Portuguese Mozambique was the Portuguese colony in southeastern Africa that began with the arrival of Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India, when the Portuguese saw the importance of the East African coast for trading. Trading posts and forts were established at places such as Mozambique Island and Sofala, and for centuries Portuguese control was limited to the coast and the Zambezi valley, where estates called prazos were run by settlers and local rulers. Effective rule over the interior came late, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, often through chartered companies. After the Second World War a nationalist movement, FRELIMO, launched a war of independence, and Mozambique became independent after the 1974 revolution in Portugal.
Before and after
- 1495Construction of Tomb of Askia
- 1496Introduction of złoty
- 1497Introduction of Spanish dollar
- 24 June 1497John Cabot reaches North America
- from 1498 to 1975Portuguese Mozambique
- 1499Pietà (Michelangelo)
- from 15th century to 18th centuryAge of Discovery
- c. 1500sDavid
- c. 1500Modern period
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 691 CEConstruction of Dome of the Rock
- 8th centuryConstruction of Borobudur Temple
- 1066Construction of Tower of London
- from 1206 to 1368Mongol Empire
- from 1368 to 1644Ming dynasty
- 1473Construction of Sistine Chapel
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.