Search Results: Portugal

Glazed blue ceramic tiles or azulejos are everywhere in Portugal. They decorate the winding streets of the capital, Lisbon. They cover the walls of train stations, restaurants, bars, public murals, and fountains, churches, and altar fronts...

The Portuguese built an empire from 1420 onwards that was largely composed of trade centres dotted around the coasts of three continents. This colonial enterprise was driven by a search for African gold, Asian spices, and Christian kingdoms...

The Peninsular War (1807-1814), also known as the War of Spanish Independence, was a major conflict of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) that was waged in the Iberian Peninsula by Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom against the invading...

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas (Tordesilhas) was an agreement between the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to divide the world between them into two spheres of influence. The imaginary dividing line ran down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean...

Cold water pool in the frigidarium (cold room) of the Roman baths at the villa at Milreu, southern Portugal. The interior of the pool is decorated with mosaics depicting fish and mussels. 4th century CE.

Ruins of a water temple next to a villa, situated within the Roman ruins of Milreu, near Estói, southern Portugal. 4th century CE. The square cella of the temple ends in an apse to the south. The podium is decorated with a wall mosaic depicting...

With a wealth of natural resources, Brazil was by far the most important colony in the Portuguese empire and was, at one time or another, the world’s leading producer of sugar, diamonds, and tobacco. Colonised from the 1530s, most settlements...

Inscription above the door to Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), Evora, Portugal. The Chapel of Bones was constructed by Franciscan monks in the late 16th century CE. Photo taken 2017 CE.

Wall mosaic detail from the podium of the Roman temple at Milreu, Portugal. 4th century CE. The wall mosaic depicts fish, dolphins, and seashells and surrounds the temple podium. Such a colorful mosaic frieze around a temple podium seems...

An illustration of Don Antonio of Portugal (l. 1531-1595 CE) who in 1580 CE was deposed as king by Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598 CE). One of the aims of the failed 1589 CE Drake-Norris Expedition which attacked Lisbon was to reinstall...