In the context of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, this region was occupied by the forces of Portugal since the second decade of the thirteenth century: D. Afonso II (1211-1223) ordered its resettlement in 1216. In the reign of D. Sancho II (1223-1248), the castle is already mentioned in the Letter of Settlement given to Alter do Chão by the Bishop of Guarda, Master Vicente Hispano (1232).
Still aiming to increase its population, King D. Afonso III (1248-1279) granted charter to the town (1249), determining the rebuild of it's castle.
The current configuration of the castle dates from the reign of King D. Pedro I (1357-1367), who determined its reconstruction in September 22, 1357, according to epigraphic marble plaque on the main gate.
Under the reign of King D. João I (1385-1433), the monarch confers the areas of the village and its castle to Condestável D. Nuno Álvares Pereira (1428). He left it, after his dead, to his daughter, who transfer it, by marriage, to the Duke of Bragança. At the moment of succession, there was a campaign works in the castle (1432).
At the time of the reign of King D. João II (1481-1495), the then Duke of Bragança, D. Fernando II, used this castle as a prison, an argument that would be used against him when the charges of rebellion and conspiracy against the sovereign, who condemned him to death (1483).
D. Manuel I (1495-1521) granted the new charter to the town (June 1, 1512).
In the twentieth century, it was classified as a National Monument on June 23, 1910.
Shortly afterwards, it was purchased by the Casa Agrícola de Francisco Manuel Pina & Irmãs (1942, to be finally acquired by the Foundation of the House of Bragança, who retains to this day.
After the consolidation and restoration interventions initiated in the 1950s, in charge of the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN), with funding from the Foundation House of Bragança, the castle is now in good condition, framed by a narrow garden.
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