Final answer:
Portugal gained immense wealth and power primarily through exploration, colonization, and cash crops, under the guidance of leaders such as King Afonso IV and Prince Henry the Navigator. Technological advancements and treaties like the Treaty of Tordesillas helped Portugal become a maritime power, with strategic colonial outposts facilitating trade in gold, ivory, enslaved people, and spices.
Step-by-step explanation:
Portugal gained immense wealth and power primarily through exploration, colonization, and cash crops. The origins of their maritime dominance date back to the 1340s when King Afonso IV encouraged the building of a commercial fleet. This decision paved the way for Portugal to become a significant maritime power by the fifteenth century. Portugal's exploration began with expeditions to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. The capture of Ceuta in Morocco in 1415 by forces dispatched by John I, the grandson of Afonso IV, allowed the Portuguese to control part of the North African coast, opening it to both conquest and trade.
Under Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese explorers expanded their reach, establishing trading ports along the coast of West Africa and in India, seeking a sea route to Asia to participate in the lucrative spice trade. Portugal's advancement was further reinforced by technological innovations like the compass, the astrolabe, and the caravel. Additionally, the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza, agreements with Spain, established zones of influence, helping to avoid conflict between these two emerging powers.
Portugal's presence in Africa also grew as they established citadels for trade in gold, ivory, and enslaved people, with the first shipment of enslaved Africans to Portugal occurring in 1441. The empire further extended to the Canary, Cape Verde, and Azores Islands, as well as Madeira, using these outposts to reach even further into the Congo, western coast of India, and thereby to Brazil in South America. This expansion into various territories and the establishment of trade networks led to a tremendous accumulation of wealth and power for Portugal.