Portugal: Did you mean...?

This map illustrates the rise and global reach of the Portuguese Empire, the first and longest-lived of Europe’s overseas empires. Initiated in the 15th century, Portugal's expansion was driven by a desire to control trade routes to the East...

One of the major motivating factors in the European Age of Exploration was the search for direct access to the highly lucrative Eastern spice trade. In the 15th century, spices came to Europe via the Middle East land and sea routes, and spices...

Islamic ceramic tiles in the Arab Room in the Sintra palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra), Portugal. King Manuel I of Portugal (r.1495-1521 CE) imported azulejos (glazed ceramic tiles) from the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain to decorate...

A polychrome faience azulejo (or glazed ceramic tile) showing a vase of flowers with cherubim. This tile is typical of designs influenced by Portugal's overseas colonies and territories. The tile is from Nossa Senhora da Esperança Convent...

A public staircase in Lisbon, Portugal showing azulejos (glazed ceramic tiles). During the early 18th century CE, Portuguese tile artisans fell under the influence of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) Chinese porcelain design and Dutch Delftware...

The European colonization of the Americas was the process by which European settlers populated the regions of North, Central, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean. It is also recognized as the direct cause for the cultures of the...

Europe is a continent forming the westernmost part of the land mass of Eurasia and comprised of 49 sovereign states. Its name may come from the Greek myth of Europa, but human habitation of the region predates that tale, going back over 150,000...

The caravel (caravela in Spanish and Portuguese), was a type of medium-sized ship which, with its low draught and lateen or triangular sails, made it ideal for exploration from the 15th century onwards. Fast, manoeuvrable, and only needing...

The transatlantic slave trade (also given as the Atlantic slave trade, circa 1492 to 1860) was the practice of enslaving the citizens of African states and transporting them across the Atlantic Ocean to the "New World" of the Americas. Although...

Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596 CE) was an English mariner, privateer and explorer who in 1588 CE helped defeat the Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598 CE) which attempted to invade the kingdom of Elizabeth I of England (r...