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The Spice Trade & the Age of Exploration
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...
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Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator (aka Infante Dom Henrique, 1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who famously helped capture the North African city of Ceuta, sponsored voyages of exploration with the aim of building colonies in the North Atlantic...
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Portuguese Ship at Nagasaki
A detail from a Japanese painted screen showing a Portuguese carrack at the port of Nagasaki, a Portuguese trading post from c. 1571 to 1639. Screen painted by Kanō Naizen. (Kobe City Museum, Japan)
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Portuguese Nobles in India
A c. 1540 illustration of Portuguese nobles in India. The Portuguese had many coastal colonies in India, part of the Estado da India. From the Códice Casanatense (Biblioteca Casanatense, Rome)
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Portuguese Nobleman
A c. 1540 illustration of Portuguese nobleman and his entourage in India. The Portuguese had many coastal colonies in India, part of the Estado da India. From the Códice Casanatense (Biblioteca Casanatense, Rome)
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Portuguese Macao Panorama
A panoramic painting of Portuguese Macao, a colony of the Portuguese Empire from c. 1557 to 1999. Painted c. 1870 by an unknown artist.
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Portuguese Carrack Ships
A mid-16th century painting of Portuguese carrack ships. Carrack and caravel ships were the mainstay of the Portuguese Empire, permitting the Portuguese to dominate the seas and bring precious cargo like spices back to Europe. (Royal Museums...
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Portuguese Malacca Drawing
A drawing showing Portuguese Malacca in Malaysia. The colony was Portuguese from 1511 until 1641. (From The Life of Ferdinand Magellan and the First Circumnavigation of the Globe : 1480-1521, by Guillemard, F. H. H. et al, published in 1891...
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Portuguese Macao Map
A map showing the location of Portuguese Macao, a colony of the Portuguese Empire from c. 1557 to 1999. Macao is now a part of the People's Republic of China.
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Portuguese Traders by Japanese Painters
A detail of a painted screen showing the Japanese view of Portuguese traders. The Portuguese controlled the trading port of Nagasaki from c. 1571 to 1639.
