Portugal emerged as a country in 1143, subsequent to a 15-year revolt by Dom Afonso Henriques. Afonso Henriques overpowered his mother Countess Teresa of Portugal, regent of the County of Portugal and loyal to the Kingdom of Leon at the battle of Sao Mamede close to the town of Guimaraes, in June of 1128. Countess Teresa was jailed and exiled by her son. She died in 1130. Hence, Guimaraes is known as the birthplace city of Portugal. Yet, the true test of a sovereign nation did not take place until 1385. In 1385, Joao Mestre de Avis with the aid of legendary supreme constable, Nuno Alvares Pereira overpowered the Castilians at the epic Aljubarrota battle, where the Castilians outnumbered the Portuguese 6:1.

John I was crowned King of Portugal and John I together with his sons, Duarte, who was to become the King in succession, Henry The Navigator, and Afonso, started the ?Golden Decades? of worldwide discoveries.

Subsequent to its glory days as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and position with the destruction of Lisbon in an earthquake in1755, employment during the Napoleonic Wars, and the sovereignty of Brazil as a colony in 1822.

A revolution in 1911 toppled over the monarchy with the assassination of King Manuel I and his son. For a majority of the next six decades, authoritarian governments had power over the country. A right wing fascist, Antonio Salazar, ran the country with an iron fist and a strict financial plan, which gradually buried Portugal deeper and deeper on its third world status within Europe. A left wing military coup, in 1974, established broad democratic reforms, which had contrary effects. Too much freedom too fast placed Portugal in total democratic confusion. The union bosses, corrupt politicians, and left wing and right-wing extremists took turns on plundering the country, with devastating financial and labor tactics.

After successive governments directed by communists, socialists and social democrats continued their miss-management of Portugal, eventually the social-democratic administration of Prime-minister Cavaco da Silva brought wealth and double-digit financial growth in the late 80's and early 90's. It facilitated Portugal join the EC in 1986. Joining the EC, gave Portugal a boost with a flurry of funding and investments that contributed to new roads, and overall improvement of a dilapidated infrastructure.