History of Portugal (1640–1777)
From the House of Braganza restoration in 1640 until the end of the reign of the Marquis of Pombal in 1777, the Kingdom of Portugal was in a transition period. Having been near its height at the start of the Iberian Union, the Portuguese Empire continued to enjoy the widespread influence in the world during this period that had characterized the period of the Discoveries. By the end of this period, however, the fortunes of Portugal and its empire had declined, culminating with the Távora affair, the catastrophic 1755 Lisbon earthquake, and the accession of Maria I, the first ruling Queen of Portugal.
Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves Reyno de Portugal et d'los Algarves | |||||||||
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| 1640–1777 | |||||||||
Flag (1707–1777)
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| Anthem: "Adeste Fydeles" | |||||||||
| Capital | Lisbon | ||||||||
| Common languages | Portuguese | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
• 1640–1656 | John IV | ||||||||
• 1750–1777 | Joseph I | ||||||||
| Chief minister | |||||||||
• 1640–1642 | Francisco de Lucena | ||||||||
• 1756–1777 | Marquis of Pombal | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Restoration War | 1640 | ||||||||
• Treaty of Lisbon | 1668 | ||||||||
| 1777 | |||||||||
| Currency | Portuguese real | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | PT | ||||||||
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| History of Portugal |
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| Timeline |
| Portugal portal |
The opulent use of Brazilian gold, the absolutist regime, the movement toward the independence of Brazil, the Methuen Treaty and the Lisbon earthquake contributed to the decline of Portugal's position in Europe and the world. These events, those at the end of the Aviz dynasty, and the period of the Iberian Union forced Portugal to depend more on its colonies, first India and then Brazil. This shift from India to Brazil was a natural consequence of the rise of the Dutch as well as the British Empire. A similar shift occurred after Brazil gained independence, leading Portugal to focus more on its possessions in Africa.
The early 18th century, known as the Pombaline Era after Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal, was a period of dictatorship and wide-ranging reforms. The Marquis of Pombal was appointed by Joseph I, who had little inclination to rule. He initiated many reforms intended to modernize the country and attacked the power of the privileged nobility and clergy, notably in the case of the Távora affair and the expulsion of the Jesuits. He was also the leader of the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake in 1755. However, historians also argue that Pombal's "enlightenment," while far-reaching, was primarily a mechanism for enhancing autocracy at the expense of individual liberty and especially an apparatus for crushing opposition, suppressing criticism, and furthering colonial economic exploitation as well as intensifying book censorship and consolidating personal control and profit.
Soon after the death of Joseph in 1777, his daughter Maria I dismissed Pombal, and prohibited him from coming within 20 miles of her.