Although the Portuguese borders had already been recognised by the Kingdom of León and Castile since 1143, they were not recognised by Pope Alexander III until 1179, when a papal bull was issued. So, with 879 years, Portugal is one of the 15 oldest countries in the world.
You probably immediately think of Guimarães as the capital of the kingdom. But history tells us that there were three more, besides Guimarães and the current Lisbon.
Don’t believe it? Then discover with us the five cities that were once capital of Portugal.
1. Guimarães
The city that is nicknamed the ” birthplace of Portugal” and exclaims loudly that “here was born Portugal” had to be the first capital of the then Condado Portucalense and later of the country. Guimarães is one of the most important living memories of Portugal’s affirmation and independence. D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, is believed to have been born in Guimarães in 1109.
2. Coimbra
From 1131, Alfonso Henriques settled in Coimbra, where he could more easily launch operations to attack the Moors, extend the county’s territories and claim a kingdom. In this way, Coimbra becomes the most important city of the kingdom, thus becoming the capital of Portugal.
3. Lisbon
The current capital of Portugal began with the royal family’s move to this city, which was becoming increasingly prosperous. With the commercial development of the city, King Afonso III was able to see opportunities to make the county grow, namely the ease of receiving merchant ships. Although it was never made official in writing, Lisbon was considered the capital since the court lived there permanently.
4. Rio de Janeiro
That’s right!
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Napoleonic invasions devastated Europe. After the blockade of all trade with England, the Prince Regent D. João, the royal family and his court had no choice but to escape to one of their colonies, Brazil. In 1808, Rio de Janeiro became Portugal’s capital. It was for the first time in history that a colony became the governmental centre of a kingdom.
5. Angra do Heroismo
Angra do Heroísmo was capital of the Kingdom of Portugal in critical circumstances, twice.
The first, between August 5, 1580 and August 5, 1582, when D. António, Prior of Crato, established his government there. The second was a few years later, during the Civil War, in 1830, due to the fact that the Azorean city had become the centre of the Portuguese liberal movement, on behalf of Queen Maria II of Portugal.
Itís nearly impossible to find educated people for this topic, but you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
Itís nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks