal's land boundaries have been notably stable for

13420-552: Was a decline in urban life during the Dark Ages . Roman institutions declined in the wake of the Germanic invasions with the exception of ecclesiastical organizations, which were fostered by the Suebi in the fifth century and adopted by the Visigoths afterwards. Although the Suebi and Visigoths were initially followers of Arianism and Priscillianism , they adopted Catholicism from the local inhabitants. St. Martin of Braga

13542-622: Was a particularly influential evangelist at this time. The Kingdom of the Suebi was the Germanic post-Roman kingdom, established in the former Roman provinces of Gallaecia - Lusitania . 5th-century vestiges of Alan settlements were found in Alenquer (from old Germanic Alan kerk , temple of the Alans ), Coimbra and Lisbon. King Hermeric made a peace treaty with the Gallaecians before passing his domains to Rechila , his son. In 429,

13664-551: Was already referred to as Portugal . The 14th-century Middle French name for the country, Portingal , which added an intrusive /n/ sound through the process of excrescence , spread to Middle English . Middle English variant spellings included Portingall , Portingale , Portyngale and Portingaill . The spelling Portyngale is found in Chaucer's Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale . These variants survive in

13786-586: Was elected president in the August 2009 presidential election . He was re-elected in August 2016 , in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations and post-election violence. On 24 October 2018, Ali Bongo Ondimbao was hospitalized in Riyadh for an undisclosed illness. On 29 November 2018 Bongo was transferred to a military hospital in Rabat to continue recovery. On 9 December 2018 it

13908-507: Was found in the south, in Lisbon and beyond, while in the Christian realms Galician-Portuguese and Asturian architecture prevailed. As a vassal of the Kingdom of León, Portugal grew in power and territory and occasionally gained de facto independence during weak Leonese reigns; Count Mendo Gonçalves even became regent of the Kingdom of Leon between 999 and 1008. In 1070, the Portuguese Count Nuno Mendes desired

14030-496: Was held. The councils represented an advance in the organization of the territory (paroeciam suevorum (Suebian parish) and the Christianization of the pagan population ( De correctione rusticorum ) under the auspices of Saint Martin of Braga (São Martinho de Braga). The Visigothic civil war began in 577, in which Miro intervened. Later, in 583, he also organized an unsuccessful expedition to reconquer Seville. During

14152-584: Was inhabited by humans since circa 400,000 years ago, when Homo heidelbergensis entered the area. The oldest human fossil found in Portugal is the 400,000-year-old Aroeira 3 H. Heidelbergensis skull discovered in the Cave of Aroeira in 2014. Later Neanderthals roamed the northern Iberian peninsula and a tooth has been found at Nova da Columbeira cave in Estremadura . Homo sapiens sapiens arrived in Portugal around 35,000 years ago, spreading and roaming

14274-439: Was killed by a noble the next year. Alfonso took Castile for himself and Garcia recovered his kingdom of Portugal and Galicia. In 1073, Alfonso VI gathered all power, and beginning in 1077, styled himself Imperator totius Hispaniæ (Emperor of All Hispania). When the emperor died, the Crown was left to his daughter Urraca , while his illegitimate daughter Teresa inherited the County of Portugal ; in 1095, Portugal broke away from

14396-570: Was made up of the Suebi and Vandals in Gallaecia , who founded the Kingdom of the Suebi with its capital in Braga . They came to dominate Aeminium ( Coimbra ) as well, and there were Visigoths to the south. The Suebi and the Visigoths were the Germanic tribes who had the most lasting presence in the territories corresponding to modern Portugal. As elsewhere in Western Europe, there

14518-497: Was re-elected president in December 1979 and November 1986 to 7-year terms. Using the PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that divided Gabonese politics in the past, Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development policies. Economic discontent and a desire for political liberalization provoked violent demonstrations and strikes by students and workers in early 1990. In response to worker grievances, Bongo negotiated on

14640-523: Was reported by Gabon's Vice President Moussavou that Bongo suffered a stroke in Riyadh and has since left the hospital in Rabat and is currently recovering at a private residence in Rabat. Since 24 October 2018 Bongo has not been seen in public and due to lack of evidence that he is either alive or dead many have speculated if he is truly alive or not. On 1 January 2019 Bongo gave his first public address via

14762-501: Was to become Portugal, they mainly consisted of the old Roman province of Lusitania (the central and southern regions of the country), while Gallaecia (the northern regions) remained unsubdued. Until the Berber revolt in the 730s, al-Andalus was treated as a dependency of Umayyad North Africa. Subsequently, links were strained until the caliphate was overthrown in the late 740s. The Medieval Muslim Moors , who conquered and destroyed

14884-708: Was to cut off Carthaginian access to the Iberian copper, tin, gold, and silver mines. The Romans intensely exploited the Aljustrel (Vipasca) and Santo Domingo mines in the Iberian Pyrite Belt which extends to Seville . While the south of what is now Portugal was relatively easily occupied by the Romans, the conquest of the north was achieved only with difficulty due to resistance from Serra da Estrela by Celts and Lusitanians led by Viriatus , who managed to resist Roman expansion for years. Viriatus,

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