The Portuguese Empire was the first and the longest-lasting of the European colonial empires, stretching from the early fifteenth century to the end of the twentieth. It began with the capture of the North African port of Ceuta in 1415 and expanded through voyages sponsored by Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama's route to India and the claiming of Brazil. Portugal built a network of trading posts and colonies along the coasts of Africa and Asia, including Goa, Macau and later Angola and Mozambique, and it played a major role in the Atlantic slave trade. Brazil became independent in 1822, and most African colonies gained independence in 1975 after Portugal's Carnation Revolution. The handover of Macau to China in 1999 is regarded as the end of the empire.
Before and after
- from 1414 to 1451Sayyid dynasty
- from July 1414 to October 1414Hunger War
- from 5 November 1414 to 22 April 1418Council of Constance
- from 1415 to 1453Lancastrian War
- from 21 August 1415 to 20 December 1999Portuguese Empire
- from 1417 to 1420Construction of Registan
- 1417Construction of Tiananmen Square
- from 30 July 1419 to 30 May 1434Hussite Wars
- 1420Construction of Kremlin
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- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
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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.