There have been humans living on this land for over 400,000 years, The Celts came, then the Romans, then the Visigoths, blah, blah, blah, but all the different peoples that occupied this part of the Iberian peninsula over the centuries moved around, occupying other parts as well. It wasn't yet Portugal.
You can pretty well tell Portugal's story in five days:
June 24, 1138 - Portugal sends the Moors packing. Afonso Henrique proclaims himself King of Portugal which is now a proper country.
August 13, 1385 - Portugal sends the Castilians packing in Batalha, with the help of England, thus securing the country. John 1 marries the remarkable Phillipa of Lancaster and they create an incredible family (their eldest son was Henry the Navigator, one of those rare people who change the entire world)
May 20, 1498 - Vasco de Gama lands in India and brings back riches and bragging rights. Portugal becomes the most powerful seafaring nation in the world.
September 3, 1758 - Portugal sends the Jesuits packing and welcomes the Enlightenment
May 28, 1834 - Portugal sends the monks and nuns packing with the dissolution of the monasteries (and convents). The buildings and their property became part of the public's cultural inheritance.
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