History in twelve moments

First traces of people. The islands become a waypoint for Phoenician, then Roman, ships.

King Afonso V restricts harm to the islands' wildlife, one of Europe's earliest conservation acts.

Hieronymite monks found the Mosteiro da Misericórdia, under Queen Leonor, aiding navigation and rescuing shipwreck survivors.

Pirate raids, scarcity and disease drive the monks away. Their stones will build what comes next.

Work begins on the Forte de São João Baptista, a heptagonal fortress on its own rock, reached by a stone causeway.

Fourteen Spanish warships besiege the fort. Fewer than twenty defenders under Avelar Pessoa hold out until powder and food run dry, sinking a warship before they surrender.

The Farol Duque de Bragança is lit at the summit. Its 29 m tower still guards one of Europe's busiest shipping lanes.

The Bairro dos Pescadores, twenty fishermen's houses, becomes the island's only settlement.

The archipelago is declared a Nature Reserve, one of Portugal's first.

The reserve grows to the whole archipelago and its waters: the Reserva Marinha das Berlengas.

UNESCO classifies the Berlengas a World Biosphere Reserve.

The Berlengas Pass: every visitor now registers before stepping ashore.