Ancient Portugal

Like most of ancient Europe, Portugal had a long history of conquest and habitation by various European tribes and empires, like the Celts, the Visigoths, the Celtics, and the Romans, as well as the African Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Moors (Muslims). When the Celts invaded early in the first millennium BC, they intermarried with the native Iberians, the descendents of whom were the Lusitanians and Calaicians. The Romans didn't arrive in Portugal until 219 BC, when they began a conquest from the south. At first the Romans were relatively successful do to the friendly nature of the Phoenicians at Conii, but as they advanced north over the years they faced more resistance, culminating in an organized effort by the Lusitanians and other northern tribes, led by Viriathus. The resistance managed to take back the peninsula from the Romans, but the Romans did not give up. When traditional warfare made no dent against the native tribes, the Romans resorted to bribing members of the resistance to murder their leaders, abruptly ending the resistance movement and restoring Roman rule. Lusitania was so prosperous that though the roman rule had initially been colonial, in 27 BC it gained provincial status, with another northern province called Galecia. In the 5th century, Germanic tribes invaded, establishing a Visigoth empire that lasted until the Islamic invasion in 711. After the destruction of the Visigoth empire, nobles took refuge in the Asturian highlands in the north, from which their descendents returned in 868 to retake the peninsula under the leadership of Vimara Peres. By the dawn of the next millennia, the Moors had been driven out of power in the north of the peninsula and Christians had gained power and united the region. The unity did not last long though, and the kingdom split after the death of Ferdinand of Leon and Castile [Ferdinand the Great]. When a knight from Burgundy, Henrique, became the count of Portugal at the end of the 11th century, he strove for Portuguese independence. Henrique merged the counties of Portucale and Coimbra, but was unable to attain independence for Portugal. It was not until after Henrique's death that his son, Afonso Henriques gained independence for Portugal, proclaiming himself first prince, and then king. On October 5, 1143, Portugal's independence was at last formally recognized at that conference of Zamora.

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