The History of Portugal

Beautiful Porto in Portugal - my favourite place in town -
 own picture taken in 2019

 

The Story of Portugal possesses a peculiar interest from the fact that it is to its history alone that the country owes its existence as a separate nation Geographically, the little kingdom is an integral portion of the Iberian peninsula, with no natural boundaries to distinguish it from that larger portion of the peninsula called Spain; its inhabitants spring from the same stock as the Spaniards, and their language differs but slightly from the Spanish. Its early history is merged in that of the rest of the peninsula, and but for two great men, Affonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, and John I., the founder of the house of Aviz, Portugal would not at the present day rank among the independent nations of Europe. The first of these monarchs created his dominions into a kingdom like Leon, Castile, and Aragon, and the latter encouraged the maritime explorations which gave the little country an individuality and national existence, of which it was justly proud. When Philip II. annexed Portugal in 1580, it was at least a century too late for the Portuguese to coalesce with the Spaniards. They had then produced Vasco da Gama and Alboquerque and other great captains and explorers, who had shown Europe the way to India by sea; and their tongue had been developed by the genius of Camoens and Sá de Miranda, from a Romance dialect, similar to those used in Gallicia, Castile, or Aragon, into a great literary language. Conscious of its national history, Portugal broke away again from Spain in 1640, and under the protection of England maintained its separate existence during the eighteenth century…

Portugal, a beautiful country in West Europe near the Atlantic Ocean always had interested me very much. Besides the lovely cities, the Algarve and the excellent port wine, Portugal has more assets for visitors. It really has an amazing (royal) history. That's why I chose to read 'The History of Portugal' via the Kobo reader of Bol.com. 

Book cover

The history of Portugal is clearly written by H.Morse Stephens. The book is divided in comprehensible chapters and it mentions all the big events in the history of the country. And of course it has a chapter about the great explorers of Portugal.

In my country, due to Covid-19, there is something as a staycation. With books as this one, though it is about history, I can make a virtual travel to one of the most beautiful countries in southern Europe ... 

I will use this book to study the interesting Portuguese (royal) history and it really is to recommend for anyone who is interested in history and the most important events in Portugal.