Castelo Medieval de Porto de Mós, Leiria, Portugal - Castles on Waymarking.com

Background
It is believed that the occupation of the site dates back to prehistoric times, as pottery fragments recovered by archaeological research. The period of Roman occupation, are believed to date from when the first defense of the village were identified and collected coins in two Latin inscriptions carved stonework. This primitive defense would have been increased in the following centuries, successively by the Visigoths and Muslims.

The medieval castle
At the time of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, with the forces of King Afonso Henriques (1112-85) advanced to the line of the Tagus river, Porto de Mos has become a strategic point in the defense of Leiria and Coimbra. Conquered in 1148, the tradition states that its the illustrious Mayor D. Fuas Roupinho. A short time later the Moors regained the castle, and D. Fuas managed to escape to take it back then, with reinforcements, definitely.

With the encouragement of settlement under the reign of King Sancho I (1185-1211), the town prospered, and its defense received major improvement works. Jealous of their rights and duties, was a rare case of Portuguese districts that formed County on its own initiative, regardless of the granting of the Charter Act. New works were promoted during the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325), who granted it a charter (1305), when it started to adapt to the role of manor.

In the context of the crisis of 1383-1385, the village and its castle took advantage of the Master of Avis. The Portuguese forces under the command of the sovereign, camped here on their way to the Battle of Aljubarrota (1385). The village, the castle and its domains have integrated the broad grant of land made by the sovereign rights and the Constable, D. Nuno Alvares Pereira. By passing this, were bequeathed in his will to his daughter and son, the first duke of Braganza. In the mid-fifteenth century, the son of the 1st Duke of Braganza, D. Afonso, 4th Earl and 1st Marquis Ourém Valencia, and become involved in several villages of these areas, was responsible for many improvements in Porto de Mos, including the transformation of its medieval castle in a solar renaissance project their descendants have preserved and expanded.

The earthquake of 1755 to the present day
The defensive structure of the castle was severely damaged by the earthquake of 1755 and, again, to a lesser degree, by 1909, affecting particularly the north elevation.

In the twentieth century, was classified as a National Monument by Decree published on 23 June 1910. The intervention of the government was not realized, however, from the 1960s, at the initiative of Directorate General for National Buildings and Monuments (DGEMN). A new campaign intervention and restoration took place from 2001.

Accessibility: Full access Condition: Intact Admission Charge?: yes Website: [Web Link]

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/04/2012 Scratte9 visited it 07/01/2012 bmps2003 visited it 05/30/2011 Cruz Jr visited it 04/19/2011 P@v@r0tti visited it 04/11/2011 Daniel C visited it 04/10/2011 100stress visited it 04/25/2008 Kelux visited it

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