The Naval Battle of Diu took place on February 3, 1509, in the port of Diu, off the west coast of the Indian peninsula between Portuguese and Egyptian squadrons, ending in a crushing Portuguese victory. As a result of the battle, the Portuguese gained complete control of the sea around India, pushing the Egyptians out of trade with India. A further consequence was to facilitate the conquest of parts of India by the Portuguese from 1510 and the creation of Portuguese India. ¹⁾

In the 12th century, Portugal was ruled by Sancho I the Populator. The king's nickname is associated with the era of the great geographic discoveries, but he lived much earlier and earned his nickname from populating uninhabited areas of Portugal itself. During his reign from 1185 to 1211 he brought many Flemish and Burgundian settlers to northern Portugal, contributing significantly to the development of the country (including cultural and commercial). ²⁾

The Portuguese initially kidnapped people they encountered on the African coast to sell as slaves. It was difficult for the people of Africa to understand what was happening to the irretrievably dying people who were being taken to other continents. Until local elites began to participate in the trade, one of the emerging explanations was that the kidnappers were eating their victims. ³⁾

Berlenga Grande is a small Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, the largest in the Berlengas archipelago. The island is the only one in the archipelago to have experienced human settlement. Traces of human presence have been preserved there since about a thousand years BC. In ancient times it was known as the Dream Island or Saturn Island. At different times, the Vikings, Moors, and English and French pirates came here. The monks of the Hieronymite order built a monastery here in the 16th century; the stones from the monastery ruins were used to build the Forte de São (Fortress of St. John the Baptist). ⁴⁾

Madeira is particularly famous for its durability (vintages from the Napoleonic era are in use). The fortified wine from the Portuguese island of Madeira, instead of being stored in cool cellars, is aged in hot attics. This method of wine storage was introduced when it was noticed that wine fortified with rum in the stuffy holds of ships gets better and better. ⁵⁾