Can someone give me a brief history of Portugal?
Brief History of Portugal Portugal’s history goes back to the Celts, who settled on the Iberian Peninsula around 700 BC. The region was then invaded by the Romans and later the Moors and remained under the latter’s control until the 11th century, when Ferdinand, ruler of the Kingdom of Leon and Castilla (in what is now Spain) conquered much of the territory, driving the Moors out and fixing the boundaries of Portugal. In 1143 Portugal was recognised as an independent country under the rule of King Alfonso Henriques. The Castilians were expelled in 1385 after defeat at the hands of João of Aviz, who later became King João I, at the Battle of Aljubarotta. In the 15th Century Portugal entered a phase of overseas expansion and built colonial empires in Africa, Latin America, India and the Far East. This was a time of Portuguese power and wealth which faded towards the end of the 16th Century when Spain’s Felipe II claimed the throne. At the end of the 18th Century Napoleon’s forces tried t
