I think the Moorish influence in Portugal has been greatly exaggerated over the years especially with regard to Catholicism and conversions. They had great influence in Spain and weren't expelled from that country until 1492 but in Portugal their influence was mainly in the area of commerce and architecture and confined primarily to the the south. Their influence on religion was minor at best in Portugal. By very early 1100s the Crusades had expelled the Moors from Southern Portugal. Boundaries were formed and those boundaries remain essentially the same today as they were in 1139 making Portugal the second oldest country in Europe, second to Denmark in terms of having a defined border etc. Italy for example did not become a country until the 1800s and many countries in Europe were splintered into many factions and territories until even the 1900s. Those divisions continue to this day in many other parts of Europe.
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