Steadfast Frienship

     Last month Queen Elizabeth II of England became the longest serving monarch in English history. In recognition of this achievement, long life, and astounding changes of the last sixty-three years, remembrance of and association with British success must also be paid homage. While England and the United Kingdom once ruled one of the largest, most expansion, and diverse empires in history, it is not the only one nor the oldest. While the British Empire is no more, her children still populate the globe on every continent, yet the present is similarly a child of the past.
     Before England's 1381 Peasant's Revolt, when Europe was still recovering from the Black Death, when the Byzantine Empire was on its last legs, and when the Hundred Year's War was still in force, England came into agreement with Portugal to safeguard each other regardless of the enemy. That agreement, the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance of 1373, still holds and is the oldest active alliance in the world.
     Two of the most powerful sea-faring nations of history signed an agreement to be friends to friends and enemies to enemies. The friendly terms between the two nations extends back to the beginning of the Crusades with temporary agreements before the definitive treaty centuries later.
     English-Portuguese ties became linked just before the Age of Exploration when Portugal circumnavigated Africa and boasted a proud sea-faring tradition both militarily and economically. Portugal's strength lent itself to English strength as the New World lands brought a wealth of resources and competition among the other European nations.
     While a 642 year long alliance between two powerful sea-faring nations seems remarkable, Portugal and England have been two of the most stable nations in world history. England's last invasion occurred in September 1066 while Portugal is the oldest nation-state in Europe and has had defined borders since 1139. Neither of these nations are phased by centuries of commitment, and both have heavily impacted the modern world through global enterprise and innovations.

     Portugal was the first global empire in history and extended over four continents. The first great European empire, Portugal surrendered its last colony, Macau, to China in 1999 after six centuries of global influence. Lisbon is the second oldest capitol city in Europe after Athens and is believed to have been established by the Phoenicians about 1200 B.C.
     The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance has been invoked several times over the centuries, notably during disastrous European wars. The two nations defeated France and Spain in the Seven Years War despite being outnumbered. During the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1807, Britain sent its army to assist its ally, and the two nations successfully pushed Napoleon back into Spain. During World War I, Portugal sent troops to Northern France to aid England, and during World War II, Portugal provided the Azores archipelago as a naval base for the Allies and acted as an effective deterrent to keep Spain from joining the Axis nations. Most recently, the United Kingdom invoked the alliance during the Falkland War in 1982.
     Almost nothing lasts six and a half centuries. As the world continues to develop, trade and power change hands, yet for these small nations, history and friendship are inseparable regardless of threat, leadership, war, or century. Unwavering commitment and respect is nearly absent from history's annals, but to see a mutual respect and support endure the test of time and the tensions of empire, demonstrates the potential of what man is capable of when his heart is true.

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Agatha Tyche