who all first settled here in this island?
Portuguese
Madeira
The first Portuguese settlers began colonizing the islands around 1420 or 1425.
what factors contributed to the creation of the time period we call the middle ages It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. what is this last thing you mentioned? It  is an informal and loosely defined term for the period in European history in which extensive overseas exploration, led by the Portuguese, emerged as a powerful factor in European culture, most notably the European rediscovery of the Americas. was any ship used for this exploration? yes can you name some of its explorers? João Gonçalves Zarco. who was he in general? He was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator
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Madeira [SEP] Settlement
The first Portuguese settlers began colonizing the islands around 1420 or 1425. Grain production began to fall and the ensuing crisis forced Henry the Navigator to order other commercial crops to be planted so that the islands could be profitable. These specialised plants, and their associated industrial technology, created one of the major revolutions on the islands and fuelled Portuguese industry. Following the introduction of the first water-driven sugar mill on Madeira, sugar production increased to over 6,000 "arrobas" (an "arroba" was equal to 11 to 12 kilograms) by 1455, using advisers from Sicily and financed by Genoese capital. (Genoa acted as an integral part of the island economy until the 17th century.) The accessibility of Madeira attracted Genoese and Flemish traders, who were keen to bypass Venetian monopolies.