A Brief History of Madeira

1418

1418 Prince Henry (The Navigator), son of King João I of Portugal sponsors several voyages of discovery. One of these, lead by João Gonçalves Zarco, set off to explore the Guinea Coast of Africa. Blown off course, he finds shelter off an island he names Porto Santo (Blessed Port) in gratitude.

1420 Zarco returns to investigate Porto Santo and discovers the much larger island to the southwest, which he calls Ilha da Madeira, the Island of Wood.

1425 After setting fire to the island’s woods, settlement begins in earnest. The island’s climate and fertile soils are ideally suited to the growth of sugar cane.

1452 The first slaves are brought from Africa and the Canaries to build Madeira’s terraces, dig the irrigation channels and work the fields.

1478 Christopher Columbus visits Madeira to buy sugar. He later marries Filipa Moniz, daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrello, the first governor of Porto Santo.

1542 The defensive walls around Funchal are built to protect the city from pirate attacks.

1566 Despite the walls, French pirates attack Funchal, kill the governor and 250 Madeirans and loot the island’s mansions and churches.

1580 Phillip II of Spain occupies Portugal and Madeira comes under Spanish rule.

1640 The Portuguese revolt against Spanish rule and regain their independence under King João IV.

1662 Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King João IV, marries Charles II of England. As part of the marriage settlement, commercial privileges are granted to English merchants.

1775 Slavery is declared illegal in Portugal.

1807-1813 British troops are garrisoned on Madeira to prevent Napoleon invading the island.

1852 In the same year, cholera carries off 7,000 victims and the island’s vineyards are devastated by mildew. New and more resistant vines are planted and the cultivation of the banana is stepped up.

1887 The island’s economy is boosted by large numbers of European tourists visiting for the winter or staying en route to postings in South America, India and the Far East.

1916-1917 German U-Boats twice shell Funchal from the harbour, causing minor damage.

1931 Madeirans declare a general strike in protest against the regime of Portuguese dictator, Antõnio d’Oliveira Salazar. Troops from Lisbon put down the rebellion. Madeirans begin emigrating in large numbers in search of a better life.

1949-1958 Flying boat services operate between Southampton and Madeira.

1964 Santa Caterina airport opens and the first commercial flights begin, marking a change in the type of visitor to the island.

1974 Radical army officers in Lisbon carry out a bloodless coup known as the Carnation Revolution, deposing Salazar’s successor, Prime Minister Caetano, as the soldiers carry flowers in their gun barrels. Portugal enters a new era of democracy.

1976 Madeira gains the status of an autonomous region, with its own regional government and president.

1986 Portugal’s entry into the European Community gives Madeira access to development funds, which are used to extend the airport runway, build new roads and improve the island’s infrastructure.

1997 The opening of the island’s south-coast expressway transforms transport on the island.

2000 Inauguration of the International Airport of Madeira.

September 2002