A talk by Peter Booker

The Portuguese are famous for their exploration of Asia and South America. They created, so it is said, the first global village and became part of the first world empire on which the sun never set. But hiding in the wings is the military effort, which Portugal made closer to home. From their first conquest of Ceuta until they finally left Morocco in 1769, there is a span of 354 years, which at present, is longer than the British presence in Gibraltar. Where was Portugal´s effort spent, and what were they doing there? Why did they persist in Morocco, when the attractive spices of the east and the valuable gold and diamonds of Brazil were there to be exploited? Peter Booker investigates Portuguese campaigns in Morocco, and explains the Portuguese presence in The Other Algarve.