Slavery_in_Portugal | TriviaQuestions.online

⭐ In the context of European colonies, Portugal’s early involvement in the slave trade is considered significant primarily because they...

Following the conquest of Ceuta, Portugal’s expansionist policies led to a rapid increase in their participation in the slave trade, quickly exceeding the scale of previously established African networks and becoming a defining feature of their colonial activities.

⭐ Core Definition: Slavery in Portugal

Slavery in Portugal existed since before the country's formation. During the pre-independence period, inhabitants of the current Portuguese territory were often enslaved and enslaved others. After independence, during the existence of the Kingdom of Portugal, the country played a leading role in the Atlantic slave trade, which involved the mass trade and transportation of slaves from Africa and other parts of the world to the Americas. The import of black slaves was banned in European Portugal in 1761 by the Marquis of Pombal, and at the same time, the trade of black slaves to Brazil was encouraged, with the support and direct involvement of the Marquis. Slavery in Portugal was only abolished in 1869.

The Atlantic slave trade began circa 1336 or 1341, when Portuguese traders brought the first canarian slaves to Europe. In 1526, Portuguese mariners carried the first shipload of African slaves to Brazil in the Americas, establishing the triangular Atlantic slave trade.

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👉 Slavery in Portugal in the context of European colonies

The phenomenon of colonization is one that has occurred around the globe and across time. Various ancient and medieval polities established colonies – such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Han Chinese, and Arabs. The High Middle Ages saw colonising Europeans moving west, north, east and south. The medieval Crusader states in the Levant exemplify some colonial features similar to those of colonies in the ancient world.

A new phase of European colonialism began with the "Age of Discovery", led by the Portuguese, who became increasingly expansionist following the conquest of Ceuta in 1415. Portugal aimed to control navigation through the Strait of Gibraltar, to spread Christianity, to amass wealth and plunder, and to suppress predation on Portuguese populations by Barbary pirates (who operated as part of a longstanding African slave tradeat that point a minor trade, one the Portuguese would soon reverse and surpass). Around 1450 the Portuguese developed a lighter ship, the caravel based on North African fishing boats. Caravels could sail further and faster than previous vessels, were highly maneuverable, and could sail into the wind.

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