History

The myth that surrounds the site of Sagres would be amusing if it were not so outlandish. Tourist brochures, superficial writings on the Algarve, even the United States Power Squadrons

Of the 19 individuals who have occupied the office of President of Portugal, only two have served for less time than General Spínola. He was in office for only four-and-a-half

Calouste Gulbenkian’s nationality was originally Ottoman. He became British in 1902 and lived most of his life in France, so why is his Foundation in Lisbon? When war broke out

One of the guiding principles in Gulbenkian’s life was that no one power should have a dominant interest in oil production. When he founded Turkish Petroleum Company (later Iraq Petroleum

When we first visited Portugal, I was intrigued that some of the streets were named after calendar dates. As Northern Europeans, we were unfamiliar with this way of topographical naming

On May 23, 1618 in Prague, the chief Protestants of Bohemia threw out of the window three Catholic regents of the Holy Roman Emperor. And on December 1, 1640, The

The Portuguese First Republic lasted for less than 16 years before it was replaced by a military dictatorship on May 28, 1926. These 16 years were characterised by political upheaval,

In the late 19th century, rail travel was the only means for travelling quickly around Europe, since there were no aeroplanes and few cars. The Portuguese monarch who travelled most