The Algarve through the Years
The Algarve has a long and interesting history. The Algarve is named so because in Arabic “Algarve” means country of “the west”. Over the years people have made home to the Algarve due to its strong military position along the coast, with great access to shipping lanes and important ports.
The area was first settled by the Conii, a pre-Roman people from the Iberian Peninsula, before the 6th century, BC. The Phoenicians had previously established multiple trading ports along the coastline, and the Conii flourished until the Carthaginians pushed them out and they in turn were defeated by the Romans who, in the second century BC, held fast and developed the area.
The Romans lasted in the Algarve until they were defeated in the 5th century BC, who stayed and occupied the area until they were pushed out by the Moors in the invasion of 711 AD. The Moors named the Algarve (Al-Gharb) and also many of the Algarve’s towns, such as Faro (initially named Faraon – “Settlement of the Knights”). The Christians reclaimed the Algarve for the then Kingdom of Portugal, and the King of Portugal Alfonzo the Third started to call himself the King of Portugal & the Algarve
The city of Lagos became the capital of the Algarve and became a hub for maritime trade.
The Algarve was again occupied by the Spanish in 1580 who held the area until 1640 when the Portuguese revolted against the Spaniards. Finally in 1668 Spain recognized Portugal’s independence.
Napoleon also had his time in the Algarve when he invaded in 1807, and this forced the Portuguese royalty to escape to Brazil where they remained until Napoleon left.
As of 1911 Portugal had many years of political worries as they created a new constitution, and in this time, no longer was it called the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarve, but just Portugal and the Algarve was a region in the South of Portugal.
The Algarve’s history is clearly on show today, you can see many ruins, castles, forts, excavations in many of the Algarve’s towns.
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