 | |
 United Kingdom |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of the United Kingdom,Lisbon | Embassy of Portugal, London |
Portugal–United Kingdom relations are thebilateral relations relations betweenPortugal and theUnited Kingdom. The relationship, largely driven by the nations' common interests as maritime countries on the edge of Europe and close to larger continental neighbours, dates back to the Middle Ages in 1373 with theAnglo-Portuguese Alliance.[1]
Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic Co-operation Pact,[2] theCouncil of Europe,NATO, theOECD, theOSCE, theUnited Nations, theWorld Health Organization, and theWorld Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, and a Double Taxation Convention.[3]
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The history of the relationship between Portugal and Britain dates back to theMiddle Ages. England aided Portugal in theReconquista, and after takingLisbon in 1147, the first King of PortugalAfonso Henriques made the EnglishmanGilbert of Hastings theBishop of Lisbon.[4] In 1373, theKingdom of England signed theAnglo-Portuguese Alliance, the oldest alliance in the world still in force. The alliance was formalised by theTreaty of Windsor in 1386, and in 1387Philippa of Lancaster, the daughter ofJohn of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, was married toJohn I of Portugal.
During the late 16th century, England found itself fighting against Spain which at this time was inpersonal union with Portugal.[citation needed] TheEnglish Armada was launched as part of this conflict in an attempt to restore Portuguese independence and counter both Spanish and Portuguese military ships which formed theSpanish Armada.[citation needed]
A further marriage between the Portuguese and English royal families occurred with theMarriage Treaty in 1662 whenCharles II of England marriedCatherine of Braganza, daughter of KingJohn IV of Portugal. Her dowry gave BritainTangiers andBombay, plus free trade to Portuguese colonies inBrazil and Asia.[5] In return Charles raised a brigade of troops to serve inPortugal's Restoration War against Spain. Catherine is credited with popularisingtea, which is now seen as a key part of British culture.[6] In 1703, Portugal joined an alliance of England and theNetherlands in theWar of the Spanish Succession againstFrance andSpain. That same year, Portugal and England signed theMethuen Treaty. In the 18th century, the two nations were allies in theSeven Years' War.[citation needed]
The 19th century saw the alliance between Portugal and the United Kingdom come into effect once more whenNapoleon Bonaparte built theContinental System, which Portugal refused to join, leading Napoleon to invade.In 1807 Napoleon's army attacked Lisbon, forcing the Portuguese royal family toflee toBrazil under the protection of the BritishRoyal Navy. In the later half of the century, as Portugal's imperial power declined following Brazil's independence, there were disputes between itself and the United Kingdom in southern Africa (1890 British Ultimatum) which was a great embarrassment for the Portuguese monarchy and colonial prestige.[7] Portugal was one of theAllies of World War I along with Britain. While officially neutral inWorld War II, Portugal remained friendly to the British, a counterpart to Spain's cooperation with theAxis.
On 13 June 2022, thePrime Minister of Portugal and thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom signed a new agreement between the two nations in London, known as the UK-Portugal Joint Declaration on Bilateral Cooperation, thereby reinforcing the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance and confirming its status as the longest-running alliance still in force.[8] The Joint Declaration was also signed to celebrate the 650th anniversary of theTreaty of Tagilde.[9]
The 650th anniversary of theAnglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 was officially commemorated by both nations on 16 June 2023. The British government stated at this time that they intend to enter into "a new bilateral Defence Agreement, due to be signed later in the year, set to take our defence cooperation to the next level."[10]
From 1 January 1986 until 30 December 2020, trade between Portugal and the UK was governed by theEuropean single market, while the United Kingdom was amember of theEuropean Union.[11]
Trade between theUnited Kingdom and Portugal is governed by theEU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement since 1 January 2021.[12][13]
Portugal was an officialAllied Powerin World War I, yet they received nothing after theTreaty of Versailles.[14]In World War II,Prime MinisterAntónio de Oliveira Salazar was committed to the six-century-old treaty (which had been renewed in 1899). Portugal provided assistance to Spain during theSpanish Civil War, while the United Kingdom provided non-intervention and neutrality. This helped Portugal by not by declaring war but by helpingSpain stay neutral and by assuming a co-belligerent status against Germany by leasingair bases in the Azores to the Allies in 1943. It cut off vital shipments oftungsten to Germany in 1944, after heavy Allied pressure. Lisbon was the base forInternational Red Cross operations aiding Allied POWs, and a main air transit point between Britain and the U.S.[15]
The states are members ofNATO andOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. There have been severalstate visits between the nations.
The list below is of British and Portuguesetown twinnings.
In 1557 and 1842, and in 1898, Britain and Portugal established Hong Kong and Macau on both sides of the Pearl River Estuary along the coast of Guangdong Province. Today, Hong Kong and Macau have been established a Chinese Special Administrative Regions on 1 July 1997 and 20 December 1999, and ended the rule of 156 and 442 years, respectively, for British and Portuguese.
On 3 May 2007, Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment inPraia da Luz.
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