The History of Portugal

The History of Portugal is that of an ancient European nation, whose present origins go back to the Early Middle Ages that ascended to a great world power in the Age of Discoveries with its vast Empire.
Portugal's name derives from the Roman name Portus Cale (Latin for Warm Port). Cale was the name of an early settlement located at the mouth of the Douro River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the north of what is now Portugal. Around 200 BCE, the Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War, and in the process conquered Cale and renamed it Portus Cale. During the Middle Ages, the region around Cale became known by the Visigoths as Portucale. Portucale evolved into Portugale during the 7th and 8th centuries.
Some historians believe that the "Cale" part of Portucale derived from the Greek word Kalles ("beautiful"), referring to the beauty of the Douro Valley where ancient Greek pioneers chose to settle. Other historians claim that the earliest settlers in the region were Phoenician and that the name Cale was derived from the Phoenician languages of those who settled along the Portuguese coast in the pre-Roman period. Others say that Cale is derived from the Callaeci people who lived in the region.
In 1095, Portugal separated almost definitely from the Kingdom of Galicia, both under the rule of the Kingdom of Leon, just like Castile (Burgos). Its territories consisting largely of mountain, moorland and forest were bounded on the north by the Minho, on the south by the Mondego.
Portugal traces its national origin to 24 June 1128 with the Battle of Sao Mamede. Afonso proclaimed himself first Prince of Portugal and in 1139 the first King of Portugal. By 1143, with the assistance of a representant of the Holy See at the conference of Zamora, Portugal was formally recognized as independent, with the prince recognized as Dux Portucalensis. In 1179, Afonso I was declared, by the Pope, as king. After the Battle of Sao Mamede, the first capital of Portugal was Guimaraes, from which the first king ruled. Later, when Portugal was already officially independent, he ruled from Coimbra. In 1255, the capital shifted to Lisbon.