Capital of Portugal, Lisbon was one of that country’s main commercial centers and a crucial center for Portuguese commercial successes during the empire’s age of expansion.
The strategic importance of Lisbon was apparent from ancient times, when the Romans built a major road running between the settlement and the highlands. During the Middle Ages the city was occupied first by Muslims (see Islam), who enjoyed its hot public baths and its good sanitation, then by Christians, who continued to exploit the commercial potential of the area.
Over time Lisbon continued to grow in importance. By the late 16th century it was one of only a dozen or so European cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Although Portugal as a whole was not wealthy, especially in comparison with neighboring Spain, Lisbon was the spice capital of the Western world and the hub of a commercial empire that stretched from Brazil to the Indian Ocean. Commercial wealth from Africa passed through the seaports of Lisbon and Lagos on its way to the royal residences in the provinces, enriching the city’s haute bourgeoisie, whose wealth financed countless commercial ventures. Lisbon’s wealth and commercial position were probably the primary motivations behind the Spanish annexation of Portugal engineered by Philip II.
Further reading: David Birmingham, A Concise History of Portugal (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993); J. H. Elliott, Europe Divided, 1559-1598 (London: Collins, 1968).
—Marie A. Kelleher
World History
