Portugal Restoration of Independence Day, celebrates a people’s coup against Spanish rule that launched the Portuguese Restoration War, on on December 1, 1640.
Portugal Restoration of Independence Day
The founding of Portugal was a long process. The Kingdom of Portugal was founded in 1128 at the Battle of São Mamede. The country’s contemporary boundaries were mostly established by 1249.
The Portuguese Empire began in 1415 with the conquest of Cueta in North Africa. This was followed by explorations of the African coast leading to the establishment of a sea route to India in 1498. In the 1500s, the Portuguese Empire stretched from Brazil in the Americas to Macau (China) in the East Asia. In 1522, a ship from the Magellan Expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe.
After Portuguese King D. Sebastião was killed during a North African battle in 1637, Spanish King Phillip II declared himself King of Portugal. Spanish Hapsburgs ruled Portugal for three generations from 1580 to 1640.
Portuguese Restoration War
December 1, 1640 was the day Portuguese nobles and merchants staged a coup against Spanish rule that launched the Portuguese Restoration War. It ended the Philippine Dynasty. Portuguese independence finally arrived with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668.
Portugal’s Restoration of Independence Day isn’t celebrated much any more. It’s part of history now.