Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon

by Barry Hatton

Lisbon's charm is legendary, but its vibrant 2,000-year history is not widely known, from its Roman legacy to its centuries under Moorish rule. Its journey from port town to Portugal's capital was not always smooth sailing--in 1755 the city was devastated by the largest earthquake ever to strike modern Europe, followed by a catastrophic tsunami and a six-day inferno that turned sand to glass.
Barry Hatton unearths these forgotten memories in a vivid account of Lisbon's colourful past and present, bringing to life the 1147 siege during the Iberian reconquista, the assassination of the king, the founding of a republic and the darkness of a modern dictatorship. He reveals the rich, international heritage of Portugal's metropolis--the gateway to the Atlantic and the unrivalled Queen of the Sea.

Genres: History, Portugal, Nonfiction, Travel, Cities, European History, Portuguese Literature

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2018

About the author

British-born Associated Press correspondent Barry Hatton has made his home in Portugal for over 25 years. He continues to cover Portuguese politics for the AP while writing books on the side.

Reviews

[Anni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portugal and Britain enjoyed a 600 year alliance and a similar seafaring heritage which makes for many compatibilities in our outlook. Perhaps this is why Portuguese history has always held a fascination for me and why I am drawn to Lisbon. Once the capital of a mighty Global Empire, Lisbon, like London, has had its days of glory and corresponding darkness.

‘Trapped between the devil of Spain and the deep blue Atlantic’ is how Hatton describes the city and the impetus behind its seafaring ventures to new lands. The story of Lisbon is one of survival, rising Phoenix-like from the ashes of disaster: a city whose fortunes pivot around the great defining ‘Before and After’ watershed event. This was the earthquake of 1755, believed to be the strongest ever to strike modern Europe, followed by a tidal wave and six day inferno, in which one tenth of the population was lost and two thirds of its buildings destroyed. Hatton depicts the devastation by earth, water and fire as “like the wrath of God, Old Testament style” which is how it must have seemed to the populace.

Hatton was a British foreign correspondent in Lisbon for thirty years and his love for the city is evident. His style is informal and intimate, often poetic and always entertaining, avoiding the dry linear narration of academia:-
Lisbon's "exhilarating light, which falls on blue-tiled walls and white stone pavements with an intensity that is un-European ... is a textured brightness, a creamy glow, at the same time vivid and silky." With descriptions like this, you will be yearning to visit this "heaven for the flaneur" after reading its history.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that I gave this book 9 'tags' showed it really hit my sweet spots. I've been in Lisbon only twice, but after reading Hatton's marvelous history, am already looking at my calendar for when I can return--this time with a much more focused itinerary. But past and future tourism is not why I found the book so engaging.

The world in the 16th century is one of my favourite topics and that puts Portugal in the spotlight as its discovery of the water route to East Asia turned it into one of the wealthiest and most influential countries in the world until Great Britain and Holland founded their 'East India' companies ~1600, which meant they had to share the Asian stage with two powerful neighbours. Brazil's wealth brought them back a century later, only to see it all destroyed with the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Lisbon in 1755. Lisbon was a truly global city for 250 years, but all its accumulated wealth (libraries, maps, paintings by some of the world's masters, priceless Chinese porcelain, Persian carpets, tapestries...) was destroyed together with anywhere between 20,000-100,000 of its citizens on that November day.

Hatton covers Portugal's history from its earliest settlements (speculated and historic) to modern times with the most captivating of stories, diary excerpts and sharp observations. Here is a man who knows a city. I will never look at Dürer's woodcut of a rhinoceros again without thinking of the glory that was Lisbon. And when I take visitors around the Asian Civilisations Museum where I work as a volunteer guide, and stop at the Chinese porcelain dish we have bearing King Manuel I's coat of arms, I will be able to tell them of the wealth that the Portuguese ships brought their king, which enabled him to ride through his capital in his gilded carriage accompanied by a rhinoceros, an elephant, an Arabian stallion and a panther. (OK: spoiler alert--Manuel sent the Pope a rhinoceros as a gift, but the ship was caught in a storm, and the rhinoceros, which had been chained to the ship's deck drowned. But when its carcass washed up on shore, Manuel had it stuffed and sent to the Pope anyway. Dürer never saw the rhinoceros, but heard of it, and made his famous rhinoceros woodcut.)

[Natali · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like the way this book was organized. It felt like I was reading a compilation of Wikipedia entries written by different people.

I also found it reductive, covering major events only to get through a timeline of about 1,000 years. I don’t think any book should cover a timeline that vast. Any of these chapters could have been a very good book and in fact there are good books on these very things that I would suggest over this one. This book covers the hits and it is appropriate that it is sold in the airport because it suits the purposes for a tourist.

I did learn some new things that I hadn’t learned from other Portuguese history books but I had to force myself to finish this, one painstaking ebook percentage at a time.

[David Canford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisbon is one of my favourite cities, set on hills overlooking the mouth of the River Tagus where it mingles with the waters of the Atlantic. There’s a magical quality to the light and the many tiled and brightly painted buildings make the city pop with colour, and the orange 25th April bridge is a strikingly similar to the Golden Gate in San Francisco. Even the pavements ( sidewalks to North Americans) are a thing of beauty ( though treacherous when wet!).
This book is a highly readable account of Lisbon over the centuries, from Roman times and then when it was ruled by the Moors, and afterwards its heyday when Portugal forged the first global empire. Then decline begins and accelerates after the huge earthquake, tsunami and fire of 1755, and the author recounts two and a half centuries of Lisbon as a backwater lurching between conflict and dictatorship.
Until today that is, when it has definitely been rediscovered and become a popular spot for expats, especially digital nomads but to the detriment of the locals who can now longer afford the skyrocketing rents.
A wonderful read if the city interests you.

[Fiona Erskine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisbon, a city I know well, is a place that Barry Hatton knows much better. His book is a glorious, gallop through the history and stories that bring the city to life.

First settled by Phoenicians then Romans then Moors, the Crusaders expelled the North Africans in 1147. A period of colonial pillage, “Os Descobrimentos” brought untold wealth, curtailed by the 1755 Earthquake and then redirected into the grand remodelling of the lower city.

The British relationship with the Portuguese was more complicated than I had realised. As Napoleon advanced in a proxy war with the British, the Portuguese royal family decamped to Brazil in 1807, returning only in 1821. General William Beresford, brought in to modernise the Portuguese army, became a virtual Viceroy, exceeding his powers with the brutal and prolonged execution of 12 Portuguese men accused of a liberal conspiracy. In 1820, returning from a royal consultation in Brazil, he was denied entry back into Portugal.

My favourite story is that of Artur Alves dos Reis who forged a letter from the Bank of Portugal to their English printer with an order for banknotes worth one hundred million Escudos, or 1% of Portugal’s GDP in 1925. Not the sharpest of crooks, his lavish spending lead to investigation and imprisonment, but the damage to the reputation of the first republic helped precipitate the 1926 bloodless coup and “opened the door to Salazar’s rule.”

In “A Tale of Two Bridges” Hatton gives a lucid account of modern Portugal: the 1908 assassination of king and his heir in broad daylight, Dictator Antonio Salazar’s rise and fall, the plight of the ordinary Portuguese during a prolonged period of austerity, the colonial wars, the 1974 revolution and accession to the European Economic Union in 1985.

Anyone who has lived in Lisbon will instantly recognise the description of the light - “textured brightness, a creamy glow, at once vivid and silky” - and how it is reflected from the white cobbles “calçada portuguesa” woven with indicate patterns in black stone: lethal when wet.

The book ends on the tragic story of fishermen stranded on a sandbank in the Tagus. As the tide turns they drown within sight of the city and its expensive new bridge. “They, like many others outside the capital, savoured no part of the economic prosperity…concentrated in Lisbon.”

A book to read if you plan to visit Lisbon. If you’ve already returned, then a glorious way to “matar saudades”.

Bem feito!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen reviews that criticize this book for not deciding whether it is a history or a guide book. This is the best of both. I have lived near Lisbon for 5 years and I learnt SO much. The next free week I have will be spent visiting all the sites of historical events. Not the usual tourist traps, but the streets and alleys which have been long forgotten. I love Lisbon and Portugal and I can feel Barry’s love seeping out of every page.
For those unfortunate enough not to live here, grab a good streetmap of Lisbon and use Google streetview.

[Matthew Eldred · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a well written, clear, enjoyable history. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Tim Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining history of Lisbon, Portugal it wasn’t especially thematic but instead joined “up the dots between past and present in an enlightening and entertaining way” and wasn’t a “linear, historical narrative culled from dusty archives.”

The brief introduction noted that while Lisbon certainly has “emblematic national treasures, such as St. George’s Castle and the Jerónimos Monastery” “Lisbon’s special appeal lies elsewhere”:

“There is an afterglow of Lisbon’s imperial history, when the city was the nerve centre for Portugal’s extensive colonial possessions in Africa, South America and the Orient. That cosmopolitan legacy endows Lisbon with an intriguing exotic flavour that is unique in Europe.”

In addition to being the “Morocco of Europe” Lisbon is “down-to-earth, charming and close” and “unpretentious.”

Chapter 1, “Triple Attraction,” talks about the overall physical characteristics of the city, why a city was founded there, discusses Phoenician and Roman pasts, and gives the reader a tour of the Alfama neighborhood of Lisbon, a “relic” and “the medieval city preserved in miniature” not unlike how all of Lisbon was in say the 16th century (though the author noted it was “increasingly gentrified”). Chapter 2, “A Different Country, A Different Capital,” discussed the origins of Portugal, the conquest of Lisbon from Muslim rule in the Siege of Lisbon (1147), the distinct musical style known as fado (born in Lisbon, in the Mouraria district), several famous fado singers (Maria Severa Onofriana also known as Severa as well as Amália Rodrigues, a 20th century singer who became “the first fado diva”); the author definitely meant what they wrote when they said the book wasn’t linear. Chapter 3, “Golden Years,” centers on the Portuguese voyages of discovery and conquest, how for a time in Lisbon “it rained money” and “Portugal went from European minnow to big fish.” Lots of coverage of King Manuel I whose construction of the Paço da Ribeira (Riverside Palace) “set off an urban revolution in the early 1500s.” Also, discussion of Jerónimos Monastery (upon completion, “the city’s most important religious monument”) and Torre de Belém (Belém Tower), noting how it is representative of the Manueline style of architecture and also was the site where the first Portuguese flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro began (in 1922, with pilot Artur de Sacadura Cabral and navigator Carlos Gago Coutinho). Also, discussion of the Portuguese Inquisition and how from 1580 to 1640 Lisbon “went from seat of the royal court and glorified capital of empire to provincial Iberian city” under Spain. Chapter 4, “The African Connection,” discussed the slave trade in Lisbon (“The Portuguese were the world’s biggest slavers”), the arrival of the first African slaves in Lisbon (in 1444), Portuguese abolitionists most notably Viscount Sá da Bandeira, prominent Afro-Portuguese such as Ricardo Chibanga (“believed to have been the first black matador”), José Tomás de Sousa Martins (famous 19th century doctor), and Mário Domingues (“respected journalist, historian, novelist and essayist”), Portugal’s legacy in Africa (first to arrive, last to leave basically among European colonial powers), and the lasting legacy of African culture in Lisbon. Chapter 5, “Catastrophe,” was on the All Saint’s Day 1755 Earthquake in Lisbon, describing in detail the terrible calamity that claimed thousands of lives, destroyed so many famed buildings and irreplaceable works of art, and the remarkable story of disaster relief and recovery and then modernized rebuilding, centering on Marquês de Pombal, “a towering figure in Lisbon and Portugal’s history” and “a Portuguese version of France’s Cardinal Richelieu.” Chapter 6, “Foreign Rule, Turmoil, and Temptation,” was how the 1800s was a “wretched century” for Portugal, as Lisbon endured “the flight of the royal family and ruling class [from the French, going to Brazil], the loss off its status as capital city…occupation by a foreign army…five coups, two revolutions, two military rebellions, a civil war, and national bankruptcy.” “The nineteenth’s century’s identifying feature was turmoil.” Chapter 7, “A Tale of Two Bridges,” tells the story of 20th century Lisbon, including the assassination of King Carlos in 1908, the 5 October 1910 Revolution and the creation of the First Portuguese Republic, the rise and reign of António Salazar, Lisbon in World War II (some interesting passages on how it was “spyland”), the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974, and the early years of Lisbon’s transition to democracy with some focus on Portuguese communist Álvaro Cunhal and prime minster and president Mário Soares. Lots of architecture, particularly focusing on Porfirio Pardal Monteiro and Duarte Pacheco, whose footprint is felt everywhere in Lisbon today even if Salazar, their boss, had his presence “scrubbed from the city’s history,” a man who “has been put in a box in the attic.” Also, nice coverage of the great poet Fernando Pessoa, who “is to Lisbon what James Joyce is to Dublin and Franz Kafka is to Prague.”

Has a section of plates mostly in color, several nice maps, and an index.

[Alexei Oduber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very energetic and lively. Particularly interesting was the narrative on the 1755 earthquake which lead to modern urban planning.

[Maciej Bujalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6

[Izabela Soares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book about Lisbon that gives captivating journey through history, combines it with cultural trivias and at the same time embraces what it means to be Portuguese, how national identity has been shaped by the events that mostly took place around capital city, and from where now famous cultural traditions take from. My husband is Portuguese so not many information was completely new, but that book definitely helped to understand some behaviors, sayings, symbols. I recommend to everyone that plans to visit Lisbon, visited Lisbon or just likes good stories. Portugal is (now) geographically small country but with complicated and interesting past.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what a was looking for: Comprehensive without being bogged down. Open about the darker actions of the past without being judgemental. Easy to read yet interestingly written.

I am moving to Lisbon in a few months, and I know I shall refer back to this book many, many times.

Also, you can't tell from the pic, but the cover is amazingly done where the shine is in squares making it seem like tiles/azulejos

[Antonio Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde a lenda da fundação por Ulisses até aos tempos contemporâneos, Barry Hatton leva-nos a passear sobre a história de Lisboa de uma forma muito sedutora.
No rigor que mantém, os diversos acontecimentos narrados são escolhidos com mestria. Ora com dramatismo, ora pegando por acontecimentos risíveis, as páginas deste livro são lidas com verdadeiro prazer.

[Charli Hitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy how this book was structured or written. The writer goes off on many tangents and then swings back to his original point many pages later.

There are also plenty of sweeping generalisations and points made that are not scrutinised and passed off as facts.

There’s plenty of interesting information in here, but it wasn’t an enjoyable read.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual stories and history were quite interesting and informative. The organization of the book was just absolutely wild having seemingly no rhyme or reason. I'm all for non-linear histories but there has to be some organizing principle.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little rambling in the first couple chapters, but the book hits its stride around chapter three. I found it very informative and useful in planing my trip to Portugal. Also, I know this has nothing to do with the contents of the book, but A+ cover design.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine but not chronological. Each chapter seemed to focus on specific sites in Lisbon and then a historical account given (with some repeated sentences and history that coincided with other specific sites).

[Artur Coelho · Rating 5 out of 5]

É uma daquelas características curiosas do caráter português, a curiosidade sobre a visão que os de fora trazem sobre a nossa história e cultura, quase como se delas necessitássemos para validar o que somos. Claro, se a visão não for elogiosa aos nossos princípios, a tendência é de a declarar como herética e ofensiva. E nisso, apesar de uma abordagem suave, este livro tem alguns pormenores que uma leitura atenta mostraria como ofensivos para os setores mais conservadores da sociedade portuguesa.

Lisboa é a a grande protagonista deste livro que sintetiza a história da cidade, e através dela, do país. Aliás, essa é uma das reflexões que este livro suscita (e com o qual termina), o peso desmesurado da cidade na visão que temos do nosso passado. Uma macrocefalia que, apesar de hoje mais esbatida com o forte investimento que desde os anos 70 tem elevado o noss país, ainda hoje se sente.

Hatton fala-nos da história da cidade, sem se meter muito pelo passado mais longíquo, desde os tempos romanos até à atualidade. Fá-lo de uma forma interessante e elegante, entretecendo a evolução da geografia dos espaços urbanos com os momentos históricos, e com as histórias das pessoas que viveram na cidade. Esta abordagem torna-o um livro muito rico, partindo dos momentos fulcrais e das personalidades para traçar a história urbana.

Sendo um olhar exterior, sente-se o fascínio pelo nosso passado, bem como pela estética da cidadade. Mas também, como olhar externo, não se coíbe de apresentar visões críticas, especialmente visíveis quando nos fala do lado violento dos descobrimentos (anda arredado dos nossos manuais escolares, mas se lerem com atenção a História, ele está lá), do legado do esclavigismo, da cegueira obscurantista trazida pela igreja, da vacuidade das elites que torraram as enormes riquezas coloniais em luxo, da falta de reconhecimento do legado africano, quer o do tempo dos descobrimentos quer o atual, construído pelas experiências dos imigrantes vindos das ex-colónias.

Uma leitura apaixonante para olisipófilos, mas também para curiosos sobre a história da cidade e do país.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queen of the Sea is a brief history of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It tracks human activity at the strategically located settlement from its fledgling Iron Age origins through to its modern-day, sprawling, urban state. The book seeks to capture an essence of the city, considering monarchy and state-building, religion and changing demographics, imperial endeavours, art and literature, and the infamous earthquake!

The book assumes a mostly linear structure to ease comprehension but is grouped into broader themes that can jump back and forth in time to discuss topics spanning a longer period such as the ramifications of The Inquisition, the repurposing of St George's castle, or the evolution of Fado. The sensible structure and Hatton's quaffable prose combine to make the story easy and pleasurable to follow.

Hatton also draws on contemporary sources to convey how the issues were perceived at the time by locals and outsiders alike. It adds an extra dimension, enriching the profile of the city. The mixed nature of these reviews keeps the book from being a sycophantic tribute. The author himself is not afraid to criticise the city, most notably calling out Lisbon and Portugal's failure to recognise and begin meaningful reparations for their pivotal role in the slave trade.

I read this in advance of my trip to Lisbon with Izzy, and without a doubt, the knowledge I accrued enhanced my holidaying experience. I was imbued with a deeper appreciation of the history and visits to places like Praça do Comércio and the Monument to the Discoveries felt more profound because of it. I absolve myself of all blame for my insufferable and persistent commentary during our trip - instead, Izzy should blame Hatton for writing such a readable history of Lisbon that was prime for regurgitation.

[Joaquin A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queen of the Sea is a well-written history of Lisbon authored by Barry Hatton, a UK-born correspondent with nearly three decades of experience in Portugal. The book introduces readers to defining moments of Portuguese history such as the catastrophic earthquake and fire on All Saints' Day in 1755, King Sebastião’s ill-fated invasion of Africa, and King Manuel’s grandiose architectural projects.

Key historical figures brought to life include poet Luís de Camões, writer Fernando Pessoa, explorer Vasco da Gama, dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, Armenian philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian, and the Marquis of Pombal (the great rebuilder).

The narrative captures Portugal's spirit, exemplified by the ornate sidewalks found from Luanda to Macau to the arrival of five golden elephants and a jaguar in 1514. It also discusses Portugal’s century of humiliation, starting with Napoleon's 1807 invasion and the subsequent fall of the house of Braganca and their acquiescence to British dominance during the Scramble for Africa despite a 600-year alliance.

Were introduced to Calouste Gulbenkian’s Lisbon of the 1940s, which inspired the creation of James Bond, and the city's struggles after the regicide and battles and António Salazar’s Lisbon of the early 1970s and its rebirth following the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974 “the second great earthquake.”

[Tiago Araújo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished this great book about Lisbon and Portugal's history, stretching from the days of kings and queens to modern times. It's packed with detailed stories about big moments, like the massive earthquake in 1755, how Portugal became a republic, the years under dictatorship, the big deal when the Salazar Bridge opened, the start of TAP airline's flights, the revolution on April 25th, and the Expo 98.

The author, British but has been living in Portugal for over 25 years, wrote it in English. Reading it as someone who's not from Portugal, I found it gave me a deep dive into the country's history and made me appreciate even more while walking through the streets of Lisbon. It's a recommended read for anyone curious about Portugal through the lens of someone who, while not native, has come to know and love the country deeply.

[Jonathan Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed but digestible history of one of the world’s most remarkable cities. Really comes into it’s own when describing the Siege of Lisbon and the French invasion. Both those sections are written with explosive pace and verve.

The section that caught my attention most was about Lisbon’s African population. Alongside biographies of famous former residents the chapter also reveals that in the 1551-52 census 10% of the city’s total population were slaves.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this book at all. Not so much for the content, as I have been to Lisbon many a time, but I could not stand the writing. Hatton seems to continue on random tangents and the only thing that links it is Lisbon. He tries to merge a travel book and a history book and I wish he would just choose one.

[samsam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this kind of walk-the-history-of-places books, and this one also goes pretty well in it. The author recalls the history of Lisbon, taking side tangents like the old anarchic medieval streets that once composed it, and its special place within the history of Portugal and the world. The book is read in a breeze, and is a very nice incentive to go back there and enjoy the city again!

[RichVT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just traveled to Lisbon on holiday, this history in a colloquial style that cross referenced to modern sights and places was fascinating. It could serve as a guide of what to see in Lisbon from a historical vantage . It did not spend enough time on the atrocities of Salazar but otherwise was a terrific book

[Desmond Hegarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic overview of the city of Lisbon from its founding to present day. The author weaves in important facts and events with an overall narrative detailing the beauty and tragedy of this great European city.

What's most impressive is the subtle recommendations to potential tourists which are written well enough to avoid the book reading like a travel guide. Highly recommended.

[Mariozka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jedna z najdłużej czytanych przeze mnie książek i mam mgliste wspomnienia, że po wizycie w Lizbonie czytało mi się ją dobrze, ale potem długo nie wracałam i zrobilo się męcząco, może częściowo też przez dość trudny i specyficzny angielski. Niemniej cieszę się, że choć trochę poznałam historię Portugalii w całkiem przystępnej formie, bo nie wiedziałam o tym właściwie nic.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a good book to read if I already knew a fair amount of Portuguese history. But I don’t know Portuguese history so I found it a somewhat frustrating read. I learned things, but would have preferred a more straightforward, chronological approach. I’m not sure such a book exists.

[James Zassick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very broad introduction to the main historical periods and cultural aspects of Lisbon. The book covers major people and events at a high level such as Fado, the French occupation during the reign of Napoleon, and the 1755 earthquake. The book does tend to jump around a lot and the subject changes very quickly with little warning.

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numa narrativa descontraída e sem pretenção, o escritor dá-nos a conhecer a história de Lisboa. Fala-nos da sua conquista, dos povos que por cá passaram e de curiosidades da sua história mais recente.