The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history, and one of the most successful in its time. Having signed the Treaty of Ayllón, a peace treaty between Portugal and Castile, the Portuguese felt comfortable to begin conquering lands beyond the Iberian Peninsula without the threat of Spain. This essay will examine the main causes for the rise of the Empire, by considering motives for global expansion, and reasons why it began to disintegrate. Firstly, I will outline Portugal’s bases for overseas expansion, such as finding resources, establishing a secure trade route to Asia and the desire to spread Christianity further afield. I will then explain reasons for the Empire’s downfall, including both external and internal factors that led to the initial loss of colonies to better-resourced imperial powers. This will include considerations of the harsh competition that Portugal faced from other European colonisers, against which they did not have the capacity to defend their Asian and Pacific territories, and also the political factors that led to the loss of Brazil. The beginning of the global Empire …show more content…
External elements impinged on the Portuguese empire, the most important of which was Dutch military strength”. However, I do not believe that the loss of colonies was solely due to external forces. Rather, I believe internal factors also contributed, such as an absence of effective central control that lead to colonies being left vulnerable to other forces or seeking independence. Filipa Ribeiro da Silva concurs, also suggesting that “The growth of Dutch shipping via Western Africa...can be understood as the development of trade in...areas that had never been under effective control of the