The Portuguese Colonial War, also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation, and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, was a 13-year-long conflict fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974. The Portuguese regime at the time, the Estado Novo, was overthrown by a military coup in 1974, and the change in government brought the conflict to an end. The war was a decisive ideological struggle in Lusophone Africa, surrounding nations, and mainland Portugal.
Portuguese Colonial War
The Battle of Marracuene in 1895
The Battle of Coolela in 1895
Leader of FNLA Holden Roberto in 1973
The Portuguese Empire, also known as the Portuguese Overseas or the Portuguese Colonial Empire, was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and later overseas territories, governed by the Kingdom of Portugal. It was one of the longest-lived colonial empires in European history, lasting almost six centuries from the conquest of Ceuta in North Africa in 1415, to the transfer of sovereignty over Macau to China in 1999. The empire began in the 15th century, and from the early 16th century it stretched across the globe, with bases in Africa, North America, South America, and various regions of Asia and Oceania.
The Conquest of Ceuta, in 1415, was led by Henry the Navigator and initiated the Portuguese Empire.
Vasco da Gama's departure to India in 1497.
The carrack Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai exemplified the might and the force of the Portuguese Armada.
16th century Portuguese illustration from the Códice Casanatense, depicting a Portuguese nobleman with his retinue in India