Side by side
Spain and Portugal compared
Two sourced records set beside each other — the figures each nation publishes, and the events each chronicle records of the other. Compared, never graded.
1492 — The Granada War ends and the Catholic Monarchs' realms span the peninsula
5 October 1143 — The Treaty of Zamora recognises Afonso Henriques as king
- Shared indicators
- 43
- Domains
- 9
- Crossed events
- 8
- Data through
- 2026-08-10
The figures, side by side
Each figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two dossiers. Every value shows the year it was observed — vintages differ by indicator and nation. A “—” is an absence in the source data, never a zero. Metric names link to the world ranking; values open the figure on its own dossier.
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Entangled histories
8 events in which either nation’s sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle; nothing here was written for this page.
- 1578
Disaster at Alcacer Quibir
King Sebastian was killed leading a crusade into Morocco, triggering the succession crisis that opened the way to Spanish rule.
War & Rupture · from the Portugal chronicle · The Iberian Union and the Braganza Restoration · History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640
- 1580-1581
Iberian Union under Philip II
Philip II of Spain occupied Portugal and was accepted as king by the Cortes at Tomar in 1581, uniting the two crowns for sixty years.
Politics & Power · from the Portugal chronicle · The Iberian Union and the Braganza Restoration · History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640
- 1668
Spain recognises independence
By the Treaty of Lisbon, Spain at last acknowledged Portuguese sovereignty, ending the war of Restoration begun in 1640.
Independence · from the Portugal chronicle · The Iberian Union and the Braganza Restoration · History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640, History of Portugal
- 1801 / 1815
The Olivenca dispute
Spain occupied Olivenca in 1801 and acquired it by the Treaty of Badajoz; the Congress of Vienna recommended its return to Portugal in 1815, but the sovereignty remains contested.
War & Rupture · from the Portugal chronicle · Republic, Dictatorship, Revolution and Europe · Written question on the Olivenca issue (Portugal/Spain) and the Ajuda Bridge, E-1298/2003, Treaty of Alcanices (1297)
- 1808-1814
The Peninsular War
British, Portuguese and Spanish forces fought the French in the Iberian Peninsula, eventually expelling Napoleon's armies from Portugal and Spain.
War & Rupture · from the Portugal chronicle · Earthquake, Napoleon and the Loss of Brazil · Peninsular War
- 1814
End of the Peninsular War
Allied Spanish, British and Portuguese forces expelled the French and restored Spanish independence, but the returning Ferdinand VII reimposed absolute monarchy and revoked the 1812 constitution.
War & Rupture · from the Spain chronicle · Decline, the Bourbons and the Napoleonic Crisis · Spain
- 1 Jan 1986
Accession to the European Communities
Portugal joined the European Communities on 1 January 1986, together with Spain, anchoring its democracy in European integration.
Politics & Power · from the Portugal chronicle · Republic, Dictatorship, Revolution and Europe · Portugal (EU member country profile)
- 2013
The Savage Islands maritime dispute
Spain disputed the exclusive economic zone Portugal claims around the Savage Islands, contending that the islets are rocks under the law of the sea, an issue examined in US State Department maritime studies.
Politics & Power · from the Portugal chronicle · Republic, Dictatorship, Revolution and Europe · Limits in the Seas No. 155, Portugal: Maritime Claims and Boundaries