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Portugal, the west seafront of Europe

from LA PUISSANCE MARITIME INSTRUMENT DE LA PUISSANCE POLITIQUE ET D'UNE STRATÉGIE GLOBALE DE RAYONNEMENT VOIRE DE DOMINATION: Les puissances maritimes occidentales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2017

Jorge Semedo De Matos
Affiliation:
Professor at the Portuguese Naval Academy, Portugal
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Summary

ABSTRACT. The sea shaped the fate and independence of Portugal simultaneously. Its geographical position facing the Atlantic Ocean and its proactive opening up towards the sea discussed in this article were two elements that forged the soul of this ‘maritime nation’ that, thanks to the sea, was able to claim a place in History and a largely more important role than could be expected given its demographics.

RÉSUMÉ. La mer a forgé tout à la fois la destinée et l'indépendance du Portugal. Sa position géographique face à l'océan Atlantique et son ouverture volontariste vers la mer évoquée dans cette contribution ont été les deux éléments ayant forgé l'âme de cette « nation maritime » qui, grâce à la mer, a pu avoir dans l'histoire une place et un rôle sans commune mesure avec son poids démographique.

During the second half of the 15th century and most of the 16th century, Portugal took on a prominent position in the European scene as the precursor of the great oceanic voyages which since then regularly connected Europe to South America, the Indian Ocean, China and Japan. With the limited means of a small country, positioned at the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal was able to build up an extraordinary maritime capability that lasted several decades against nearly all rivals. Naturally, this is due to its geographical position in the southwest extreme of Europe, facing the Atlantic Ocean, with no other choice but to turn to that ocean, which conditioned its destiny and became the reason for its political independence. This capability was built from the first moments of its existence as a nation and valued over time, with a set of other assets that, along with its geography, ended up being decisive. In the present essay I will attempt to explain this process, which went through several decisive stages, from independence in the 12th century, to the beginning of the maritime expansion with the exploration of the Atlantic and the discovery of the passage to India through the Cape of Good Hope. These are the stages I will attempt to highlight, explaining how they were lived and illustrating how they are related, even when they are separated by several decades.

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Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2017

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