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Portugal in the Middle Ages
Portugal is the oldest country in Europe, founded in 1139.
Year: 1139
Portugal established herself as an independent state in the 12th century. By the 13th century, her frontiers were already stabile. Near the sea, several villages developed in which mercantile and fishing activities predominated.
At a moment of European history marked by considerable urban and mercantile growth, Portugal’s position placed the country in the sea routes between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. This fact favored her entry into international trade.
During the 14th century crisis, national independence was threatened, but the election of Dom Joáo I and his victory at the Battle of Aljubarrota created conditions for the start of a “seventh age during which another new world and a new generation were born”, in the words of Fernão Lopes. In fact, the time was approaching when the Portuguese “giving new worlds to the world” would become the pioneers of a Europe engaged in defining a new age in the history of mankind.
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