Portuguese Empire
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The Portuguese Empire, c. 1415 to 1999, was the first and longest lasting of the European colonial empires. Initiated during the Age of Discovery, at one point territories included parts of the Americ
The Conquest of Ceuta on 21 August 1415, led by Henry the Navigator (1394–1460), marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire.
Vasco da Gama (1469–1524)
The carrack Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai epitomised 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
Portuguese maritime explorations resulted in numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese on journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard
The Cantino planisphere, made by an anonymous cartographer in 1502, shows the world as it was understood by Europeans after their great explorations at the end of the fifteenth century.
Prince Henry the Navigator, generally credited as the driving force behind Portuguese maritime exploration.
The caravel was an existing ship type that was prominent in Portuguese exploration from about 1440
An illustration of the padrão Diogo Cão erected at Cape St. Mary, Angola.