September 29 – October 29, 2007

It was the Portuguese who first took Africans as slaves to Europe  during the 1440's. In 1452 the church declared it the “right of all Christians to own slaves.” In 1455 Pope Nicholas V issued the Papal Bull entitled "Romanus Pontifex" vindicating what started in the 1440's and allowing Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator to "invade, search out, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever..." This decree encouraged and facilitated the slave trade as it gave Prince Henry the right to reduce those that had been conquered "to perpetual slavery, and to apply and appropriate himself (Henry) as the kingdom's successor." Pope Nicholas gave Prince Henry the right to explore any territory, declare the inhabitants 'enemies of christ' and enslave the population to be used for Portuguese trading. With the church's approval traders had 'god's blessing' to traffic in human cargo.  

Another Papal Bull was issued in 1493 which authorized the opening of the slave market in Lisbon. In 1501 the first shipment of African slaves bound for America departed Lisbon. Portugeuse traders supplied many Spanish colonies with slave labor. A trading fort was established in West Africa in what is present day Ghana. The small fort at Elmina provided slave labor for operations in Madeira and Sao Tome.

It is estimated that during the trade Lisbon launched enough ships to carry nearly four million slaves to the Americas.

Hosts: Portuguese Government:  www.portugal.gov.pt

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