Portuguese (Civ4)/Civilopedia

The area which encompasses modern Portugal was originally settled by Celtic tribes around 1000 BC and was then subsequently conquered by the Visigoths and finally the Moors. The Christian Kings of Asturia eventually drove the Moors out of the area; the new nation of Portugal was formed after its separation from Spanish rule.
Portugal was one of the first great internationally-based sea empires in the European world. Between 1415 and 1665, Portugal created a series of resting and refueling ports along the eastern and western coasts of Africa in a bid to eventually reach the profitable shores of India. In 1498 they achieved their goals when Vasco da Gama reached Kozhikode (known then as Calicut). Several important battles took place between the Arabs (who had previously monopolized spice trade in the Indian Ocean) and the Portuguese during this era, the most important of them being the victory over the Egyptian-Gujarati fleet off of Diu in 1509. This victory assured the Portuguese maritime superiority in the Indian Ocean and enabled them to capitalize on the rich spice trade routes between India and Europe. However, in 1578 King Sebastian of Portugal was killed at the battle of "Field of the Three Kings" in Morocco (which Portugal had long hoped to conquer), along with the majority of his force, destroying a central part of Portugal's land armies.
In 1580 the throne of Portugal was given over to the Habsburg kings of Spain, partially a result of the Portuguese weakness after the demise of its own king. At the same time, Portuguese power in both the east and west was declining due to a lack of skilled sailors available in Portugal. The English and the Dutch had also been amassing large navies, and began expanding their spheres of influence along routes traditionally held solely by the Portuguese. Although the Portuguese wrested national control back from the Spanish in a 1640 revolt, they lost their control in Malacca, Ceylon, Cochin, Hormuz, among many others to the Dutch or other seafaring nations. With their eastern territories diminishing, Brazil, discovered by Pedro Alvares Cabral in 1500, became increasingly important.
Gold was discovered in Brazil in 1690, which had previously been exploited mostly for its dyewood, sugar, diamonds, tobacco and slaves. The ensuing gold rush boosted the population of Brazil from 200,000 in 1650 to 1.5 million in 1770. Brazil today remains the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
In 1808, French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Portugal, forcing the prince regent, Dom João, to flee to Brazil and set up a new government. In 1821, the royal family moved back to Portugal after reclaiming the country. Dom João stayed behind, and then his son, Dom Pedro I, ruled Brazil until the country broke away from its mother country, declaring independence in 1822.
After losing Brazil, Portugal focused on building its African acquisitions in order to compete with their British and French counterparts. However, after World War II, the majority of European nations began abandoning their outlying colonies. India forcibly retook the Portuguese colonies still in their territory. In 1974, a democratic government was established in Portugal. This new government negotiated the release of its African holdings, which were promptly devastated by civil war and vicious in-fighting generated by the Cold War.
Today Portugal is ruled from its capital in Lisbon as a democratic republic under the constitution of 1976. It remains an important participant in the European Union as well as one of the major environmental reformers of Europe.