Who were Portugal's enemies?

Answer 1

The Portuguese and the Spanish were in competition during the period of colonization in the 15th century, following their reconquest from the Moors. Portugal pioneered the sea route to India around Africa, and Spain discovered the Americas. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) effectively limited Portugal to colonies in Brazil, where its influence remains today.

In the early 1800s, Napoleon led French armies that occupied Spain, and part of Portugal, making the two countries erstwhile allies.

Answer 2

In Europe itself, Portugal never had many enemies, exept for Spain, that three times - in the sixteenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth century - tried to annex Portugal. The two countries also were competitors in claiming the right to colonize newly discovered lands, an issue finally settled by the Pope. In the East Indies in the 17th century, Portugal also faced sometimes fierce competition by the Dutch and Britain.