History of Azores

The Azores were arguably discovered by Portuguese navigators in 1427, and were soon after colonised by the Portuguese from the Algarve area as well as by groups of Flemings. The islands have enjoyed an eventful history, both economically, in war and politically, and have been shaped by events beyond human control.

Early days

More and more settlers began to trickle into the islands from the likes of Northern France and Flanders, while, in 1583, Spain’s Philip II (also the then king of Portugal) sent his combined Iberian fleet to wipe French traders from the Azores’ blood-thirsty ‘Black Legend’ way. The Azores was one of the last places of the Portuguese Empire to resist King Philip's hold over Portugal and remained so until the end of the union of Spain and Portugal; the Iberian Union.

Trade grew during the next couple of centuries (1500s and 1600s) between Europe, the United States and India, and the Azores was the centre of much of this trading. As a consequence, many Indians made the Azores their home, adding to the multicultural make=up of the islands’ people.

Civil war and economy

Terceira Island (central Azores) became the headquarters of the new Portuguese regime during the 1820 Portuguese Civil War, with the liberals winning over the absolutists in Vila da Praia in 1829. Terceira Island also became the Council of Regency (Conselho de Regência).

The Azores once again prospered during the 19th and 20th centuries, with the development of new industries and fisheries, and the introductions of new crops. In 1976, the islands became the Autonomous Region of the Azores (Região Autónoma dos Açores) and in recent years, they have received cash flow from donations from US emigrants and the considerable capital from the leasing of Lajes Air Field on Terceira Island to the United States.

Modern times

The Azores made big news in 2003, when a summit was held here just before Gulf War II. US President George Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar all met before going into Iraq a few days later.

Tourism

Tourism-wise, the Azores has been a popular year-round destination since the 1980s, when jet travel prices became cheaper and people realised that the islands were relatively warm for most of the year. São Miguel has traditionally been the most heavily visited and built up of the nine main islands, although island-hopping air travel and the need to get away from the norm has somewhat opened up the rest of the islands.