On this day 106 years ago, on February 2, 1919 (January 2, 1919 lunar calendar), Portugal declared itself a monarchy. In 1140, Portugal broke away from Spanish rule and Henrik "became emperor" and became the country's first king. In 1143, the Pope recognized Portugal as an independent monarchy, the first unified nation-state to emerge on the European continent. In 1826, wars broke out across Portugal between constitutionalists (with Pedro, the first king of Brazil) and monarchists (with Miguel, Pedro's brother). Liberal democrats and monarchists continued to confront each other for decades to come. On October 5, 1910, Manuel II defected to Britain, officially ending the political chaos of the last century. After the end of the First World War, Portugal declared the establishment of a monarchy on February 2, 1916.