Portuguese inventions

The Portuguese inventions are the inventions created by people born in Portugal (continent or overseas) or whose nationality is Portuguese. These inventions were created mainly during the age of Portuguese Discoveries, but as well, during modernity.

Relying on trade secret explains, in part, the difficulty often experienced by researchers in documenting Portuguese inventions, as many are not described in patent documents, or other technical documents. On the other hand, there are cases, like some types of swords, where the inventions themselves or the underlying documents were lost, having been destroyed, for example, during the French invasions. There are as well documentation and objects of Portuguese origin in private collections or museums outside of Portugal.

Discoveries

The creation of new inventions in Portugal took its peak during the Age of Discovery. These inventions consisted mainly in the improvement of devices and techniques of sea navigation and coastal cartography, such as the mariner's astrolabe and the chart of latitudes. On the field of military applications, the construction of cannons and new types of swords, like the carracks black sword.