Will Kürlich Kerl
Banned
In the 1640s-1670s, why didn't the Portuguese revolutionaries take Galicia in the Portuguese Restoration War against Spain?
Why didn't the Portuguese take Galicia as well in its independence war from Spain?
- Thread starter Will Kürlich Kerl
- Start date
Because Galicia is the region where the supposed remains of St. James are located, and St. James (Santiago Apostol) is the patron saint of Spain
Nationalism (such as it existed) really wasn't tied to language at that point.
Consider Scotland, for instance, where the dominant population of the Lowlands was Scots-speaking and thus linguistically had more in common with the English than with their Gaelic-speaking countrymen to the north, but their sense of nationhood was always tied with the latter group and against the English.
Portugal had traditionally been its own kingdom but Galicia had never been part of it. It was understood to be a territory of the Spanish crown, regardless of its language.
Consider Scotland, for instance, where the dominant population of the Lowlands was Scots-speaking and thus linguistically had more in common with the English than with their Gaelic-speaking countrymen to the north, but their sense of nationhood was always tied with the latter group and against the English.
Portugal had traditionally been its own kingdom but Galicia had never been part of it. It was understood to be a territory of the Spanish crown, regardless of its language.