The Portuguese Conquest of Ceuta: The Birth of an Empire

The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History · Jul 16, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In 1415, a small Portuguese fleet crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and seized the North African city of Ceuta. This episode tells the story of that conquest — how King João I and his sons, including the legendary Prince Henry the Navigator, launched an ambitious campaign that would mark the beginning of Portugal's overseas expansion. We look at the planning, the battle, and the aftermath, including the role of the Portuguese nobility, the capture of the city from the Marinid Sultanate, and the economic motivations that drove the enterprise. We also discuss the controversial figure of…