The Slave Trade in Lisbon

In the first half of the 15th century Portugal, under the guidance of Prince Henry the Navigator, began what we now refer to as the Atlantic Slave Trade. This trade saw between 12 to 14 million Africans sold into slavery and taken across the ocean to the Americas, it was a crime against the humanity of these individuals that lasted for four centuries. In this walking tour you learn just how this trade shaped Portugal's development. To that end, you will be guided along back streets and main avenues, monuments, churches and public squares that have a connection with this history and can offer insight into how Lisbon was marked by slavery. We will address various topics such as the genesis of the slavery in the Iberian peninsula, the birth of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the Age of Discovery, the day to day aspects of the life of a slave living in historical Lisbon, the importance of Brazil, the abolition of the trade in Portugal, the Portuguese colonies in Africa and the struggle for liberation.