After a long period of about 400 years, the city was finally reconquered by Dom Afonso Henriques in 1147. He was the first king of Portugal. In the year 1255 Lisbon became the capital of Portugal. With the rise of the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century the golden age of Lisbon began. It became a central point of commerce with the Far East, and gold from Brazil flooded into the city. Lisbon was always troubled by big earthquakes. The earthquake of 1755 took the lives of over 60,000 people and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city.
Lisbon was rebuilt after plans of Marques de Pombal, who decided to demolish the remnants of the town after the earthquake. Instead of rebuilding the medieval town, he constructed the downtown after a modern urban concept. You can now see the result, if you are visting the Baixa.