Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History
Portugal's Black Gold Rush: The Angola Sugar Boom
While the Brazilian gold rush grabs headlines, a quieter economic engine was transforming Lisbon in the late seventeenth century: sugar produced by enslaved labor in Angola. This episode explores how the capture of Luanda in 1648 shifted the center of gravity for Portugal’s Atlantic economy. We follow the rise of the Casa de Congos, the complex web of credit and debt that bound African kingdoms to European merchants, and the brutal reality behind the sweetness. Lucas and Luna examine how this 'black gold' bankrolled the Palácio de Mafra and reshaped the demographics of both Angola…
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