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The top answer to this Quora question from a Portuguese person seems to indicate so.

João Silva, lives in Portugal
Updated yesterday

Actually, Portuguese were capable to manage a global empire for 584 years because of three factors:

  • Portugal was the only country in Europe that did not burn Templars changing their name to the Order of Christ (the Order was eliminated in 1789) The Templars of the New Order no longer had to fight in the Crusades and for that reason they took to the sea in their fight against Islamic and Mediterranean pirates that attacked Portugal’s Atlantic shores. Years passed and the Order’s Grand Master, Prince Henry, decided to invest the Order’s wealth in expanding its territory by sea, establishing new trading posts (especially in India) in order to bypass Milanese and Venetian intermediaries (who charged high prices on goods due the Rise of Ottoman Empire), and spreading Christianity across the World.
  • Portugal was the most technologically-advanced European country and its military technology was at least 70 years ahead of its time (according to Rainer Daehnhardt), largely due to the financial help of the Order of Christ (ex- Templars). The Portuguese invented the breech loading swivel cannon, European firearms, advanced fire weapons, the grenade launcher, the black sword among others. It was also the leading country in naval engineering, inventing the caravel (small and swift)

, the carrack (larger)


and the galleon (largest)



, and naval constructors were capable to build an entire ship in one week using pre-fabricated parts. The Portuguese also invented several astronomy devices key for navigating in the high sea. Portugal also commissioned the most advanced war ships of its time such as that which St. Catherine of Mount Sinai launched in 1512 equipped with 140 cannons when other nations hardly have cannons on their boats. It also created new military strategies and siege tactics without par in the rest of the world and was capable of settling fortifications in foreign lands quickly due its technology of prefabricated stone housing.

  • The Portuguese had (and still have) strong Visigothic, Roman and Celtic customs, adept at dealing with hardships. Portugal was a historical trader (had commerce with the Greeks and Phoenicians) and were skilled at diplomacy (with some exceptions in some former colonies in India and East Africa).
The decay of the Portuguese Empire was due to a number of factors: poor decisions by King Sebastian, the 1755 Earthquake (that almost totally destroyed Lisbon), some colonial excesses and wars with 6 different nations at the same time that crippled Portugal both economically and militarily, opening the door to other countries to take advantage of Portugal’s worst years to seize control of their trading routes, naval and military technology.

In summary, ideal conditions led Portugal to manage and build the first and the last Modern European Empire.

Post Scriptum:
Answer update due the recommendations and grammar corrections of some viewers specially Sean Young and Steffen Taschner. To them my best regards.

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