By Decree of 25 February 1869, slavery was abolished in all of the territories that composed Portugal, all slaves being declared free. The Decree was introduced on the initiative of the Marquis of Sá da Bandeira and ended a long and degrading cycle, begun in 1441 with the capture of the first black slaves on the southern coast of Cape Bojador, on the expedition to Rio de Oro, brought on ships captained by Antão Gonçalves and Nuno Tristão.
Portugal began the process of Atlantic trade, along with French, English, Spanish, Dutch, and later Brazilian and American slave traders, which lasted for more than four centuries, involving a total of between 10 and 14 million enslaved people. Its consequences radically altered the fates of two continents, Africa and America, and decisively influenced the development of the European continent. The slave trade was a target of criticism, some on moral grounds, others merely for economic reasons. When, in 1761, the Marquis of Pombal published a charter prohibiting the transportation of slaves to Portugal, its purpose was to channel the trade of enslaved people to the mines and plantations of Brazil, an intention that prevailed over humanitarian concerns, which it also considered. The Decree of 25 February 1869 was the culmination of a legislative process, begun in 1858, aimed at the abolition of slavery among human beings in Portugal, and which had its primary proponent in Sá da Bandeira.
Anabela Valente
Ana Cristina Leite
Curators of the project Testemunhos da Escravatura (Accounts of Slavery)
Gabinete de Estudos Olisiponenses (Lisbon Studies Office) – Lisbon City Hall
