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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 45 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Portuguese
Prince Henry. Prince Henry the Navigator founded a school of navigation in the early 15th century and it has been credited with starting the age of these discoveries.
1755. Most of the city was destroyed, all except the oldest part, known as 'Alfama'.
1911. The first Republican Constitution was proclaimed after the monarchy was overthrown.
| Also known as the Western Islands, this archipelago was settled by Portugal around 1427, what islands are these? | Portuguese Historical Trivia
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The Azores. The Azores, also known as The Western Islands, were uninhabitated when discovered in the early 15th century. Some say that they are the remains of the lost continent of Atlantis.
Luis de Camoes. 'Os Lusiadas' is the recounting of the explorations of Vasco da Gama.
Pedro Alvares Cabral. Brazil and Portugal celebrated the 400th anniversary of the exploration of Brazil in the year 2000.
| In 1974, Portugal's long-standing dictatorship was overthrown by a coup d'etat led by the armed forces. What was this non-violent revolution called? | Portuguese Historical Trivia
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Carnation Revolution. The overthrow of the regime was a bloodless coup. The "Velvet Revolution" was the name given to the overthrow of the Communist régime in Czechoslvakia in 1989.
Bartolomeu Dias. The name "Cape of Good Hope" was given to it by King John II, as an omen of the new discoveries to come.
D. Manuel II. Manuel II became King after his father, D. Carlos, and his brother, Prince Luis Filipe, were assassinated. In 1910, Manuel II fled to exile to England.
| Portugal invaded Morocco in 1578 but was completely defeated. Still the Portuguese kept one stronghold in Morocco until 1769. What was the name of this stronghold? | Portuguese Colonial History
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Mazagan (Al-Jadida). In the famous battle at Alcazarquivir in 1578 King Sebastian of Portugal was defeated and slain by the Moors.
| This former Portuguese colony in Asia gained independence 2002. Under Portuguese rule it was known as ________? | Portuguese Colonial History
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Portuguese Timor. It was seized by Indonesia in 1975. Capital: Dili.
| This Portuguese colony in West Africa gained independence 1974. It is bordered by Senegal and Guinea. Before 1974 it was called _________? | Portuguese Colonial History
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Portuguese Guinea . Capital: Bissau.
| Portuguese fortifications were established in Ternate (1513) and Tudore (1519), on the islands called ________? | Portuguese Colonial History
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Spice Islands . Lost to the Dutch in 1605-21.
| In the 20th century, a form of government took over under the leadership of António Oliveira Salazar. He was the chief of state from 1926 to 1970 (date of his death). This government was overthrown by the Revolução dos Cravos of 1974. What was this form of government (legally introduced in 1933) better known as? | Portuguese History
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Estado Novo. The Estado Novo (New State) was a repressive dictatorship which was overthrown by the Revolução dos Cravos (Carnation Revolution) in April 25, 1974. This was an effectively bloodless left-wing military coup that installed the Third Republic.
| From 1580 to 1640, Portugal was under Spanish rule. However, due to the general insatisfaction, there was a war to restore the Portuguese independence. This was called the Restoration War and finally Portugal became an independent nation again. When? | Portuguese History
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December 1, 1640. Portugal fell under Spanish domain because one of its kings (D. Sebastião)died without an heir. When independence was restored, D. João IV was aclaimed as king.
July 10 is Portugal's national day.
| In 1487, one navigator achieved a great accomplishment: he managed to turn the Cape of Storms which, from that point on became known by another name.
Who was this navigator? | Portuguese History
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Bartolomeu Dias. The Cape of Storms was renamed Cape of Good Hope. In the great epic "Lusíadas", it is said that in the Cape of Storms lived a giant named Adamastor (a Greek-type mythological character) which sunk all ships which tried to turn the cape.
This achievement opened the door to India, which was reached in 1498 by Vasco da Gama. Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500 and João da Nova discovered Ascension Island in 1501 and Saint Helena 1502.
| One African city marks the beginning of the Discoveries. It was conquered by the Portuguese in 1415 and it was a rich Islamic trade centre. Which city was this? | Portuguese History
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Ceuta. The primary aims of the conquest were to expel Muslim influence from the area, further promote Christianity, and to tap into the trans-Saharan gold, slave and ivory trade routes, of which Ceuta was the northern terminus.
| Today's capital city of Portugal is Lisboa (or Lisbon). However, the country's first capital city was in the north and it is known to this day as "the city where Portugal was born". Which city is this? | Portuguese History
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Guimarães. There are three cities which were at one time capital of Portugal: Guimarães, Coimbra and Lisboa. In fact, in Guimarães stands to this day the castle and the palace of D. Afonso Henriques. And, in one of the city walls you can see the phrase "Portugal was born here".
| The independence of Portugal was recognized in the Treaty of Zamora, where D. Afonso Henriques had the assistance of a representative of the Holy See. In what century did these events take place? | Portuguese History
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12th. The Treaty of Zamora was signed in 1143 and it recognized the independence of Portugal and gave D. Afonso Henriques the title of "Dux Portucalensis".
But, it was only in 1179 that D. Afonso Henriques was recognized as king by Pope Alexander III.
| There was one event in the Portuguese History that can be called as the seminal event for the foundation of Portugal. It happened in June 24, 1128. What was it? | Portuguese History
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Battle of São Mamede. The Battle of São Mamede opposed D. Afonso Henriques to his mother D. Teresa de Leon. The battle occured near Guimarães and the Portuguese army managed to defeat D. Teresa's army. Following this battle, D. Afonso Henriques proclamed himself " Prince of Portugal".
| The Romans also invaded Portugal and in the south of the country they found friendly natives. However, that did not happen in the north, where a rebellion started. The Lusitanians and other native tribes were involved in this rebellion. Who was their leader? | Portuguese History
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Viriato. Viriato (in English, Viriathus) was a shepherd who rose to the leadership of the northern tribes, although he refused it several times. He was known to be a great warrior and the Roman Empire manage to win only one battle against his troops. He was betrayed by one of his own and killed.
Portus Cale. Cale was the name of a settlement on the Douro River.
The name Portucale evolved into Portugale and by the 9th century, the term "Portugale" was used extensively to refer to the region between the rivers Douro and Minho.
Nowadays, the word Portus Cale is reflected on the name of the two cities on the banks of Douro river: Porto (Portus) and Gaia (Cale).
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