The Institute of Contemporary History, the Institute of Medieval Studies and CHAM — Centre for Humanities join in expressing their condolences on the passing of historian António Borges Coelho.

His works on the Arab presence in Portugal and on 1383 are an important part of the country’s historiographical heritage and have been the subject of lively and enriching debates with, among others, his friend and our colleague José Mattoso. António Borges Coelho’s contributions to the history of Portuguese expansion also broke new ground, notably by taking a less glorifying view of that historical period. His career as an anti-fascist resistance fighter, which led to his imprisonment in Peniche, where he prepared his first historical studies, paved the way for freedom and democracy.

For all this and much more, thank you, Professor António Borges Coelho!

Photo: António Borges Coelho in an interview to RTP in 2018. (Source)