The Portuguese Empire existed during an era.
The Portuguese Empire ( Império Português ) , also known as the Portuguese Overseas ( Ultramar Português ) , was one of the largest and longest-lived empires in world history and the first colonial empire of the Renaissance . The first era of the Portuguese empire originated at the beginning of the Age of Discovery . Eventually , Brazil became the most valuable colony of the second era until , as part of the wave of independence movements that swept the Americas during the early 19th century , it broke away in 1822 .