A brief, dated history of Portugal.
Ancient and Moorish times
Inhabited by the Lusitanians and then Romanised as Lusitania, the territory was overrun by Germanic tribes and, from 711 AD, by the Moors of North Africa, who ruled much of Iberia for centuries.
Birth of a kingdom (1139–1249)
Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal in 1139, recognised in 1143 — making Portugal one of Europe oldest nation-states. The Reconquest of the south was completed with the capture of the Algarve in 1249, giving Portugal borders that have barely changed since.
The Age of Discovery (15th–16th centuries)
Under Prince Henry the Navigator, tiny Portugal led Europe into the oceans. The capture of Ceuta in 1415 began the expansion; Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498; and Pedro Álvares Cabral reached Brazil in 1500. Portugal built a global trading empire and spread its language across four continents.
Decline, earthquake and Brazil (1580–1822)
From 1580 to 1640 Portugal shared a crown with Spain (the Iberian Union) before regaining independence. The catastrophic Lisbon earthquake of 1755 destroyed the capital, which was rebuilt on a grand plan. Brazil, long the empire jewel, became independent in 1822.
Republic and dictatorship (1910–1974)
The monarchy fell and a republic was proclaimed in 1910. From 1933 the authoritarian Estado Novo of António Salazar ruled until the peaceful Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974 restored democracy.
Modern Portugal
Portugal joined the European Economic Community in 1986 and adopted the euro in 2002. Today it is a stable democracy and one of Europe most popular travel destinations.
Informational summary. Dates follow widely accepted historical consensus.