A Brief History of Portugal

Indispensable for Travellers

By: Jeremy Black

Narrated by: Roger Davis

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

This is a comprehensive history of Portugal that covers the whole span, from the Stone Age to today. An introduction provides an understanding of geographical and climatic issues, before an examination of Portugal's prehistory and classical Portugal, from the Stone Age to the end of the the Roman era.

Portugal's history from AD 420 to the 13th century takes in the Suevi, Visigoths and Moors. Then, a look at medieval Portugal, covers the development of Christian Portugal culminating with the expulsion of the Moors, with a focus on key sites.

A subsequent section on Spanish rule, between 1580 and 1640, explains why Spain took over and why Spanish rule collapsed.

There is a significant focus on Portugal's global role, particularly during the age of exploration, or expansion, in the 15th century to 1580: Manueline Portugal, Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama and Belém. Portugal was the first of the Atlantic empires, with territory in the Azores, Madeira, West Africa and Brazil, and it remained a major empire until the 1820s, retaining an African empire until the 1970s. Its empire in Asia - in Malacca, Macao, Goa and Timor - continued even longer, until the 1990s. Black shows how Portugal had a global impact, but the world, too, had an impact on Portugal.

Baroque Portugal, between 1640 and 1800, is explored through palaces in Mafra, Pombal and elsewhere and the wealth of Brazil.

The 19th century brought turmoil in the form of a French invasion, the Peninsular War, Brazilian independence, successive revolutions, economic issues and the end of the monarchy.

Republican Portugal brought further chaos in the early years of the 20th century, then the dictatorship of Salazar and its end in the Carnation Revolution of 1974. Portugal's role in both world wars is examined, also its wars in Africa.

From the overthrow of autocracy to a new constitution and the leadership of Soares, contemporary, democratic Portugal is explored, including the fiscal crisis of recent years.

Throughout Black introduces the history and character of the country's principal regions, including the Azores, Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands. He looks at key national sites, at Portuguese food and wine and the arts, with special sections devoted to port, Portugal's famous tiles and the university established at Coimbra in 1290.

©2020 Jeremy Black (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK

Into the light finally…

Fascinated by its history and I know there’s so much more to learn. I always have a hard time with the repetitive parts of cronológico dates, names of successions in staying focus.

I just feel I didn’t get enough of this read therefore I am reading it or shall we say hearing it again. Loved it!!!

Totally uninspired. No justice to this land

Horrible diction and reading of facts presented carelessly. Big disappointed. I wish I could take my points back. Totally uninspired. Please don’t use Chinese to read these books.

boring and dry list of facts

I love history. But this had no story telling just a boring list of facts.

Monumentally Disaapointing

A rambling of Dates. A lack of eloquence. A void of description. Very irritating. The performer accentuates simple words while showing off how quickly he is able to pronounce the places of interest. Now I will have to buy another book by which to learn of Portugal and it’s culture.

Disappointing

A robot reads Wikipedia's entry on Portugal with no flair or flourish. Moreover, the word "moreover" features in dull textbook prose at least once every page...or so it seems. All very disappointing.

Title is misleading - terrible narration

I did not enjoy this book. Most of the book is devoted to rambling off dates and names and only 5% of the book was of interest to me as a tourist to Portugal. I did not find it "Indespensable For Travellers". The narrator's voice ranges from very loud to soft, so in order to hear the softer sections, the volume is too loud in other parts. I will not purchase another Audible book with this narrator.

Too many dates, difficult to follow details

Although the reading was well done, it seems that the written text must have had dates in parentheses for virtually every factoid. so listening to the dates called out during the reading was distracting. The only two major points I remember after listening to the whole book, are that the Moors left Portugal a lot before they were sent out of Spain. and that Portuguese farmers did not use modern techniques and are behind Spain and France. As for tourism value, that is not why I selected this book, but there was little of value!