Lisbon History of Lisbon Museum
A guide to the History of Lisbon! Visit Get-Packing.com for Lisbon History and read up-to-date information, reviews and articles on Lisbon art and museums...
The original settlements in Lisbon date from well before the Roman empire to the times of the Phoenicians, although it was the conquest of Iberia by Julius Caesar in 205BC that saw the city become the important trading centre it remains to this day.
When the Roman Empire collapsed, Lisbon was conquered by a succession of barbarian tribes from Northern Europe before the Moors took control in the 7th century, and ruled for around 400 years.
It was in the 15th Century that Lisbon began to grow in importance, when as capital of Portugal, it became the ornate seat of a vast empire discovered and conquered by explorers such as Vasco De Gama and Prince Henrique. The empire stretched through much of Africa, and South America, although the cost of its maintenance crippled the country until the discovery of Gold in Brazil brought about vast growth.
In 1755 much of the city was destroyed by earthquake, and fell under the control of Napoleon.
The twentieth century saw authoritarian rule of Portugal, and when this ended in with revolution in 1974 brought democracy, and eventually membership of the EU.
Expo 98 brought vast investment into the city, and as the main host city for the summer 2004 European football championships, Lisbon has become a beautiful graceful city with plenty of modern architecture to compliment the old.
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