Manuel I summary

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Manuel I, known as Manuel the Fortunate, (born May 31, 1469, Alcochete, Port.—died December 1521, Lisbon), King of Portugal (1495–1521). He opened trade with India and Brazil, sending Pedro Álvares Cabral on a voyage to East Asia (1500), and gained riches from Vasco da Gama’s voyage around Africa. Manuel’s claims to the newly discovered lands were confirmed by the pope and recognized by Spain. In order to marry the daughter of Ferdinand V and Isabella, he agreed to expel Jews and Muslims from Portugal (1496). His reign saw the founding of Portuguese outposts in India and the Malay Peninsula, and his explorers reached China in 1513. Manuel also centralized Portuguese administration, reformed the courts, and revised the legal code.

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Portugal Summary

Portugal, country lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Once continental Europe’s greatest power, Portugal shares commonalities—geographic and cultural—with the countries of both northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Its cold, rocky northern coast and

Western colonialism Summary

Western colonialism, a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. The age of modern colonialism began about 1500, following the European discoveries of a sea route around Africa’s southern coast (1488) and of