Algarve History |
Archaeological evidence (notably in the Vila do Bispo area) suggests that early occupation of this region dates back to the Neolithic or Palaeolithic periods. Celts, Phoenicians and Carthaginians ensued, establishing trading ports along the coast and founding Portus Hanibalis (modern day Portimão) in c. 550 BC. Under subsequent Roman rule, the area belonged to the province of Lusitania until it was occupied by the Visigoths, who remained until the Arab invasion in the 8th century. Naming the territory Al-Gharb Al-Andalus (the west of Muslim Iberia), the Moors were to remain until the 13th Century and had the greatest impact on the region, leaving behind a rich legacy that is still evident today. In 1249, during the reign of D. Afonso III, the Portuguese completed the conquest of the Algarve leading all Portuguese sovereigns to thereafter entitle themselves “King of Portugal and the Algarves” until the proclamation of the Republic in 1910. The 15th century saw a period of great expansion in the Algarve when Henry the Navigator based his maritime exploratory voyages here, creating his famous Navigation School in Sagres and establishing important trading posts in the region. The Algarve was seriously affected by the earthquake and resulting tidal wave of 1755 that destroyed much of the historical heritage of the region. In 1774, the Marquis of Pombal, King D.José’s renowned Prime Minister, who was responsible for re-building the Baixa area of Lisbon after the earthquake, also undertook the re-building of the important frontier town of Vila Real de Santo António. |