Iberian Union is a modern day term that refers to the historical political unit that governed all of the Iberian peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580-1640, as a personal union. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés A personal union is the combination by which two different States are governed by the same Monarch, while their boundaries their laws and their interests remain distinct ^[1] This union was composed of Portugal, the Crown of Castille and the Crown of Aragon , after the Portuguese dynastic crisis and in a personal union of the crowns, along with their respective colonial possessions. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. A personal union is the combination by which two different States are governed by the same Monarch, while their boundaries their laws and their interests remain distinct

To unite Iberia was one of the ambitions of medieval monarchs of the Iberian peninsula. Sancho III of Navarre and Alfonso VII of Castile both took the title Imperator Totius Hispaniae, meaning "Emperor of All Hispania"^[2] centuries before. Sancho III Garcés (late 10th century &ndash 18 October 1035) called the Great ( Spanish: el Mayor or el Grande) was Alfonso VII ( 1 March 1105 &ndash 21 August 1157) called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The title of Imperator (totius Hispaniae ( Latin for Emperor of Spain) was borne traditionally by the monarchs of León The union could have been achieved earlier had Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias, become king. The Infante Miguel da Paz Prince of Portugal and Prince of Asturias ( Portuguese: Miguel da Paz de Trastâmara e Avis; Spanish: Miguel de la Paz He died early in his childhood.

The history of Portugal from the dynastic crisis in 1578 to the first Braganza Dynasty monarchs is a period of transition. History Dukes Afonso, Count of Barcelos, was an illegitimate son of King João I of Portugal. The Portuguese Empire was near its height at the start of this period. The Portuguese Empire was the earliest and longest lived of the modern European colonial empires spanning almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta It continued to enjoy widespread influence in the world after Vasco da Gama had finally reached the East by sailing around Africa in 1497-1498. Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira ('vaʃku dɐ 'gɐmɐ ( Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Portugal, ca Gama's achievement completed the exploratory efforts inaugurated by Henry the Navigator, and opened an oceanic route for the immensely profitable spice trade into Europe that bypassed the Middle East. The Infante Henrique Duke of Viseu ( Porto, March 4, 1394 – Sagres, November 13, 1460) pron Spice trade is a commercial activity of ancient origin which involves the merchandising of Spices and Herbs. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

Throughout the 17th century, the increasing predations and surrounding of Portuguese trading posts in the East by the Dutch, English and French, and their rapidly growing intrusion into the Atlantic slave trade, undermined Portugal's' near monopoly on the lucrative oceanic spice and slave trades. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The Atlantic Slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African people supplied to the Colonies of the New World This sent the kingdom into a long decline. To a lesser extent the diversion of wealth from Portugal by the Habsburg regime to help support the Catholic side of the Thirty Years War and in fighting the Dutch, also contributed to the weakening of Portugal's financial position. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. The Dutch Revolt, Eighty Years' War or the Revolt of the Netherlands (1568—1648 was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries Spain's checking of rival powers extended the period of Iberian maritime dominance, albeit under severe challenge, well into the 17th century. These events, and those that occurred at the end of Aviz dynasty and the period of Iberian Union, led Portugal to a state of dependency on its colonies, first India and then Brazil. The House of Aviz (in the current spelling Avis, pron ɐ'viʃ is a dynasty of kings of Portugal. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country This shift from India to Brazil was a consequence of the rise of the Dutch and British empires that grew from their trading posts in the east. The Dutch Empire was the territories controlled by The Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. A similar shift occurred after the independence of Brazil, resulting in Portugal focusing more on its possessions in Africa.

Establishment

Main article: Struggle for the throne of Portugal

The Battle of Alcazarquivir in 1578 saw both the death of the young king Sebastian and the end of the House of Aviz. The Battle of Alcácer Quibir (variant spellings are legion Alcácer-Quivir Al Quasr al-kibr Alcazarquivir Alcassar and so on meaning grand palace in Arabic Sebastian I King of Portugal "the Desired" (in Portuguese, Sebastião I, sɨbɐʃˈtiɐ̃ũ o Desejado; born in Lisbon The House of Aviz (in the current spelling Avis, pron ɐ'viʃ is a dynasty of kings of Portugal. Sebastian's successor, the Cardinal Henry of Portugal, was 70 years old at the time. A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. For the Count of Portugal see Henry Count of Portugal; for the Prince see Henry the Navigator Henry Cardinal-King of Portugal or Henry's death was followed by a dynastical crisis, with three grandchildren of Manuel I claiming the throne: Catherine, Duchess of Braganza (married to John, 6th Duke of Braganza), António, Prior of Crato, and Philip II of Spain. Manuel I (mɐnuˈɛɫ Archaic Portuguese: Manoel I, English: Emmanuel I) the Fortunate ( Port Infanta Catarina of Guimarães Duchess of Braganza by mariage ( pron John I 6th Duke of Braganza KGF (1543 - 1583 was the eldest son of Teodósio I 5th Duke of Braganza. António Prior of Crato (ɐ̃ˈtɔniu Lisbon, 1531 – Paris, August 26, 1595; sometimes rarely called The Determined, The Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 António had been acclaimed King of Portugal by the people of Santarém on July 24, 1580 and then in many cities and towns throughout the country. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of Portuguese Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Some members of the Council of Governors of Portugal, who had supported Philip, escaped to Spain and declared him to be the legal successor of Henry. Philip II marched into Portugal and defeated the troops loyal to the Prior of Crato in the Battle of Alcântara. The Battle of Alcântara took place on August 25, 1580, near the brook of Alcântara, in the vicinity of Lisbon, Portugal, and Philip II was crowned Philip I of Portugal in 1581 (recognized as king by the Cortes of Tomar) and the Portuguese House of Habsburg (also called the Philippine Dynasty) began. For the Indian surname see Tomara. Tomar ( pron tu'maɾ also known in English as Thomar, is a city of some 20000 and The Portuguese House of Habsburg commonly known as Philippine Dynasty is the third dynasty of Kings of Portugal named after the three Spanish

A map of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the period of their personal union (1581-1640)
Red/Pink - Spanish Empire
Blue/Light Blue - Portuguese Empire
(Areas explored & claimed by the Spanish, but unsettled, (ie: Amazon basin) not shown. )

Portugal's status was maintained under the first two kings of the Iberian Union, Philip I and his son Philip II of Portugal and III of Spain. after he farted he ate chicken and farted some more Philip III (Felipe III April 14, 1578 &ndash March 31, 1621) was the King Both monarchs gave excellent positions to Portuguese nobles in the Spanish courts, and Portugal maintained an independent law, currency, and government. It was even proposed to move the Royal capital to Lisbon. However, the joining of the two crowns deprived Portugal of a separate foreign policy, and Spain's enemies became Portugal's. England had been an ally of Portugal since the Treaty of Windsor in 1386. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Treaty of Windsor is the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world War between Spain and England led to a deterioration of the relations with Portugal's oldest ally, and the loss of Hormuz. Kingdom of Ormus (also known as Ohrmuzd, Hormuz, and Ohrmazd; Portuguese Ormuz) was a 10th to 17th century kingdom located English help provided by Elizabeth I of England in a rebellion against the kings assured the survival of the alliance. War with the Dutch led to invasions of many countries in Asia, including Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka), and commercial interests in Japan, Africa (Mina), and South America. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. This article documents the History of Gabon. Early history From the 1300s until the present time Bantu groups immigrated into Gabon from several South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Even though Portuguese were unable to capture the entire island of Ceylon, they were able to keep the coastal regions of Ceylon under their control for a considerable time. Brazil was partially conquered by both France and the Seventeen Provinces. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Seventeen Provinces were a Personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century roughly covering the current Netherlands In the 17th, taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, many Portuguese territories in Brazil were occupied by the Dutch who gained access to the sugarcane plantations. Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company. John Maurice of Nassau (Dutch Johan Maurits, German Johann Moritz, 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679) was count Dutch West India Company ( Dutch: Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie or GWC; English: Chartered West India Company was a company of He landed at Recife, the port of Pernambuco, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions from Sergipe on the south to São Luís de Maranhão in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Elmina Castle, Saint Thomas, and Luanda, Angola, on the west coast of Africa. Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina ( St For the mystic of the Han Dynasty see Luan Da. Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the After the dissolution of the Iberian Union in 1640, Portugal would reestablish its authority over the lost territories of the Portuguese Empire. The Portuguese Empire was the earliest and longest lived of the modern European colonial empires spanning almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta The Dutch intrusion into Brazil was long lasting and troublesome to Portugal. The Seventeen Provinces captured a large portion of the Brazilian coast including Bahia, Salvador, Recife, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, and Sergipe, while Dutch privateers sacked Portuguese ships in both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Bahia (baˈia is one of the 26 States of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast Salvador (historic name São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos, in English "Holy Savior of All Saints' Bay" is a City on the northeast coast of Recife ( heˈsifi is the fifth largest Metropolitan area in Brazil and the capital of the state of Pernambuco. Pernambuco (pɛxnɐ̃ˈbuku is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country Paraíba (paɾaˈiba is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast where lies the easternmost Rio Grande do Norte (lit "Large River of the North" xiu ˈgɾɐ̃di du ˈnɔxti is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part Ceará (siaˈɾa is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast Sergipe (sɛxˈʒipi (originally Sergipe D'El-Rey) is the smallest state of Brazil, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The large area of Bahia and its city, the strategically important Salvador, was recovered quickly by a powerful Iberian military expedition in 1625. This laid the foundations for the recovery of remaining Dutch controlled areas. The other smaller, less developed areas were recovered in stages and relieved of Dutch piracy in the next two decades by local resistance and Portuguese expeditions.