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Porto History
First references about the city appear in the IV century during the Roman times, when the city was a important port between Bracara (actual Braga) and Olissipona (actual Lisbon). In that time the city was known as “Portu Cale” (Cale harbor); the actual name of the country “Portugal” derives from the ancient name of the city. Under Roman rule, the city was provided with impressive buildings like the wall of Porto.
In the VIII century the city was invaded by Moors; who sacked the city as well as the whole Iberian Peninsula. The Moors ruled Porto for nearly a century between 711 and 868, when “Vimara Peres” a knight from Galicia vassal of the King of Asturias (Alfonso III) was send to reconquer the zone amongst the Minho River and the Douro River, where it is located Porto. After regaining the territory, “Vimara Peres” established the first county of Portugal.
Downtown of Porto
In the XII century the Queen “Donha Teresa” donated the town (a small set of little houses surrounded by a fortified wall) to the Bishop Hugo. During this time the former original layout of the city was reconstructed and the cathedral of the city was built amongst the “Douro” river and the “Vila” river; besides, the Bishop helped to convince crusaders join with “Alfonso Henriques” to liberate Lisbon from the Moors. It is also from this time that the city was called only Porto.
Then, at the end of the XIV century, Porto had a very important role to get the independence of Portugal; since the city supported the “Mestre de Aviz”, who became the first king of the second dynasty and the father of the famous “Henrique the Navigator”, who launched the era of the Portuguese discoveries overseas.
In 1387 the city witnessed the historical marriage of “Joao I” and “Philipa Lancaster” (daughter of the King of England); this wedding ceremony sealed the long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England, which is considered the oldest military alliance of the world and it is still in force in the OTAN.
Between XIII and XV centuries during the discovery age, Porto was an important maritime and commercial point; because it had links with great European ports like Barcelona, London, La Rochelle, Antwerp, amongst others. In addition, the Porto’s shipyards in “Vila Nova de Gaia” were the most important in Portugal.
In 1415 “Henry the Navigator” left from Porto to conquest the Muslin port of Ceuta in Morocco; being the first exploratory expedition of Portugal in the African coast. This day is known by Portuguese as “tripeiros”, because all higher quality meat of the city would be loaded onto ships to feed sailors. After this fact, the inhabitants of Porto are called “tripeiros”.
Between 1580 and 1640, the city was occupied by Spanish troops; nevertheless, this period was a good time for the city; since, there had a great urban and administrative development, which lasted until the XVII century. It was also a great period to the arts in the city. It highlighted the baroque style of the famous masters like the Italian architect “Nicola Nasoni”, “Miguel Francisco Da Silva” and “Antonio Perreira”.
In 1703, it was signed the “Methuen Treaty”, which established the rules for the commercial relations amongst Portugal and England and allows to English woolen cloth to enter in Portugal duty free; but the treaty allows also to the Portuguese wine (mainly produced in Porto) to enter in England with only a third less duty in contrast to French imported wines. Thanks to this treaty the wine industry in the city thriving and many English firms established in Porto to benefit from the growing industry.
In 1809 the city suffered the invasion of the French troops of Napoleon, when the population fled and tried to cross the “Douro” river using a pontoon bridge, which collapsed, because of the weight of the almost 6000 people that fled. In honor to this event, there is now a monument in the famous “Ponte (bridge) Dom Luis I”.
The city has been always very liberal and progressive with a long tradition of defense of civil rights. Its population withstood a long military siege by the royalist forces in 1832, but the city resisted heroically in defense of the Constitutional Chart. Because of, this feat, the King Pedro IV called to the city “very noble, undefeated and ever loyal city of Porto”.
After the establishment of the Republic in 1910, the city underwent a renovation process. During this period, it was constructed the “Aliados Avenue” and the iron bridge “Dom Luis I”, which was designed by a Belgian engineer named “Teophile Seyrig”, who was student of the famous “Gustave Eiffel”.
In 1996, the Downtown of Porto was declared by UNESCO “World Heritage”. Porto is also known as the city of work, because of the dynamism, courage and honesty of its citizens.
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