The bicentenary of Eugénia de Montijo
Caesar's wife must not only be honest, she must also appear to be so.
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Historical figures news in Portugal
Latest news and stories about historical figures in Portugal for expats and residents.
Latest news and stories about historical figures in Portugal for expats and residents.
Caesar's wife must not only be honest, she must also appear to be so.
An analysis of Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 film 'Alexander Nevsky', exploring the paradox of how a regime built on proletarian internationalism utilized deeply nationalist and identity-driven narratives in its cinema. The text compares Soviet propaganda films with those of contemporary fascist regimes in Italy and Germany, as well as the Portuguese Estado Novo, highlighting how historical figures were repurposed to serve political agendas.
The former was named Joseph, and he was used as a model by Géricault. The Ajuda Palace holds one of the paintings in which he appears. It was given to King Luís I, the monarch who formally abolished slavery in Portugal.
Intellectual influence rarely leaves monuments. It is made of letters, conversations, books, walks, and friendships. It is harder to measure than a battle, but it can be more lasting.
We do not know what to admire most in Castro Lopo. Whether it is the versatility of his pen, supported by a polished style, or the rigour of his analytical spirit and the seriousness he brought to everything he wrote. Opinion by Carlos Pacheco
Economic and political emigrants, coming from all over Spain, France, the USA, and Morocco. Who were the Portuguese who enlisted in the International Brigades? PÚBLICO reveals new data.
During the massacre at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili, the image of people kneeling in prayer that remains forever etched in our memory is, to a large extent, owed to him.
Although, officially, the Duke of Alba had no Portuguese successors, his “girlfriend” was erased from the family map.
This painting was created in 1943, at a time when the Portuguese painter Maria Helena Vieira da Silva was living in exile in Brazil, as she was seen as inappropriate by the far-right dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar.
The President of the Republic held a meeting with representatives from the Historical Society of the Independence of Portugal.
A distant aunt of Dinis de Bragança's bride, Maria was born a countess in Germany but renounced her nobility at 25 to live as a nun in Porto. The canonisation process is underway in Rome.
It is amusing to think that, more than five centuries later, the alternative continues to follow the path opened by the Portuguese when they decided that the known map was not enough for them.
A historical Lotus vehicle with a permanent connection to Portugal is now on display at the Caramulo Museum.
Wherever I travel, Portugal always seems to follow me. It happened again, this time in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. There are three protagonists in this story: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose paintings and posters immortalised the Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge; the legendary dancer Jane Avril; and her biographer, the British correspondent José Shercliff, who lived more than half her life in Lisbon before dying in Cascais in 1985 at the age of 83. A temporary exhibition at the Caumont Museum presents Toulouse-Lautrec's iconic posters, reflecting his passion for the Moulin Rouge and its dancers. Among them all, Jane Avril held a special fascination for the artist. Born Jeanne Beaudon into poverty, Avril became the lead dancer at the Moulin Rouge. Her unique style distinguished her from the famous can-can performers. The museum chose the poster 'Jane Avril aux Serpents' to advertise the exhibition. The work depicts the dancer in a black dress adorned with a snake motif, her body contorted like a serpent. Like Toulouse-Lautrec, Shercliff, then Paris correspondent for the British newspaper Daily Herald, was fascinated by the artist after interviewing her. In 1952, she published the biography 'Jane Avril of the Moulin Rouge', illustrated with drawings by Lautrec. Shercliff would also become part of Lisbon's history during the Salazar regime. She worked for The Times of London, the BBC, and the Associated Press, and her home became a meeting point for figures such as Mário Soares and Paula Rego. Born Josephine, she signed her articles as 'José', perhaps believing a masculine name made life easier as a foreign correspondent. She was witty and had a technique that would make Mata Hari spin in her grave. A former colleague recalled her 'pin method'. Whenever she learned that a Portuguese soldier had been wounded or killed in Angola, Mozambique, or Guinea, she would stick a pin in the map corresponding to the location. Over time, this map allowed her to produce extraordinarily accurate casualty estimates, which the Associated Press published, much to the frustration of the Portuguese military leadership. For years, rumours circulated that José was a British agent. She was even detained in Barcelona on suspicion of espionage during the Spanish Civil War. She arrived in Lisbon in 1940 intending to catch a ship to New York to continue her career at the Daily Herald. Instead, she remained in a city teeming with Allied and Axis spies. The young woman, who moved from the elegant salons of the Moulin Rouge to the shadowy corridors of government offices, remained an enigmatic figure, revealing very little about herself, despite having written Jane Avril's biography. Perhaps we will learn more when the book about her life, authored by Wilton Fonseca and Gonçalo Pereira Rosa, is published in the autumn.
A new PÚBLICO series begins with the unpublished memories of photographer António Passaporte.
António Passaporte was the only Portuguese photographer enlisted in the International Brigades. At the end of his life, he wrote down his recollections of the war years in Spain. PÚBLICO reveals them for the first time.
It has been 15 years since the death of Diogo Vasconcelos, an unexpected loss that left everyone perplexed. Vasconcelos was a rare example of intelligence and vision, dedicated to an innovative and ambitious Portugal. He strongly advocated for a risk-management culture, entrepreneurship as a lever for value creation, and the importance of cooperation within the Knowledge Society. His life, though short, remains a benchmark for those who value ambition, responsibility, and the drive to innovate in an increasingly uniform world.
An essential figure of 20th-century Italian intellectual life, Giacomo DeBenedetti lived in hiding as an opponent of fascism and was persecuted by the SS. He wrote 'October 16, 1943', now published alongside 'Eight Jews' – two essays with resonances in the present.
Whether by a stroke of luck or geographical chance, much has been said about the Gulbenkian Foundation over the last 70 years. But there are still facts to be told about its origin: an identity problem created at birth and the mark of the Portuguese dictator. Now, the founder's great-grandson has left, never to return.
The Danish publisher was honoured with a street in Lumiar. Carlos Moedas and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised the courage of the woman who lived a memorable love story with Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro.
In the latest column (the 400th!) by our friend Alberto Correia, the heroic life of another great man is evoked: the diplomat whose life is recounted at the Casa-Museu do Passal in Cabanas de Viriato.
The engagement of Dinis de Bragança to the Austrian aristocrat Anna Schaffgotsch has historical precedents. In 1451, D. Leonor was the first Portuguese infanta to become Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
The INCM reissues the memoirs of the footman who arrived at the Ajuda Palace in 1886 and retired in 1936, in Belém. From Maria Pia's elevator to Sidónio's glass of milk and Bernardino's 'restless' children.
From the Madeira wine toasted at the 1776 Declaration of Independence to the strategic importance of the Lajes Base in the Azores, this article explores the historical, cultural, and geopolitical ties between Portugal and the United States, highlighting the role of the Portuguese diaspora and the enduring diplomatic relationship.
Ordained as a priest in 1950 and a resident of Timor since 1971, the priest from Guimarães dedicated decades to education and the preservation of the Portuguese language in the country.
Instead of seeking to subordinate the State to the Church, Salazar preferred to distance it from all areas that could represent a threat to his power.
The library of the German School of Lisbon has been named after the former teacher, who is believed to have resigned to avoid being dismissed for being Jewish.
