The History of Sao Tome Portugal

The Origins of Sao Tome – Where the History of Sao Tome Begins

The history of Sao Tome begins in 1493, when settlers first established the island. The Portuguese traveled to São Tomé in pursuit of sugarcane land. Before their arrival around 1470, the island had no inhabitants. São Tomé sits around 25 miles north of the equator. Its moist environment makes it ideal for growing sugarcane in abundance. The neighboring African kingdom of Kongo soon supplied slave laborers for the sugar plantations. Learn more at Britannica’s Sao Tome and Principe page.

Early Colonial History of Sao Tome

Sao Tome centers on a sixteenth-century cathedral that builders substantially renovated in the nineteenth century. Workers erected Fort São Sebastião in 1566, and it now serves as the São Tomé National Museum. On July 9, 1595, enslaved people seized the capital. Authorities defeated them the following year. The Dutch captured the city and islands for two days in 1599, then re-occupied it for a year in 1641. Read more at World History Encyclopedia.

The Slave Trade and Economic Shifts

Following the collapse of the sugar industry, the colony became an entry point for Portuguese slave traffic to Brazil. Traders transferred loads of small slave ships to bigger boats for the Atlantic crossing and procured necessities such as water. The islanders grew food for both the ships and themselves. Regular political upheaval in Sao Tome led authorities to relocate the capital to Santo Antonio on Principe in 1753. That harbor quickly became a hub of activity.

Brazil regained independence in 1822. Around the same time, authorities abolished the slave trade in Portuguese territories. The introduction of coffee and cacao cultivation in the nineteenth century then shifted economic focus back to Sao Tome. As a result, the city reclaimed its status as capital in 1852.

The Rise of Cacao Production in Sao Tome’s History

Cacao overtook coffee as the principal cash crop in the 1890s. The colony then became the world’s greatest producer of the commodity for several years in the early twentieth century. This growth drove the greatest possible expansion of plantations across the islands. After World War I, cocoa output declined. The islands grew isolated and gained a reputation for cruelty and corruption under absentee landowners and businesses. Explore more at CIA World Factbook – Sao Tome and Principe.

The Road to Independence – A Key Chapter in the History of Sao Tome

Attempts to force indigenous Forros to labor on plantations triggered the Batepá Massacre in 1953. Sao Tomeans later frequently cited this event in their independence aspirations as an example of brutality under Portuguese authority. Exiles formed the Committee for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe in 1960. They renamed it the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe in 1972. However, only a small handful of exiles existed. They lacked the numbers to launch a guerilla challenge against the Portuguese on the islands.

The city served as the capital of the Portuguese colony of Sao Tome and Principe. Following independence in 1975, it became the capital of the newly independent nation – marking the final chapter of the colonial history of Sao Tome.