PORTUGAL : The Azores - history

In 1427 the Portuguese discovered the islands Santa Maria and São Miguel. The colonization of the then-unoccupied islands started in 1439 with people mainly from the continental provinces of Algarve and Alentejo, in the following centuries settlers from other European countries arrived.

There were so many Flemish settlers, that the Azores at one point became known as “ the Flemish Islands”. Due to its strategic geographic position, the archipelago was to become an important waypoint on the main routes between Europe, the Orient and America during 16th and 17th centuries. This period saw major naval battles around the Azores, while the islands were set upon by pirates.

In 1583 Philip II of Spain as king of Portugal sent his combined Iberian fleet to clear the French traders from the Azores, decisively hanging his prisoners-of-war from the yardarms and contributing to the "Black Legend". The Azores were the last part of Portugal to resist Philip's reign over Portugal.

The 1820 civil war in Portugal, had strong repercussion in the Azores. In 1829, in Vila da Praia, the liberals won over the absolutists, making Terceira Island, the main headquarters of the new Portuguese regime, and where the Counsil of Regency (Conselho de Regência) of Mary II of Portugal was established.

From 1938 to 1978, the archipelago was divided into three districts, quite equivalent (except in area) to those in the Portuguese mainland. The division was quite arbitrary, and didn’t follow the natural island groups, rather reflecting the location of each district capital on the three main cities (neither of each on the western group).

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