MOMENTS IN HISTORY
1. 3000 BC: Early People and Trade
Stone burial chambers (dolmens) and menhirs are characteristic of this period. By 1000 BC, the Phoenicians had established sizeable trading stations. The Greeks also arrived, but their trade links were severed by the Carthaginians, who blockaded the Straits of Gibraltar, and in 550 BC founded the city of Portus Hannibalis (Portimão).
Menhir dating from c 3000 BC
2. 218–201 BC: Second Punic War
The Romans defeated the Carthaginians, then swept through the Iberian peninsula. During the next 400 years, grand Roman cities and luxurious villas developed.
3. AD 415: Visigoths
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the reins of power were seized by the Visigoths, a formidable warrior caste that came from eastern France and Germany.
4. 711: Arrival of the Moors
Internal strife and persecution among the Visigoths ultimately led to one faction appealing for aid from Muslim North Africa. A large army of Berbers and Arabs conquered huge swathes of the Iberian peninsula. The Moors dominated the Algarve for more than 500 years, giving the region its name, al-Gharb, and turning Silves into an intellectual hub of staggering opulence.
5. Christian Crusades
Though Christians reconquered central Portugal in the 12th century, the Algarve was still firmly under Moorish rule. Dom Sancho (1185–1212) briefly took Silves in 1189, but the city was recaptured by Al-Mansur. Dom Sancho II (1223–48) later launched a campaign to invade southern Portugal with the help of northern European Crusaders.
6. Portugal is Born
Faro was the last Moorish stronghold to fall in 1249. Portuguese sovereignty over the Algarve was confirmed in a treaty with the kingdom of Castile in 1297.
7. Maritime Exploration
The Algarve played a pivotal role in Portugal’s maritime expansion in the 15th century. Henry the Navigator was made governor of the Algarve in 1418 and initiated the voyages of discovery from his bases in Sagres and Lagos. By the time of his death in 1460, Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde islands and much of the west coast of Africa had been mapped. In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias sailed to the Cape of Good Hope, and later Vasco da Gama opened the trade route to India.
Painting of Henry the Navigator
8. Artistic Extravagance
The discovery of gold and diamonds in Brazil during the reign of Pedro II (1683–1706) later financed a period of great artistic extravagance under João V, who ruled Portugal until 1750.
Portrait of Portuguese ruler João V
9. Great Earthquake of 1755
The earthquake of 1755 devastated Lisbon and much of southern Portugal and plunged the nation into a long-lasting crisis. Napoleon’s troops later invaded in 1807.
10. Republicanism and Integration with Europe
The late 19th century witnessed political strife, with Republicanism taking root. António de Oliveira Salazar became prime minister in 1932, and turned around a stagnating economy but with the sacrifice of democracy. The army overthrew the government in 1974 in a near-bloodless coup. On 1 January 2002, the country adopted the euro.
Salazar’s military coup, 1974
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
1. The Moorish King and the Nordic Princess
The mythical king planted thousands of almond trees to convince the princess that the blossom was like the snow she was used to.
2. Henry the Navigator
Henry is said to have assembled the best nautical minds in a prestigious academy, though there is no trace of it today.
3. Curse of the Vixen
On stormy nights, the bellows of a beast can be heard in the hinterland.
4. The Cry of Aben Afen
Listen out for battle cries near Silves – the ghost of the city’s last Arab lord.
5. St Vincent
Cabo de São Vicente is associated with a 4th-century martyr, whose body was watched over by 10 ravens.
6. Enchanted Cássima
The pitiful cries of a Moorish woman supposedly echo in the streets close to Loulé Castle.
7. Hannibal and the Elephants
Legend has it that the famous general landed with his troops at Portimão.
8. Manueline Window
King Dom Sebastião (1557–78) is said to have roused an army from the window at Lagos Castle.
9. Pot of Treasure
A pot full of gold coins lies on the road between Mexilhoeira Grande and Praia da Rocha. Kiss the toad guarding it, and the pot is yours.
10. Capture of Aljezur Castle, 1249
A maid might have prevented the capture, but mistook the attacking knights for Moorish defenders and failed to raise the alarm.
Aljezur Castle, captured in 1249
