A Portuguesa translates to "The Portuguese" in the sense of "song of Portugal" just as La Marseillaise, the national anthem of France, translates to "the song of Marseille" and the Belgian anthem, La Brabançonne translates to "the song of Brabant."
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In 1890, Great Britain issued an ultimatum demanding Portugal to give up its intentions of occupying the land between the african colonies of Angola, in the western coast, and Mozambique, in the eastern coast, thus joining the two territories. Despite popular uproar, the government was forced to accept the British terms, a measure that contributed to the growing unpopularity of king Carlos and the monarchy and gained supporters for the already boosting republican movement. Inspired by the common feeling of outrage among the people, writer Henrique Lopes de Mendonça authored an epic poem urging people to "fight for the motherland" (Pela Pátria lutar) and praising the country's past as a naval power, particularly in the 15th and 16th centuries. The words were joined with a melody by composer Alfredo Keil and the song soon became popular among people unhappy with what they considered a submissive and humiliating attitude by the Portuguese authorities.
On January 31st 1891, a republican revolution broke out in the northern city of Oporto and "A Portuguesa" was adopted by the rebels as their anthem. The revolution was crushed and the song banned. In 1910, on October 5th, a new revolution succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy and establishing a republic in Portugal. In the following year, 1911, a law proclaimed "A Portuguesa" as Portugal's national anthem. History