2016Postal Service in Portugal - 500 Years (FDC S - First Day Cover

What happened in the most diverse states of Europe, also happened in Portugal. In the rst centuries of our nationality, no organised system to transport correspondence was available to citizens. Indeed, sending letters was a prerogative of kings and the nobility, who entrusted this task to their squires and stable boys. With the commercial development in the Middle Ages and the emergence of an increasingly strong mercantile bourgeoisie, the posting of Crafts Corporations began to emerge, guaranteeing the exchange of correspondence between its members, thus responding to the speci c needs of these classes.