At 25, he left the war council and chose the battlefield himself.
Continue where you left off: Avis and the Discoveries →
In 1515 a king set a rhinoceros against an elephant. The elephant ran away.
That is where our name comes from: O Elefante Fugiu, “the elephant ran away”. Stories from Portugal's past: each is a one-minute read and tied to a place you can visit.
Where to start
The king pitted a rhino against an elephant. The elephant fled.
The Rhino and the Elephant
Lisbon's oldest café was opened by the king's own ice-master.
The House of Snow
18 places where it happened11 places where it happened14 places where it happenedOpen the map
Eras
- Lusitania and Romeuntil the 5th centuryComing soon
- Suebi, Visigoths and Moors5th–12th centuriesComing soon
- Birth of the Kingdom and the Reconquista1139–1249Coming soon
- Avis and the Discoveries1385–1580Discoveries: the world on the map7 stories5 stories
- Union, Restoration and Brazilian Gold1580–1750Coming soon
- Pombal and the Earthquake1755–1820Earthquake and rebuilding11 stories6 stories7 stories
- Monarchy and Republic1820–1926Coming soon
- Estado Novo and 25 April1926–1974Coming soon
- The present day: the EU and emigration1974 – todayComing soon
7 more eras in the works
Threads
Pick a theme and follow it through the centuries.
- Food and wine4 stories3 storiesHistory on a plate: where Porto-style tripe and port wine come from, and why food and wine sometimes ended in a riot.
- People like us8 stories4 stories6 storiesNot kings or generals, but craftsmen, merchants, sailors and townspeople whose stories made it into the chronicles almost by chance.
- Sea3 storiesHow a small country at the edge of Europe took to the ocean: shipyards, maps, shipwrecks and people who sailed away and came back.
- Nature5 stories3 stories4 storiesEarthquakes, elephants and rhinos: how nature changed Portugal's history, and how people marvelled at it.
- Power and revolt7 stories3 stories5 storiesKings, plots, uprisings and revolutions: how power was seized in Portugal, and how it was lost.