A Short History of Spain and Portugal

Following the Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, a lengthy process of reconquest (Reconquista in Spanish and Portuguese) began. The Battle of Covadonga with the founding of the Kingdom of Asturias is frequently cited as the beginning of this process. Following that, several Christian kingdoms arose in the Peninsula.

Portucale county, which had been a villain of the kingdoms of Galicia, Asturias, and León, eventually revolted and won the Battle of So Mamede on June 24, 1128, which was led by Afonso Henriques, who had proclaimed himself as the King of Portugal on July 25, 1139, after vanquishing the king Moors in the Battle of Ourique. King Alfonso VII of León recognised Portugal’s independence in 1143, and Pope Alexander III recognised it in 1179. In 1249, the Reconquista of Portugal was accomplished.

The Union of Crowns of Aragon and Castile began in 1469, but a single unified King wasn’t until 1516. The term Hispania only referred to the Iberian peninsula as a geographical location. The name “Espadas” (Spain) and the title “king of the Spains” were only given to the kingdom in the 1812 constitution. The Spanish state was given the name “Spain” for the first time in the 1876 constitution, and kings were given the title “king of Spain” from then on. The Reconquista came to an end in 1492 with the descending of Granada.

When Miguel da Paz died, Prince of Asturias, Portugal, Viana, and Girona, in 1500, an attempt to combine the Iberian medieval kingdoms failed.

Western Colonialism

Western colonialism is a political-economic process in which various European countries explored, conquered, settled, and exploited vast portions of the globe. Economic exploitation of the colony’s natural riches, the establishment of new markets for the coloniser, and the expansion of the coloniser’s way of life beyond national borders were all goals of colonialism. Europe colonised North and South America, Australia, much of Africa, and most of Asia between 1500 and 1900 by sending settlers or taking control of governments. 

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Spanish and Portuguese built the first colonies in the Western Hemisphere.

In the 16th century, the Dutch colonised Indonesia, while the British colonised North America and India in the 17th and 18th centuries. Later on, British colonists established colonies in Australia and New Zealand. Although colonisation of Africa did not begin in earnest until the 1880s, by 1900, Europe had practically complete control of the continent. After World War II, the colonial era ended gradually; now, the only areas still administered as colonies are small islands.

Combining Two Countries Would Not Create A Great Economy

In the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578, the King Sebastian of Portugal was killed by Moroccans and Turks. He was replaced by his great-uncle Henry from Portugal, who stepped down until his death due to a lack of children (31 January 1580).

King Henry lacked heirs, and his death gave rise to a succession crisis, with Anthony and Philip II of Spain, Prior of Crato as the major claimants to the throne. Following the Spanish conquest of the Portuguese Succession war, Prince Philip from Spain was anointed king in 1581, marking the start of a personal merger between the two countries known as the Iberian Union, which saw the Portuguese Empire disintegrate during that period.

The Iberian Union continued for nearly sixty years, till 1640, when Portugal launched the Portuguese Restoration War against Spain, reestablishing the Portuguese dynasty underneath the Bragança.

Isolation Comes To An End

A military revolution known as the Carnation Revolution brought the Estado Novo regime to an end in 1974. This further isolated Spain from the rest of Europe, which lasted until Franco’s death a year later, when Spain reverted to being a constitutional monarchy and embraced parliamentarism. 

In 1976, the PREC, which had accompanied the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, came to an end, and Portugal became a democracy as well. While both nations were dictatorial, the two democracies signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Spain and Portugal in 1977, replacing the Iberian Pact made in 1939.

Conclusion 

The Pope (a Spaniard) then handed Spain possession of all regions west of the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands, extending for 100 leagues. Understandably, other European countries objected to the directive, which was mostly ignored in North America. However, it prevented conflict between Spain and Portugal, and it was the basis for the Treaty of Tordesillas, which saw the line extended 270 leagues west, with Portugal receiving the entire cast. 

After Cabral’s landing in Brazil in 1500, Portugal legally claimed the country’s sovereignty.

Columbus embarked on many additional western expeditions, followed by a slew of others. Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan are the most well-known (already mentioned). Between 1499 and 1502, Vespucci, a Florentine in the service of Spain and then Portugal, traversed much of the eastern coast of South America, and the continent was named for him. On his famous trip, Magellan travelled to Brazil first, then investigated the Rio de la Plata estuary in search of a western passage. If he couldn’t locate it there, he continued south, passing through the straits that retain his name (near South America’s southernmost point), into the Pacific Ocean, and on to the East Indies.