THE CHARACTER AND CONTRADICTIONS OF THE GOLDEN AGE

The period from about the mid-1490s to the early 1540s is in many respects the most memorable in Portugal's history, an era which later generations came to view nostalgically as a Golden Age. During these years, Portugal attained a significance in world affairs it had never approached before and has never equalled since. Portuguese sailors rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and Portuguese pioneers founded settlements and trading posts from Brazil to the islands of southeast Asia. Meanwhile in Europe the kingdom itself overcame internal political tensions that had dogged it for centuries. Economic conditions were generally positive, some deterioration in the final decade or two notwithstanding. There were notable literary and artistic achievements, and the mood of the nation was decidedly optimistic.

The first phase of this Golden Age was presided over by King Manuel I (1495–1521). A grandson of King Duarte, he ascended the throne against all the odds – only after the fortuitous deaths of his cousin, Prince Afonso, and five older brothers of his own, and greatly against the will of João II. In the eyes of certain courtiers this marked Manuel out as a king by special divine grace, a last-born made first like the biblical King David. Manuel himself was deeply influenced by such perceptions and was encouraged, particularly by his secretary Duarte Galvão, to believe he was God's instrument for a sacred task.