Short answers, pulled from the story.
Manueline architecture is a Portuguese architectural style that originated around 1490 and lasted until approximately 1520. It is characterized by elaborate stone ornamentation incorporating maritime elements such as ropes, anchors, armillary spheres, and seaweed alongside botanical motifs and symbols of Christianity. It marks the transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance architecture in Portugal.
The historian Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen named the style after King Manuel I in his 1842 book describing the Jerónimos Monastery. Manuel I's reign from 1495 to 1521 coincided with the period of the style's development, and he personally funded 62 construction projects before his death.
The most celebrated examples include the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower in Lisbon's Belém neighbourhood, the Convent of Christ at Tomar with its extraordinary chapter-house window, and the Monastery of Batalha with its Royal Cloister and Unfinished Chapels. The Royal Palace of Sintra is also a major Manueline monument.
The principal Manueline architects were Diogo Boitac, Mateus Fernandes, Diogo de Arruda, Francisco de Arruda, and João de Castilho. Diogo Boitac designed the Jerónimos Monastery and the Royal Cloister at Batalha; Diogo de Arruda designed the Convent of Christ at Tomar; Mateus Fernandes designed the Unfinished Chapels at Batalha.
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, followed by a tsunami, destroyed or damaged much of the original Manueline architecture in Lisbon. The Ribeira Palace, King Manuel I's residence, and the Hospital Real de Todos os Santos were both destroyed, along with several churches. The Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower survived because of their location in the Belém neighbourhood.
The Manueline style spread throughout the Portuguese Empire to the Azores, Madeira, enclaves in North Africa, Brazil, Goa in Portuguese India, and Macau in China. Its influence also reached southern Spain, the Canary Islands, and the former Spanish colonies of Peru and Mexico.