History of Lisbon

Like many other cities in Europe, Lisbon started out as Roman – they settled there in about the year 205 B.C. - and was referred to as “Felicitus Julia”. The Romans built a fortification on the site, which is now known as St. Georges Castle. The Visgoths captured the city in the 5th century AD. After a time in road construction, as well as the supremacy for language, the Moors took over the city during the invasion in the 8th century. The Moors constructed houses in the ancient quarter of al-Hamma – this area is known as Alfama – the city stayed in their control until Dom Afonso Henriques (Afonso 1st) recaptured it in 1147 with the help of crusaders.

Lisbon had a period of magnificent construction during the 15th Century when the Age of Discoveries brought in knowledge and money from overseas. Draining of funds by an absolutist and extravagant monarchy and the 60-year rule by the Spanish, depleted the capital, and the great earthquake of 1755 both destroyed and saved it. Under the management of Marques de Pombal, the city was reconstructed and redirected, pulling it out of the medieval era into the Age of Enlightment. This upset both the clergy and the nobility in the process, as their powers were curbed and the position in society changed.

Lisbon was reconstructed, but suffered under Napoleonic invasion and a subsequent civil war. By the early 20th century, the country had a republic but carelessness led to a rebellion, and the 48 – year dictatorship that followed stifled Lisbon and its cultural and social development. This finally came to an end in 1974 when rebel soldiers came out on to the streets of the city in the peaceful Carnation Revolution.

During the change to equality, Lisbon struggled with development, but transportation began to progress after joining the European Union in 1986. In 1994 the city was elected as The European City of Culture, boosting its cultural production and tourism in the city.