While Lagos is visited today due to its beautiful beaches and rock formations, historically it's a center of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, and a port of Prince Henry the Navigator. It also had the dubious distinction of being Europe's first slave market in 1444 as aggressive Portuguese explorers tapped not only spices from India and SE Asia, but were also ordered to bring back humans for slave labor from the African continent. The trade was very lucrative for the crown and royal families. However later in the 16th century, Portugal declared war in Morocco siding with a deposed ruler there, but lost the war, and lost their King, leaving no heir to the Portuguese throne. At this point in history, Portugal was forced to join with Spain in an Iberian Union, relinquishing their independence at that time.
