Few people remember that in 1494 Portugal and Spain divided the entire globe into two spheres of influence (according to the Treaty of Tordesillas)! So the current small state of Portugal on the outskirts of the European Union was once a powerful colonial empire that discovered and conquered many countries in South America, Africa and the East. The history of the Portuguese ruling dynasties is full of exciting events and extraordinary actions of kings who achieved goals at any cost and knew no barriers to satisfying passions . How did King Afonso III of Portugal, who was married, manage to marry a Spanish princess without hindrance? Why did King Afonso IV order the execution of the beautiful Inis de Castro, the lover of his son and the mother of his grandchildren? How was Inis de Castro crowned after... her death? Why did Queen Leonora go down in history under the nickname “Treacherous”? How did King Manuel I the Happy marry his son's bride? What rivals made life difficult for Queen Catarina of Braganza of England, wife of Charles II? Why did the legendary beauty Gabrielle d'Estrae fail to become Queen of France and how did her great-granddaughter manage to wear the crown of Portugal twice? Why did the Portuguese Legion take part in the Russian campaign of Emperor Napoleon I? How did the Portuguese Countess Juliana da Ega come to Russia and why did she have to console the crying wife of the dying A.S. Pushkin? Why weren't the Templars persecuted in Portugal? And in general, where did the poor country of Portugal get the funds to make great geographical discoveries? These many questions will be answered in a fascinating book by the famous author Natalia Sotnikova. The publishing design is preserved in PDF A4 format.