The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

in the western

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

and the predecessor of the modern

Portuguese Republic Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the ...

. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the

Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * Kingdom (British TV series), ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 200 ...

after 1415, and as the

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil ...

between 1815 and 1822. The name is also often applied to the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

, the realm's overseas colonies. The nucleus of the Portuguese state was the

County of Portugal The County of Portugal ( pt, Condado de Portugal, Condado Portucalense, Condado de Portucale; in documents of the period the name used was Portugalia) refers to two successive medieval counties in the region around Braga and Porto, today corres ...

, established in the 9th century as part of the ''

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

'', by

Vímara Peres Vímara PeresVímara is an originally Visigothic name of Germanic origin (cognate with Weimar or Guimar) and Peres is a patronymic, meaning son of Pedro or Peter. The name can then be equated to Weimar/Guimar Peterson. (died in Galicia, 873) w ...

, a vassal of the

King of Asturias This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Asturias, a kingdom in the Iberian peninsula during the Early Middle Ages. It originated as a refuge for Visigothic nobles following the conquest of Iberia by the Umayyad Caliphate. Following the for ...

. The county became part of the Kingdom of León in 1097, and the Counts of Portugal established themselves as rulers of an independent kingdom in the 12th century, following the

battle of São Mamede The Battle of São Mamede ( pt, Batalha de São Mamede, ) took place on 24 June 1128 near Guimarães and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal and the battle that ensured Portugal's Independence. Portugues ...

. The kingdom was ruled by the Alfonsine Dynasty until the 1383–85 Crisis, after which the monarchy passed to the House of Aviz. During the 15th and 16th century,

Portuguese exploration Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...

established a vast colonial empire. From 1580 to 1640, the Kingdom of Portugal was in

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

with Habsburg Spain. After the Portuguese Restoration War of 1640–1668, the kingdom passed to the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...

and thereafter to the

House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha The House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (also known as the House of Saxe-Coburg-Braganza or the Constitutional Branch of the Braganzas) is a term used to categorize the last four rulers of the Kingdom of Portugal, and their families, from 1853 ...

. From this time, the influence of Portugal declined, but it remained a major power due to its most valuable colony,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. After the independence of Brazil, Portugal sought to establish itself in Africa, but was ultimately forced to halt its expansion due to the 1890 British Ultimatum, eventually leading to the collapse of the monarchy in the

5 October 1910 revolution The 5 October 1910 revolution was the overthrow of the centuries-old Portuguese monarchy and its replacement by the First Portuguese Republic. It was the result of a ''coup d'état'' organized by the Portuguese Republican Party. By 1910, the K ...

and the establishment of the

First Portuguese Republic The First Portuguese Republic ( pt, Primeira República Portuguesa; officially: ''República Portuguesa'', Portuguese Republic) spans a complex 16-year period in the history of Portugal, between the end of the period of constitutional monarchy ...

. Portugal was an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...

before 1822. It alternated between absolute and

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

from 1822 until 1834, when it would remain a constitutional monarchy until its fall.

History

Origins

The Kingdom of Portugal finds its origins in the

(1096–1139). The Portuguese County was a semi-autonomous county of the Kingdom of León. Independence from León took place in three stages: # The first on 26 July 1139 when

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

was acclaimed King of the PortugueseWilner, Hero, Weiner, p. 190 internally. # The second was on 5 October 1143, when Alfonso VII of León and Castile recognized Afonso Henriques as king through the

Treaty of Zamora The Treaty of Zamora (5 October 1143) recognized Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León. Based on the terms of the accord, King Alfonso VII of León recognized the Kingdom of Portugal in the presence of his cousin King Afonso I of Po ...

. # The third, in 1179, was the Papal Bull ''

Manifestis Probatum ''Manifestis Probatum'' is a papal bull dated 23 May 1179, in which Pope Alexander III officially recognised the ruler and self-proclaimed king Afonso Henriques as the first sovereign King of Portugal. The Papacy did not at first recognize the l ...

'', in which Portugal's independence was recognized by Pope Alexander III. Once Portugal was independent, D. Afonso I's descendants, members of the Portuguese House of Burgundy, would rule Portugal until 1383. Even after the change in royal houses, all the monarchs of Portugal were descended from Afonso I, one way or another, through both legitimate and illegitimate links.

Medieval history (1139–1415)

Renaissance and early modern history (1415–1777)

Modern history (1777–1910)

Fall of the Monarchy

With the start of the 20th century, Republicanism grew in numbers and support in Lisbon among progressive politicians and the influential press. However a minority with regard to the rest of the country, this height of republicanism would benefit politically from the

Lisbon Regicide The Lisbon Regicide or Regicide of 1908 ( pt, Regicídio de 1908) was the assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal and the Algarves and his heir-apparent, Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, by assassins sympathetic to Republican interests ...

on 1 February 1908. While returning from the Ducal Palace at

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is ...

, King Charles and the Prince Royal Luís Filipe were assassinated in the

Terreiro do Paço Terreiro is a town and commune of Angola, located in the province of Cuanza Norte. See also * Communes of Angola The Communes of Angola ( pt, comunas) are administrative units in Angola after municipalities. The 163 municipalities of Ango ...

, in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. With the death of the King and his heir, Charles I's second son would become monarch as King Manuel II. Manuel's reign, however, would be short-lived, ending by force with the

, sending Manuel into exile in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and giving way to the

Portuguese First Republic The First Portuguese Republic ( pt, Primeira República Portuguesa; officially: ''República Portuguesa'', Portuguese Republic) spans a complex 16-year period in the history of Portugal, between the end of the period of constitutional monarchy ...

. On 19 January 1919, the

Monarchy of the North The Monarchy of the North ( pt, Monarquia do Norte), officially the Kingdom of Portugal (), was a short-lived counter-revolution against the First Portuguese Republic and a monarchist government that occurred in Northern Portugal in early 1919. ...

was proclaimed in

Oporto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

. The monarchy would be deposed a month later and no other monarchist counterrevolution in Portugal has happened since. After the republican revolution in October 1910, the remaining colonies of the empire became overseas provinces of the

until the late 20th century, when the last overseas territories of Portugal were handed over. Most notably in Portuguese Africa which included the overseas provinces of

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

of which the handover took place in 1975, and finally in Asia the handover of

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

in 1999.

Rulers

Gallery

File:Brasão de armas do reino de Portugal (1139).svg, Shield of the Kingdom of Portugal (1185–1248) File:Brasão de armas do reino de Portugal (1247).svg, Shield of the Kingdom of Portugal (1248–1385) File:Brasão de armas do reino de Portugal (1385).svg, Shield of the Kingdom of Portugal (1385–1481) File:Royal Arms of Portugal.svg, Shield of the Kingdom of Portugal (1481–1495) File:Flag of Portugal (1495).svg, Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal (1495–1521) File:Flag of Portugal (1521).svg, Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal (1521–1578) File:Flag of Portugal (1616).svg, Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal (1580–1610) File:Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Portugal 1640-1910 (3).svg, Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Portugal (1610–1815) File:LDAM (f. 010) Rei de Portugal.jpg, Arms of the King of Portugal depicted in the ''Livro do Armeiro-Mor'' (c. 1509)

Footnotes

Citations

References

* Joaquim Veríssimo Serrão, ''História de Portugal: Do mindelo á regeneração (1832–1851)'' * José Mattoso, António Manuel Hespanha, ''História de Portugal 4: O Antigo Regime (1620–1807)'', (1998) * Simão José da Luz Soriano, ''Historia da Guerra Civil e do estabelecimento do governo parlamentar em Portugal: comprehedendo a historia diplomatica, militar e politica d'este reino desde 1777 até 1834'' Volume 9 (1893) * Jacinto de São Miguel (Frei), Martinho Augusto Ferreira da Fonseca, ''Mosteiro de Belém: Relação da insigne e real casa de Santa Maria de Belém'' (1901) * Mark Willner, George Hero, Jerry Weiner, ''Global History Volume I: The Ancient World to the Age of Revolution'' (2006) * Douglas L. Wheeler, ''Republican Portugal: A Political History, 1910–1926'' (1998) {{Former Monarchies 1139 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Portugal 1910 disestablishments in Portugal 1910 disestablishments in the Portuguese Empire Kingdom 01

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Kingdom 01 Portugal 01 Portugal 01 Portugal 01 Kingdom 01 Kingdom 01 Kingdom 01 Kingdom 01 Kingdom 01 States and territories disestablished in 1910 States and territories established in 1139