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History of Lisbon Timeline
(c. 1200 BCE – Present)Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is one of Europe's oldest cities, with a history spanning nearly three millennia. Founded by the Phoenicians and shaped by Romans, Moors, and Portuguese monarchs, Lisbon flourished during the Age of Discoveries as a hub of global exploration. Devastated by the great earthquake of 1755 and later transformed by modernization, it remains a city where layered history meets contemporary culture. More Less
Ancient and Medieval Lisbon
Roman conquest and founding of Olisipo
205 BC
Roman forces captured the settlement during the Second Punic War era, renaming it Olisipo. The city later received the status of municipium under Julius Caesar as Felicitas Julia, becoming a prosperous Roman port known for trade, salted fish, and horse breeding.
Image source: Olisipo
Sack of Lisbon by the Vandals
409 AD
During the decline of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes including the Vandals swept through Iberia and sacked Olisipo. The city subsequently passed through the hands of the Alans, Suebi, and Visigoths, marking the end of Roman rule.
Image source: History of Lisbon
Moorish conquest of Lisbon
714 AD
Berber and Arab forces under Musa ibn Nusayr conquered the city, which became known as al-Ushbuna. Under Muslim rule for over four centuries, Lisbon flourished as a commercial center with mosques, markets, and distinctive Alfama district urban fabric.
Image source: Al-Andalus
Siege of Lisbon by Afonso Henriques
Jul 1, 1147 - Oct 25, 1147
Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, besieged and captured Lisbon from the Moors with help from English, Flemish, and German crusaders en route to the Second Crusade. The conquest established Lisbon as a Christian city and a cornerstone of the new Kingdom of Portugal.
Image source: Siege of Lisbon
Lisbon becomes capital of Portugal
1256
King Afonso III formally designated Lisbon as the capital of Portugal, replacing Coimbra. Its growing port, population, and strategic position on the Tagus estuary made it the natural political and economic center of the kingdom.
Image source: Lisbon
Construction of the Carmo Convent begins
1389
Queen Leonor Teles' successor Nuno Álvares Pereira founded the Gothic Convento do Carmo on a hill overlooking the city. Its ruins, left roofless after the 1755 earthquake, remain one of Lisbon's most evocative landmarks.
Image source: Carmo Convent
Age of Discoveries
Prince Henry the Navigator sponsors Atlantic exploration from Lisbon
1415
The Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415 launched the Age of Discoveries, with Lisbon serving as the organizing base for expeditions down the African coast. Prince Henry's sponsorship of navigators and cartographers transformed Lisbon into Europe's maritime hub.
Image source: Prince Henry the Navigator
Vasco da Gama departs Lisbon for India
Jul 8, 1497
Vasco da Gama sailed from the Tagus near Lisbon with four ships, seeking a sea route to India. His return in 1499 after reaching Calicut via the Cape of Good Hope inaugurated the Portuguese spice trade and made Lisbon Europe's richest port.
Image source: Vasco da Gama
Arrival of spices makes Lisbon Europe's commercial hub
1500 - 1580
With monopolies over spice routes to Asia, Brazil, and Africa, Lisbon became the wealthiest city in Europe during the 16th century. The Casa da Índia managed royal trade, while merchants from across the continent flocked to its bustling waterfront.
Image source: Portuguese Empire
Completion of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém
1502
King Manuel I commissioned the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, funded by the spice trade, to celebrate Vasco da Gama's voyage. The masterpiece of Manueline architecture, adorned with maritime motifs, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image source: Jerónimos Monastery
Key Facts
- Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Western Europe, predating Rome by centuries, with origins traced to Phoenician settlements around 1200 BCE.
- The city was ruled by the Moors from 711 CE until 1147, when Afonso Henriques, Portugal's first king, reconquered it during the Second Crusade's Siege of Lisbon.
- During the Age of Discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries, Lisbon became the center of a global maritime empire, launching expeditions led by explorers like Vasco da Gama.
- The catastrophic earthquake of November 1, 1755, followed by a tsunami and fire, destroyed much of the city and killed tens of thousands, prompting one of history's first major urban reconstruction projects under the Marquis of Pombal.
- The Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, began in Lisbon and peacefully ended decades of authoritarian rule, leading to Portugal's transition to democracy.
Source
This History of Lisbon timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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