The Algarve located on the southern coast of the Portugal has a very long and interesting history. For the years between 700BC and 700AD, the Algarve saw invasions from the Celts, Romans and various European tribes, most notably the Visigoths, all of which were drawn the convenient locations of the ports.
But it was from 716AD that much of the Algarve we know today was founded. The ruling Visigoths were invaded by the Berbers and Moors, a predominantly Arab population that dominated the west of North Africa that conquered and ruled the Iberian Peninsular which included Spain, Andorra and Portugal. It was during this rule that the south Portuguese region was named Al-Gharb Al-Andalus (translated means 'the west' and 'Iberia'), later slightly altered to the modern name, Algarve. Much of the existing latticework, flat roofs and decorative glazed tiles all come from this period of belonging to the Iberian Peninsular.
The militaries of North Portugal overthrew the Moorish occupation in the 12th Century, and by the 13th Century the Algarve was under full sovereign control. From then and up until 1822, the Algarve belonged to a wider empire known as the 'United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and The Algarves', with 'The Algarves' referring to the south Portugal region as well as the African Portuguese territory now known as Morocco.
Portugal's capital was destroyed in 1755 by the fated Lisbon earthquake, with the subsequent tsunami hitting and destroying much of the Algarve. Manual de Godoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, later took control on the Algarve with his troops, although this only lasted a year as in 1808 he fled as Napoleon started to invade Spain and Portugal. The Algarve survived the Napoleonic invasion, however, with the help of British troops as they fought the Peninsular War between 1808 and 1811.
Portugal's sovereignty ended after King Carlos I was assassinated in 1908, and his heir to the throne, King Manuel II, abdicated in 1910 due to the Republican Revolution. A dictatorship followed for the next 50 years, but democracy was restored in 1974 following the bloody Carnation Revolution. Run by a Prime Minister, today Portugal is a peaceful country that now belongs to the European Union.
But it was from 716AD that much of the Algarve we know today was founded. The ruling Visigoths were invaded by the Berbers and Moors, a predominantly Arab population that dominated the west of North Africa that conquered and ruled the Iberian Peninsular which included Spain, Andorra and Portugal. It was during this rule that the south Portuguese region was named Al-Gharb Al-Andalus (translated means 'the west' and 'Iberia'), later slightly altered to the modern name, Algarve. Much of the existing latticework, flat roofs and decorative glazed tiles all come from this period of belonging to the Iberian Peninsular.
The militaries of North Portugal overthrew the Moorish occupation in the 12th Century, and by the 13th Century the Algarve was under full sovereign control. From then and up until 1822, the Algarve belonged to a wider empire known as the 'United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and The Algarves', with 'The Algarves' referring to the south Portugal region as well as the African Portuguese territory now known as Morocco.
Portugal's capital was destroyed in 1755 by the fated Lisbon earthquake, with the subsequent tsunami hitting and destroying much of the Algarve. Manual de Godoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, later took control on the Algarve with his troops, although this only lasted a year as in 1808 he fled as Napoleon started to invade Spain and Portugal. The Algarve survived the Napoleonic invasion, however, with the help of British troops as they fought the Peninsular War between 1808 and 1811.
Portugal's sovereignty ended after King Carlos I was assassinated in 1908, and his heir to the throne, King Manuel II, abdicated in 1910 due to the Republican Revolution. A dictatorship followed for the next 50 years, but democracy was restored in 1974 following the bloody Carnation Revolution. Run by a Prime Minister, today Portugal is a peaceful country that now belongs to the European Union.
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