Found this strange old map made by scientists from the 16th century in a book I’ve been recently exploring, in which shows Europe as a lady. There is a secret puzzle on it, can you decipher it?
The Portuguese Empire, also known as the Portuguese Overseas, was the 1st global empire in History and the 1st modern colonial European power, starting in 1415 with the conquest of Ceuta in Morocco, over 500 years after Portugal's foundation as a county in 868 and its establishment as a kingdom by the Templars in 1139, becoming Europe's first nation-state. In addition, it was the longest-lived of the modern European colonial empires, spanning nearly six centuries, until its end in 1999 with the handover of Macau (China) or the grant of sovereignty to East Timor in 2002, making it the longest global empire in History.
Portuguese conquistadors, navigators, explorers, scientists, monks, templars and knights, sailed and battled their way through Africa, America, the Middle East and Asia, expanding their kingdom in search for trade, settlement, wealth, slaves, spreading of Christianity, and to unlock the secrets of the earlier stages of Christendom. Thanks to this, Portugal held dominion over the sea lanes of the Indian and South Atlantic oceans for over a century, making its economic, military and political power the rival of any in Europe.
Portuguese domain was present in Africa, within Morocco, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea and also in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Brazil, Canada, Greenland and several parts of Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, and several others.
"The Portuguese were the first Europeans after the Dark Ages to engage in transcultural and transoceanic warfare, equipped with a blend of nautical knowledge, superior technology, incredible courage, very few men, and great swordsmanship that proved very efficient against the curved blades of the Turks and Moors. One must be aware that the Portuguese knew they were always outnumbered, a certainty that led them to employ all their courage and determination in the fights and battles they engaged. In many cases, just mentioning the Portuguese would distress an entire army or fleet, knowing the fierceness and bravery of the Portuguese warriors."
Rainer Daehnhardt (Professor, Historian, Writer)
(Blog Portugal)
Portuguese conquistadors, navigators, explorers, scientists, monks, templars and knights, sailed and battled their way through Africa, America, the Middle East and Asia, expanding their kingdom in search for trade, settlement, wealth, slaves, spreading of Christianity, and to unlock the secrets of the earlier stages of Christendom. Thanks to this, Portugal held dominion over the sea lanes of the Indian and South Atlantic oceans for over a century, making its economic, military and political power the rival of any in Europe.
Portuguese domain was present in Africa, within Morocco, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea and also in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Brazil, Canada, Greenland and several parts of Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, and several others.
"The Portuguese were the first Europeans after the Dark Ages to engage in transcultural and transoceanic warfare, equipped with a blend of nautical knowledge, superior technology, incredible courage, very few men, and great swordsmanship that proved very efficient against the curved blades of the Turks and Moors. One must be aware that the Portuguese knew they were always outnumbered, a certainty that led them to employ all their courage and determination in the fights and battles they engaged. In many cases, just mentioning the Portuguese would distress an entire army or fleet, knowing the fierceness and bravery of the Portuguese warriors."
Rainer Daehnhardt (Professor, Historian, Writer)
(Blog Portugal)