Cidade Velha, meaning Old City, is the oldest European colonial settlement in the tropics, on the island of Santiago in Cape Verde. It was founded by Portuguese settlers and was originally called Ribeira Grande. The town grew as a hub of the Atlantic slave trade, in which enslaved Africans from the Guinea coast were collected and sent on to the Americas, and it became rich. English privateers, including Francis Drake, attacked it in the sixteenth century, and a French raid in 1712 hastened its decline, after which the capital moved to Praia. Its pillory, churches and fortress survive, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
Before and after
- 2 March 1459Birth of Adrian VI
- 1460Construction of Topkapı Palace
- from 14 September 1460 to 15 August 1461Siege of Trebizond in 1461
- c. 1462Origins of Sarajevo
- 1462Construction of Cidade Velha
- from 1464 to 1591Songhai Empire
- 15 May 1464Battle of Hexham
- 28 October 1466Birth of Erasmus
- 13 December 1466Death of Donatello
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 537 CEConstruction of Hagia Sophia
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- 1193Origins of Chernobyl
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 15th century.