If you are blindfolded and walk through the streets of the municipality of Olivenza in Badajoz without any information, you probably won’t be able to tell whether you are in Spain or Portugal. The colorful facades, cobbled squares and clean streets of this city (many with names in Portuguese and Spanish) of just over 11,000 inhabitants are very reminiscent of Portugal. The truth is that this city was Portuguese territory until “four days ago.” Olivenza is often said to be the daughter of Spain and the granddaughter of Portugal.the phrase of a song that sums up very well the history of this city that today is once again the protagonist of a new attempt at confrontation between two brother cities (allies and members of the European Union) that have nevertheless had a past full of clashes, wars and betrayals. Although Spain and Portugal today maintain close and friendly relations, the historical relationship between Lisbon and the English (to thwart the plans of Castile and France) has been the common thread of turbulent relations that still today have obstacles to overcome, such as that of Olivenza. case.
Although it may seem like something incredible, innovative and new, Portugal has been claiming sovereignty over the Badajoz people of Olivenza for decades. Furthermore, although it may seem like a small “quarrel” between neighbors, the American CIA itself has classified in its files this municipality and its surroundings as an “area of international dispute”, since it is an unresolved and relatively “hot” conflict, according to the North American intelligence agency.
Portugal’s Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, demanded last Friday that Spain cede the town of Olivenza in Badajoz, located near the border between the two countries, stressing that it is a Portuguese municipality “by treaty” and he understands that it is a “just” right to demand this claim.
“Olivenza is Portuguese, of course, and this is not a provocation”he said in statements to the media from Estremoz, in the municipality of Évora, according to the Portuguese agency Lusa. “As is obvious, this opinion does not commit the government. It was an answer to a question and, for this reason, I could not agree with the other members of the government,” he explained in a message on his profile on the social network X.
This dispute is also reflected on the CIA website, where several areas of international conflict are accumulated, such as Palestine or the borders between China and India. In a long list, the CIA also establishes that the municipality of Badajoz is a disputed area because “Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza, based on a difference in interpretation of the Congress of Vienna of 1815 and the Treaty of Badajoz of 1801.”
The historic dispute over Olivenza
The conflict over Olivenza is a delicate historical issue that remains unresolved officially. The origins of this controversy date back to the Orange War of 1801, a brief but important conflict between Spain and Portugal. This confrontation erupted when France, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, urged Spain to invade Portugal in retaliation for its refusal to join the continental blockade against the United Kingdom. The name of the war derives from a symbolic gesture by the Spanish Prime Minister of the time, Manuel Godoy, who after the victory sent a bouquet of oranges to Queen Maria Luisa as a token of his military success.
The conflict ended with the Treaty of Badajoz in 1801, by which Portugal ceded Olivenza to Spain. However, since then, Portugal has maintained that the transfer was imposed under pressure and therefore lacks legitimacyDespite the signing of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which stipulated that the European powers should negotiate the return of Olivenza to Portugal, Spain continued to administer the territory, claiming that the territorial question was resolved.
The conflictual relations between Spain and Portugal
The history of relations between Portugal and Spain has been marked by recurring tensions, and not only around Olivenza. Over the centuries, Portugal has been an uncomfortable neighbour for Spain, largely because of its close relations with the United Kingdom. Since Since the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, Portugal and the United Kingdom have maintained one of the longest diplomatic alliances in the world.an association that played a crucial role in Iberian and European politics.
This connection complicated the expansionist attempts of the Crown of Castile and, later, of Spain, as Portugal used its alliance with the British as a shield against the hegemonic ambitions of its neighbors. In many conflicts, Spain and France found themselves frustrated by Portugal’s ability to align its interests with those of the United Kingdom, establishing a sort of counterweight limiting the reach of the continental powers.
This dynamic persisted even during the union of the Iberian crowns in the 17th century and was reinforced during the Napoleonic era, when Portugal became a key element in the British strategy to contain France and its allies.
Portugal has therefore been able to use both its geographical position and its strategic diplomacy to influence and, sometimes, thwart the plans of its powerful neighbours. Olivenza is a tangible reminder of this strained relationship and of the Portuguese ability to resist external pressures, while the alliance with the United Kingdom guaranteed it independence and influence disproportionate to its size.
However, it seems impossible today that a conflict could break out for control of this city. As the former president of the regional government of Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara, pointed out, Olivenza, where he is from, is “a city of Extremadura and Spain, proud of its Portuguese past“We feel like children of Spain and grandchildren of Portugal. Yesterday’s borders are today bridges that build the Europe to which we belong together,” Vara expressed on her social network profile.
