The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and one of the continent's principal arteries of movement, migration, conquest and commerce. In this book, historian Malyn Newitt quotes rarely used Portuguese sources that throw vivid light on the culture of the river peoples and their relations with the Portuguese creole society of the prazos. Hitherto unused manuscript material illustrates Portuguese and British colonial rule over the people of the long-lived Lunda kingdoms, and the Lozi of the Barotse Floodplain. The Zambezi became a war zone during the 'Scramble for Africa', the struggle for independence and the civil wars that followed the departure of colonial powers. Recent history has also seen the river's wild nature tamed by the introduction of steamers and the building of bridges and dams. These developments have changed the character of the waterway, and impacted--often drastically--the ecological systems of the valley and those settled along its course. 'The Zambezi' traces the history of the communities that have lived along this great river; their relationship with the states formed on the high veldt; and the ways they have adapted to the vagaries of the Zambezi itself, with its annual floods, turbulent rapids and dramatic gorges.

Over a period of 250 years Portuguese became the global language of maritime trade, and Iberian silver circulated as a world trading currency. "A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion 1400-1668 "provides an accessible survey of how the Portuguese became so influential during this period and how Portuguese settlements were founded in areas as far flung as Asia, Africa and South America.
Malyn Newitt examines how the ideas and institutions of a late medieval society were deployed to aid expansion into Africa and the Atlantic islands as well as how, through rivalry with Castile, this grew into a world wide commercial enterprise. Finally, he considers how resilient the Portuguese overseas communities were surviving wars and natural disasters and fending off attacks by the more heavily armed English and Dutch invaders until well into the 1600s.
Including a detailed Bibliography and Glossary, "A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion 1400-1668 "is an invaluabletextbook for all those studying this fascinating period of expansion by all the European powers.

The year 2010 sees the official celebration of the bicentenary of the revolutions in the Ro de la Plata. This book contains the narrative that Thomas Kinder wrote of his voyage to that region in 1808-10 and of his stay in Madeira, Montevideo and Buenos Aires which has never been published nor, apparently, used by any historian. Thomas Kinder was an English banker who later featured among those who financed the new republic of Peru. His voyage to the Ro de la Plata followed the illfated British attempts to capture Buenos Aires in 1806-7. He obtained first hand information about the campaigns of Beresford and Whitelocke and became familiar with all the leading figures of the revolutionary period.

Over a period of 250 years Portuguese became the global language of maritime trade, and Iberian silver circulated as a world trading currency. "A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion 1400-1668 "provides an accessible survey of how the Portuguese became so influential during this period and how Portuguese settlements were founded in areas as far flung as Asia, Africa and South America.
Malyn Newitt examines how the ideas and institutions of a late medieval society were deployed to aid expansion into Africa and the Atlantic islands as well as how, through rivalry with Castile, this grew into a world wide commercial enterprise. Finally, he considers how resilient the Portuguese overseas communities were surviving wars and natural disasters and fending off attacks by the more heavily armed English and Dutch invaders until well into the 1600s.
Including a detailed Bibliography and Glossary, "A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion 1400-1668 "is an invaluabletextbook for all those studying this fascinating period of expansion by all the European powers.

The Portuguese appear to have been the first European visitors to encounter East Africa, with the arrival of a lone traveller, Pero da Covilham, in c.1491. Covilham left no account of his experiences, so Vasco da Gama had little idea of what to expect when he led his first voyage to the region in 1497. The account of this expedition paints a vivid portrait of the first contacts between Portugal and the coastal peoples of East Africa. This account, together with a wealth of carefully selected documents comprise this volume of writings which detail Portugal's relationship with East Africa from the late fifteenth century through to the seventeenth century. As these documents demonstrate, the best Portuguese writers had a deep interest in the African peoples and carefully observed the way their societies worked. The Portuguese in East Africa lived alongside their African subjects and the independent chiefs and to a large extent adopted their life style, technology, business practices, and even their beliefs and customs. This collection of contemporary writings from the period brings to life this extraordinary relationship.

The four essays in this book examine aspects of Portugal's first overseas empire, the maritime and commercial empire that was founded in the fifteenth century and which, during the sixteenth century extended from Brazil to China.

Between February 1990 when the South African president, F.W. De Klerk, released Nelson Mandela from prison and legalised the ANC, and April 1994 when the first democratic elections were held, South Africa experienced revolutionary changes. This book investigates some of the problems that came to the fore during this 'interregnum' and seeks to explain how a peaceful transition was eventually achieved. Ordinary South Africans as well as those entrusted with building the new state were forced to consider questions of profound importance - human rights and land reform, the future of the Homelands and the validity of the democratic process. The book focuses on these issues and on the interplay of forces of stability and instability in a period that saw the spread of communal violence on a horrific scale such that many prophesied the outbreak of civil war. It offers a way of understanding this violence by looking at the way it served the perceived interests of traditional apartheid and the objectives of the whites in the 'decolonisation' period. The book also explores the way in which De Klerk's National Party changed from support for Inkatha and the idea of Federalism to an alliance of convenience with the ANC which made the elections of April 1994 possible. The historical dimension of the new constitution is examined and the way in which the concept of democracy was negotiated. The book also focuses on the National Peace Accord and the attempt to create institutions to defuse the communal violence - the first time in the modern history of South Africa that an attempt was made to create institutions to serve the needs of the population as a whole. Other chapters examine the issue of a Billof Rights and land reform. A close look at the experience of India since its independence throws light on what can and cannot be achieved through a formal Bill of Rights, and the options facing the new government in achieving stability in this area are realistically appraised.

This book is a comparative study of a number of dependent and independent tropical islands and archipelagos. Its contributors seek to answer a number of vital questions affecting the security, political status and economic development of some of the world's smallest and most remote communities.

Contributions by
Robert Aldrich, John Cameron, John Connell, Fred Constant, Henrique Pinto da Costa, Mike Faber, David Hamilton-Jones, Helen M. Hintjens, Jean Houbert, David Lowenthal, David Marlow, Malyn Newitt and Gordon Titchener

The Portuguese in West Africa, 1415-1670 brings together a collection of documents - all in new English translation - that illustrate aspects of the encounters between the Portuguese and the peoples of North and West Africa in the period from 1400 to 1650. This period witnessed the diaspora of the Sephardic Jews, the emigration of Portuguese to West Africa and the islands, and the beginnings of the black diaspora associated with the slave trade. The documents show how the Portuguese tried to understand the societies with which they came into contact and to reconcile their experience with the myths and legends inherited from classical and medieval learning. They also show how Africans reacted to the coming of Europeans, adapting Christian ideas to local beliefs and making use of exotic imports and European technologies. The documents also describe the evolution of the black Portuguese communities in Guinea and the islands, as well as the slave trade and the way that it was organized, understood, and justified.

The Portuguese in West Africa, 1415-1670 brings together a collection of documents - all in new English translation - that illustrate aspects of the encounters between the Portuguese and the peoples of North and West Africa in the period from 1400 to 1650. This period witnessed the diaspora of the Sephardic Jews, the emigration of Portuguese to West Africa and the islands, and the beginnings of the black diaspora associated with the slave trade. The documents show how the Portuguese tried to understand the societies with which they came into contact and to reconcile their experience with the myths and legends inherited from classical and medieval learning. They also show how Africans reacted to the coming of Europeans, adapting Christian ideas to local beliefs and making use of exotic imports and European technologies. The documents also describe the evolution of the black Portuguese communities in Guinea and the islands, as well as the slave trade and the way that it was organized, understood, and justified.

Navigations re-examines the Portuguese voyages of discovery by placing them in their medieval and Renaissance settings. It shows how these voyages grew out of a crusading ethos, as well as long-distance trade with Asia and Africa and developments in map-making and ship design. The slave trade, the diaspora of the Sephardic Jews and the intercontinental spread of plants and animals gave these voyages long-term global significance. The voyages of discovery are narrated within the context of Portuguese politics, and this book describes the role of the Portuguese ruling dynasty - including its female members - in the flowering of the Portuguese Renaissance and the distinctive ideology of the Renaissance state, and in the cultural changes that took place within a wider European context.

This book summarizes five hundred years of the history of the societies that exist within the area that became Mozambique in 1891. It also takes the story up to the present, including the War of Liberation and Mozambique after independence. It is work of major scholarship that will appeal to experts and students alike.

For 270 years, the House of Braganza provided the kings and queens of Portugal. During a period of momentous change, from 1640 to 1910, this influential family helped to establish Portuguese independence from their powerful Spanish neighbours. They ruled the vast empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889, successfully creating a unified nation and preventing the country from splitting into small warring states, and they saved the monarchy and government from total destruction by the marauding armies of Napoleon. In his fascinating reappraisal of the Braganza dynasty, Malyn Newitt traces the rise and fall of one of the world's most important royal families. He introduces us to a colourful cast of innovators, revolutionaries, villains, heroes and charlatans, from the absolutist Dom Miguel to the `Soldier King' Dom Pedro I, and recounts in vivid detail the major social, economic and political events that defined their rule. Featuring an extensive selection of artworks and photographs, Newitt offers a timely look at Britain's `oldest ally' and the role of monarchy in the early modern European world.

..". useful, timely, and important... a good and informative book on the Lusophone countries, Portuguese colonialism, and postcolonial influences." Phyllis Martin, Indiana University

"This book, produced by the obvious and distinguished corps of country specialists... fills a real gap in both state-level and 'regional' (broadly defined) studies of contemporary Africa." Norrie MacQueen, University of Dundee

Although the five Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa that gained independence in 1974/75 Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome e Principe differ from each other in many ways, they share a history of Portuguese rule going back to the 15th century, which has left a mark to this day. Patrick Chabal and his co-authors assess the nature of the Portuguese legacy, using a twofold approach. In Part I, three analytical, thematic chapters by Chabal examine what the five countries have in common and how they differ from the rest of Africa. In Part II, individual chapters by leading specialists, each devoted to a specific country, survey the histories of those countries since independence. The book places the postcolonial experience of the Lusophone countries within the context of their precolonial and colonial past and compares and contrasts their experience with that of non-Lusophone African states. The result is a comprehensive, readable, and up-to-date text and reference work on the evolution of postcolonial Portuguese-speaking Africa."

This comprehensive overview traces the evolution of modern Mozambique, from its early modern origins in the Indian Ocean trading system and the Portuguese maritime empire to the fifteen-year civil war that followed independence and its continued after-effects. Though peace was achieved in 1992 through international mediation, Mozambique's remarkable recovery has shown signs of stalling. Malyn Newitt explores the historical roots of Mozambican disunity and hampered development, beginning with the divisive effects of the slave trade, the drawing of colonial frontiers in the 1890s and the lasting particularities of the north, centre and south, inherited from the compartmentalised approach of concession companies. Following the nationalist guerrillas' victory against the Portuguese in 1975, these regional divisions resurfaced in a civil war pitting the south against the north and centre, over attempts at far-reaching socioeconomic change. The settlement of the early 1990s is now under threat from a revived insurgency, and the ghosts of the past remain. This book seeks to distill this complex history, and to understand why, twenty-five years after the Peace Accord, Mozambicans still remain among the poorest people in the world.