Timeline of Portuguese history (Lusitania and Gallaecia)

This timeline outlines key events in the history of the territory that would eventually become Portugal, focusing particularly on the Roman provinces of Lusitania and Gallaecia. It includes events before, during, and after the Roman period that shaped the region and contributed to the formation of Portuguese identity and national boundaries.

Pre-Roman Era:

• c. 2000-1500 BCE: Bronze Age cultures develop in the Iberian Peninsula.
• c. 900-700 BCE: Arrival of Celts in Iberia, mixing with pre-existing populations to form Celtiberian cultures.
• 6th-3rd centuries BCE: Gradual establishment of tribal societies in the region corresponding to modern Portugal. Significant tribes include the Lusitani, Calaicians (Gallaeci), and Turduli. These tribes engage in agriculture, livestock raising, and metalworking.
• 3rd century BCE: Initial contacts with Rome during the Second Punic War.

Roman Era:

• 218 BCE: Roman invasion of Iberia begins.
• 194 BCE: Viriathus, a Lusitanian leader, begins a long period of resistance against Roman rule.
• 155-139 BCE: Lusitanian War. Viriathus leads successful campaigns against Roman legions.
• 139 BCE: Viriathus is assassinated, weakening Lusitanian resistance.
• 138-136 BCE: Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus campaigns successfully against the Gallaeci tribes.
• 27 BCE: Augustus reorganizes Roman Hispania into three provinces: Hispania Ulterior Baetica, Hispania Ulterior Lusitania, and Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis. The territory corresponding to modern Portugal is largely divided between Lusitania (south of the Douro river) and Gallaecia (north of the Douro).
• 3rd century CE: Increasing Germanic incursions across the Rhine frontier lead to instability in the Roman Empire.
• 409 CE: Germanic tribes, including the Suebi and Vandals, cross the Pyrenees and enter Iberia.

Post-Roman Era & Early Middle Ages:

• 410 CE: Suebi establish a kingdom in Gallaecia, with its capital at Braga. This marks the end of Roman control in northwestern Iberia.
• 5th-6th centuries CE: Visigoths gradually assert control over most of the Iberian Peninsula, including Gallaecia, leading to conflicts with the Suebi.
• 585 CE: The Visigoths conquer the Suebic kingdom, unifying Iberia under Visigothic rule.
• 711 CE: The Umayyad Caliphate invades Iberia. The Visigothic kingdom collapses rapidly.
• 711-718 CE: Islamic armies conquer most of the Iberian Peninsula, which becomes known as Al-Andalus. Christian kingdoms are established in the northern mountains, including the Kingdom of Asturias, which resists Islamic expansion.
• 868 CE: Vímara Peres is sent by Alfonso III of Asturias to reconquer and govern the territory between the Minho and Douro rivers, marking the first step towards the formation of the County of Portugal (Condado de Portucale).
• 10th-11th centuries CE: The County of Portugal emerges as a fief of the Kingdom of León.

High Middle Ages:

• 1095: Henry of Burgundy is granted the County of Portugal as a fief by Alfonso VI of León and Castile.
• 1128: Afonso Henriques defeats his mother, Theresa of León, at the Battle of São Mamede, asserting his independence and consolidating his power within the County of Portugal.
• 1139: Afonso Henriques proclaims himself King of Portugal after the Battle of Ourique (traditionally).
• 1143: The Treaty of Zamora recognizes Portugal as an independent kingdom by Alfonso VII of León and Castile.
• 1147: Lisbon is captured from the Moors during the Second Crusade.
• 1179: Papal Bull Manifestis Probatum recognizes Afonso Henriques as King of Portugal by Pope Alexander III.
• 1249: The Reconquista is completed with the conquest of the Algarve, establishing the current borders of mainland Portugal.
• 1383-1385: The 1383-1385 Crisis, a period of political instability following the death of King Ferdinand I, leading to war with Castile.
• 1385: John I is acclaimed King of Portugal after the victory at the Battle of Aljubarrota, solidifying Portuguese independence and beginning the Aviz dynasty.

Age of Exploration and Empire:

• 15th-16th centuries: Portugal becomes a major maritime power, leading the European Age of Exploration.
• 1415: Capture of Ceuta in North Africa, marking the beginning of Portuguese overseas expansion.
• 1488: Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope, opening a sea route to India.
• 1498: Vasco da Gama reaches India by sea.
• 1500: Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil, claiming it for Portugal.
• 1509: Portuguese victory at the Battle of Diu, establishing Portuguese naval dominance in the Indian Ocean.
• 1580-1640: Iberian Union: Portugal is united with Spain under the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs after a succession crisis.

Restoration and Decline:

• 1640: Portuguese Restoration War begins, aiming to restore Portuguese independence.
• 1668: Treaty of Lisbon recognizes Portuguese independence from Spain, ending the Restoration War and establishing the Braganza dynasty.
• 1703: Methuen Treaty establishes a trade alliance between Portugal and England.
• 1755: The Great Lisbon Earthquake devastates the city.
• 1807-1814: Napoleonic Wars: Portugal is invaded by French forces. The Portuguese royal family flees to Brazil.
• 1822: Brazil declares its independence from Portugal.

Modern Era:

• 1910: The Portuguese Monarchy is overthrown in a republican revolution. The First Portuguese Republic is established.
• 1926: A military coup overthrows the First Republic.
• 1933-1974: Estado Novo dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar.
• 1961-1974: Portuguese Colonial War.
• 1974: The Carnation Revolution overthrows the Estado Novo.
• 1975: Portugal grants independence to its African colonies (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe).
• 1986: Portugal joins the European Economic Community (now the European Union).

This timeline is a general overview and does not include every event in Portuguese history. It focuses primarily on the historical development of the territory that constitutes modern-day Portugal.