Slavery in Portugal existed since before the country's formation. During the pre-independence period, inhabitants of the current Portuguese territory were often enslaved and enslaved others. After independence, during the existence of the Kingdom of Portugal , the country played a leading role in the Atlantic slave trade , which involved the mass trade and transportation of slaves from Africa and other parts of the world to the American continent.
The import of black slaves was banned in European Portugal in by the Marquis of Pombal. At the same time, the trade of black slaves to Brazil was encouraged, with the support and direct involvement of the Marquis. The Atlantic slave trade began in , when Portuguese traders brought the first large number of slaves from Africa to Europe.
In , Portuguese mariners carried the first shipload of African slaves to Brazil in the Americas, establishing the Atlantic slave trade. Slavery was a major economic and social institution in Europe during the classical era and a great deal is known about the ancient Greeks and Romans in relation to the topic. Rome added Portugal to its empire 2nd century BC , the latter a province of Lusitania at the time, and the name of the future kingdom was derived from " Portucale ", a Roman and post-Roman settlement situated at the mouth of the Douro River.
The details of slavery in ancient Rome slavery in Roman Portugal are not well-known; however, there were several forms of slavery, including enslaved miners and domestic servants.
At the time, Portugal did not exist as a separate kingdom, but was primarily a part of the Visigothic Iberian kingdom the Visigothic ruling class lived apart and heavily taxed the native population.
