Ajuda Library, created in the 15th century as "Royal Library". Mother of the Portuguese and Brazilian National Libraries. (courtesy IPPAR)

Portuguese developed in the Western Iberian Peninsula from the spoken Latin language brought there by Roman soldiers and colonists starting in the 3rd century BC. The language began to differentiate itself from other Romance languages after the fall of the Roman Empire and the barbarian invasions in the 5th century. It started to be used in written documents around the 9th century, and by the 15th century it had become a mature language with a rich literature. Picture of the Ajuda Library. ... Picture of the Ajuda Library. ... Portuguese (português) is a Romance language predominantly spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. ... topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ... (4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events The first two Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome over dominance in western Mediterranean Rome conquers Spain Great Wall of China begun Indian traders regularly visited Arabia Scythians occupy... ( 4th century - 5th century - 6th century - other centuries) Events Rome sacked by Visigoths in 410. ... ( 8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Reign of Charlemagne, and concurrent (and controversially labeled) Carolingian Renaissance in western Europe Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Romanization

The Romans conquered the Western Iberian Peninsula, which they called Hispania: later part of the Roman provinces of Lusitania and Gallaecia, currently Portugal and Galicia (the northwestern region of Spain). Arriving on the Iberian Peninsula in 218 BC, they brought with them the Roman people's language, Vulgar Latin, from which all Romance languages (also known as "New Latin languages") descend. Roman control of the western part of Hispania was not consolidated until the campaigns of Caesar Augustus in 26 BC, but already in the 2nd century BC southern Lusitania was Romanized, and very few traces of the native languages persist in modern Portuguese. Strabo, a 1st-century Greek geographer, comments in one book of his Geographia: "they have adopted the Roman customs, and they no longer remember their own language." The language was spread by arriving Roman soldiers, settlers and merchants, who raised Roman cities mostly near previous civilizations' settlements. Later, the inhabitants of the cities of Lusitania and rest of Romanized Iberia were recognized as citizens of Rome. topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the Iberian Peninsula, and to two of the three provinces they created there: Hispania Baetica and Hispania Tarraconensis (the third being Lusitania). ... Roman province of Lusitania, 120 AD Lusitania, an ancient Roman province approximately including current Portugal and part of western current Spain, named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people. ... Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania (approximately the current Galicia of Spain and the north of Portugal). ... Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  Galician  galego  gallego Statute of Autonomy April... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 223 BC 222 BC 221 BC 220 BC 219 BC - 218 BC - 217 BC 216 BC... Vulgar Latin (in Latin, sermo vulgaris) is a blanket term covering the vernacular dialects of the Latin language spoken mostly in the western provinces of the Roman Empire until those dialects, diverging still further, evolved into the early Romance languages — a distinction usually assigned to about the ninth century. ... Bust of Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus ( Latin: IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS)¹ ( 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius or Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the first Roman Emperor and is traditionally considered the greatest. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC - 20s BC - 10s BC 0s 10s 20s 30s Years: 31 BC 30 BC 29 BC 28 BC 27 BC 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21... (3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events BC 168 Battle of Pydna -- Macedonian phalanx defeated by Romans BC 148 Rome conquers Macedonia BC 146 Rome destroys Carthage in the Third Punic War BC 146 Rome conquers... Strabo (squinty) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. ... (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 99. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... A geographer is a scientist whose area of study is geography, the study of the physical environment and human habitat. ...

Lusitanic Romance

In the 3rd century the Roman emperor Diocletian split the Tarragonensis province in three and the Gallaecia province was created, western Hispania was then made of Lusitania in the south and Gallaecia in the north. (2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century - other centuries) Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east. ... Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( 245- 313 AD/CE), born Diocles, was Roman Emperor from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305. ... Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania (approximately the current Galicia of Spain and the north of Portugal). ... Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the Iberian Peninsula, and to two of the three provinces they created there: Hispania Baetica and Hispania Tarraconensis (the third being Lusitania). ...

Between 409 A.D. and 711, as the Roman Empire was collapsing, the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by peoples of Germanic origin, known by the Romans as Barbarians. The Barbarians (mainly Suevi and Visigoths) largely absorbed the Roman culture and language of the peninsula; however, since the Roman schools and administration were closed and Europe entered the Dark Ages, the Latin Vulgar language was left free to evolve on its own and the uniformity of the Peninsula was soon disrupted. In the western part of the Peninsula (today's Northern Portugal and Galicia), Vulgar Latin gained some local characteristics and in that region the Suevi settled, leading to the formation of the "Lusitanian Romance Language". The Germanic languages influenced Portuguese in words linked to the military, such as guerra ("war"). For the cleaning product 409®, see butoxyethanol. ... See also: phone number 711. ... The German term Völkerwanderung (lit. ... Barbarian was originally a Greek term applied to any foreigner, one not sharing a recognized culture or degree of polish with the speaker or writer employing the term. ... The Suebi or Suevi were a Germanic people whose origin was near the Baltic Sea . ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... The Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is a metaphor with multiple meanings and connotations. ...

From 711, with the Moorish invasion of the Peninsula, Arabic was adopted as the administrative language in the conquered regions. However, the population continued to speak their Romance dialects, the Mozarabs; so that when the Moors were overthrown, the influence that they had exerted on the language was small. Its main effect was in the lexicon: modern Portuguese still has a large number of words of Arabic origin, especially relating to food, agriculture and crafts, which have no cognates in other Romance languages. But there is no loan word in the lexicon related to human feelings, all being of Latin origin. The Arabic influence is also visible in placenames throughout the Southern provinces, such as Algarve, Alfama and Fátima. See also: phone number 711. ... For the terrain type see Moor Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. ... Arabic is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Mozarab (in Spanish, mozárabe; in Portuguese, moçárabe) was the Iberian Christian living under Muslim domination. ... The Algarve is the name of the southern coast of Portugal, incorporating, amongst others, the towns of Faro, Lagos, and Sagres. ... Categories: Portugal geography stubs ...

Proto-Portuguese

The earliest surviving records of a distinctively Portuguese language are administrative documents from the ninth century, still interspersed with many phrases in Latin. Today this phase is known as "Proto-Portuguese" (spoken in the period between the 9th to the 12th century). ( 8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Reign of Charlemagne, and concurrent (and controversially labeled) Carolingian Renaissance in western Europe Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

Old Portuguese: Portuguese-Galician Period

Portugal became an independent country in 1143, with King Afonso Henriques. In the first period of "Old Portuguese" (from 12th to the 14th century), the language came gradually into general use in the following centuries. In 1290, king Diniz created the first Portuguese University in Lisbon (the Estudo Geral) and decreed that Portuguese, then simply called the "Vulgar language" (i.e. Vulgar Latin) should be used in preference to Classical Latin and known as the "Portuguese language". In 1296, Portuguese was adopted by the Royal Chancellary and was used not only in poetry but also when writing law and in notaries. Events Celestine II is elected pope. ... Alfonso I Henriques of Portugal (Guimarães, 1109, traditionally July 25, – 1185), also known as the Conqueror, was the first king of Portugal, declaring his independence from Leon_Castile, a deed often identifying the Condado Portucalense as the first nation_based state of Europe. ... Events King Edward I of England banishes all Jews from Britain. ... Dinis of Portugal (in English Denis), the Farmer, sixth king of Portugal, was born in October 9, 1261 and died in January 7, 1325 in Santarém. ... Vulgar Latin (in Latin, sermo vulgaris) is a blanket term covering the vernacular dialects of the Latin language spoken mostly in the western provinces of the Roman Empire until those dialects, diverging still further, evolved into the early Romance languages — a distinction usually assigned to about the ninth century. ... Classical Latin is the language used by the principal exponents of that language in what is usually regarded as classical Latin literature. ... Events April 27 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated by Edward I of England. ...

Until 1350, the language Portuguese-Galician remained the native language of Galicia and Portugal only; but by the 14th century Portuguese had become a mature language with a rich literary tradition, becoming a popular language for poetry in Iberia, adopted by many Leonese, Castilian, Aragonese and Catalan poets. For instance, Cantigas de Santa Maria was written by Alfonso X, a Castillian king. Some time later, when Spanish also became written in Castilian realms, Galicia came under the influence of the Castilian language, and the southern variant became the language of Portugal. Events Hayam Wuruk becomes ruler of the Majapahit Empire The Black Death ravages Europe (1347-1351) Births Manuel II Palaeologus, future Byzantine Emperor John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (approximate date). ... Portuguese-Galician (in Portuguese and Galician is known as Galaico-Português) was a Iberian Romance language, spoken in the Middle Ages, in the western area of the Iberian Peninsula. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... The name Leon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city Leon, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas Leon, New... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 4th 47 719 km 9,4% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 11th 1 217 514 2,9% 25,51/km Demonym  - English  - Spanish Aragonese aragon s Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  Congress seats  Senate... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... Categories: Historical stubs | Music stubs | Illuminated manuscripts ... Alfonso X, El Sabio, or the Learned, (November 23, 1221 - April 4, 1284) was a king of Castile and León (1252 - 1284). ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...

Old Portuguese: Discoveries Period

Sagres, in the ancient Roman "Promontorium Sacrum", dedicated to god Saturn. Symbol of the Portuguese discoveries and the 15th century world's leading scientific and technological center. (from IPPAR)

In the second period of Old Portuguese, between the 14th and the 16th centuries, with the Portuguese discoveries, the Portuguese language spread to many regions of Asia, Africa and The Americas. Today most of the Portuguese speakers live in Brazil. By the 16th century it had become a lingua franca in Asia and Africa, used not only for colonial administration and trade but also for communication between local officials and Europeans of all nationalities. In Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) several kings became fluent speakers of Portuguese, and nobles often took Portuguese names. The spread of the language was helped by mixed marriages between Portuguese and local people (also very common in other areas of the world) and its association with the Catholic missionary efforts, which led to its being called Cristão ("Christian") in many places. The language continued to be popular despite the severe measures taken by the Dutch to abolish it in Ceylon and Indonesia. Symbol of the Portuguese discoveries. ... Symbol of the Portuguese discoveries. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... Catholic is a term generally used in relation to the members, beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... The Republic of Indonesia is located in the Malay Archipelago, the worlds largest archipelago, between Indochina and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ...

Some Portuguese-speaking Christian communities in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia preserved their language even after they were isolated from Portugal. The language has largely changed in these communities and has evolved through the centuries into several Portuguese creoles. Also, a considerable number of words of Portuguese origin are found in Tetum, the national language of East Timor, such as lee 'to read' (from ler), aprende 'to learn' (from aprender) and tenke 'to have to' (from tem que). Portuguese words entered the lexicons of many other languages, such as pan 'bread' (from pão) in Japanese, sepatu 'shoe' in Indonesian (from sapato), keju 'cheese' in Malay (from queijo), and meza 'table' in Swahili (from mesa). The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... This article is primarily about the language. ... Tetum (also written as Tetun) is the national language of East Timor. ... The Democratic Republic of East Timor, also known officially as Timor Leste is a nation in Southeast Asia, consisting of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, a political exclave of East Timor situated on the western side of... Reading is an enjoyable pastime for many people. ... Learned redirects here. ... Residents of North America and Europe often eat pre-sliced white bread. ... The Japanese language is a spoken and written language used mainly in Japan. ... shoe for right foot A shoe is a piece of footwear for humans, less than a boot and more than a slipper. ... Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia and a remarkable language in several ways. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the curdled milk of various animals—most commonly cows but sometimes goats, sheep, reindeer, and water buffalo. ... The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who are native to the Malay peninsula, southern Thailand, Singapore and parts of Sumatra. ... For other uses, see table (disambiguation). ... Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see Kiswahili for a discussion of the nomenclature) is an agglutinative Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. ...

Modern Portuguese

The end of "Old Portuguese" was marked by the publication of the Cancioneiro Geral de Garcia de Resende, in 1516. But a variant of Old Portuguese is still spoken, as a dialect, especially in São Tomé and Príncipe, but also in Brazil, Portugal and Angola. The period of "Modern Portuguese" (from the 16th century to the present) saw an increase in the number of words of Classical Latin origin and erudite words of Greek origin borrowed into Portuguese during the Renaissance, which augmented the complexity of Portuguese. Events March - With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon, his grandson Charles of Ghent becomes King of Spain as Carlos I. July - Selim I of the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Mameluks and invades Syria. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...