| Resumo: | This paper's main objective is to situate the introduction of the gold standard monetary regime in Portugal in the context of the transformations that took place in this country during the 19th century. It'* also a reflection from the more relevant empirical works that tryr to bring us the economic reality of this century in Portugal. In this sense, this paper is less a research result and more a starting point. Starting point for the investigation of the reasons who made a poor and resources under endowed country, being the second, in 19 July 1854, to follow Great Britain's steps in the adoption of gold standard regime, anticipating in more than twenty years the generality of the developed countries of the period. A starting point also for the investigation of the consequences that the functioning of this monetary regime, almost without interruptions during thirty-seven years, until 9 July 1891, meant to Portugal in terms of domestic economic development and of international integration. The paper begins with a description of the most relevant events of Portugal History in the 19th century. Than it focuses the main characteristics of the economic growth in the same period. Afterwards, the analysis concentrates in the foreign trade and the monetary circulation. In the first case we pretend to give an idea of the importance of foreign trade for the Portuguese economy of the period. In the second case we pretend to fix the changes in money supply, brought by the adoption of the gold monometallism. The paper finishes with some concluding remarques
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