The Fort of Paimogo, also known as the Fort of Our Lady of the Angels of Paimogo (Portuguese: Forte de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos de Paimogo), stands in a dominant position on Paimogo beach near the town of Lourinhã, Lisbon District in Portugal Constructed in 1674, it ceased to serve a military function in 1834 and is now under threat from coastal erosion. The fort presents an almost unique example of a fort from that period that has not undergone subsequent modification.

History

The fort was one of those built on the instructions of António Luís de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Marialva and hero of the Portuguese Restoration War, with the intention of defending the Portuguese coastline from Peniche to the estuary of the river Tagus at Cascais to the south in order to offer protection from the constant maritime threat presented by Spanish troops and Barbary pirates. It was located on the Paimogo Beach, which provided easy access for invaders.

Paimogo fort is rectangular, reinforced at the corners by towers topped by a conical vault. In design it is similar to the Fort of Milreu in Ericeira to the south, which was built at the same time. After construction it was manned in 1675 by six gunners and six other soldiers, with six artillery pieces. By 1735 the number of weapons had increased to eight. In 1796 an inspection revealed that its general state of conservation was poor and by 1804 its garrison consisted of just five gunners and five marines. In 1808 during the Peninsular War the fort provided covering fire for British forces landing at Paimogo who reinforced the Anglo-Portuguese troops of the Duke of Wellington and took part in the Battle of Roliça and Battle of Vimeiro. During the Portuguese Civil War (1828-1834) the fort was manned by just five soldiers. After that conflict it ceased to have a military function and was abandoned and used by a local farmer.

Fort of Paimogo

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The Peniche Fortress is located in the municipality of Peniche in Leiria District, Portugal. Built on the site of the former Castle of Atouguia da Baleia, of which only a few vestiges remain, initial construction took place in 1557 and 1558 but there have been numerous subsequent modifications. Its defensive walls surround an area of two hectares, divided into upper and lower parts. The fortress has served a number of functions including that of a political prison during the authoritarian Estado Novo regime.

History

Until the Middle Ages, Peniche was an island. However, siltation of the channel between the island and the community of Atouguia on the mainland, caused by sea currents and winds, eventually led to the sea being replaced by sand dunes, with Peniche becoming a peninsula. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries the area was the target of attacks by English, French and Barbary pirates, to which King Manuel I initially responded by installing four armed ships in Peniche. He also encouraged the idea of a permanent fortification on that part of the coast. In 1544, King John III recommended the construction of a castle on the peninsula and in the same year the most appropriate location to give protection to the town’s harbour was identified. Initial construction work was mainly carried out in 1557 and 1558 but work on the northeast and northwest walls continued until 1567. The design is believed to have been influenced by the castles built by Henry VIII of England, most notably Pendennis Castle in Falmouth.

King Sebastian I ascended the throne in 1568 and appointed D. Luís de Ataíde, 3rd Count of Atouguia, to the position of Viceroy of India (1568-1571). Work on the fortification was suspended until his return. D. Luis de Ataíde left for India for a second time in 1578, at which time the construction work was once again suspended. During the Spanish rule of Portugal (1581-1640), Philip II of Spain sent a military engineer to Peniche in 1589 to consolidate the fort and its walls and study possible improvements. In the same year British troops, under the command of Francis Drake, began a march on Lisbon at Peniche, in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Portuguese sovereignty.

In 1625 Philip IV of Spain highlighted the urgency of building a fort on the Berlengas islands, ten kilometres off the coast of Peniche, as these were often visited by corsairs. He also suggested opening a channel on the isthmus between Peniche and the mainland, thus returning Peniche to being an easily defendable island. However, while the Berlengas fort was eventually constructed, Peniche remained connected to the mainland. At the time of the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668) it was considered necessary to further improve the Peniche fortress’s defences and in 1642 an engineer was sent to Peniche for this purpose. He prepared new plans, noting that soldiers were complaining about the lack of accommodation, food, garrisons and artillery. This led to considerable expansion, resulting in an irregular star-shaped fort, which was completed in 1645. King John IV visited Peniche to inspect the fortress in 1652.

The major earthquake in 1755 that affected much of Portugal destroyed part of the fortress, which was subsequently repaired. In 1773 work was carried out on remodelling the chapel of Santa Bárbara inside the fortress. Shortly afterwards an inspection report was prepared that commented negatively on its condition and in 1800 new batteries were built to make landing in the harbour more difficult and the parapet of the fortress facing the sea was also raised in height. The extent of the work carried out caused financial problems for the local people, who sought and obtained assistance from Queen Maria I. Further extensive improvements were carried out in 1807. However, the fortress proved to be ineffective in December 1807 during the Peninsular War, when Franco-Spanish troops landed at Peniche. Following their defeat by Anglo-Portuguese troops it was briefly considered in 1810 as a possible embarkation point for British troops should the renewed French invasion make this necessary. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which established peace within Europe, the fortress was abandoned. With urban pressure resulting from the population growth of Peniche, certain parts were dismantled. In 1824 it was temporarily converted to a prison and used to detain political prisoners. During the Portuguese Civil War (1828-1834) it was reoccupied but when Liberal forces occupied the Berlengas Fort in 1833, Absolutist forces left Peniche. In 1837 an explosion of gunpowder inside the fortress led to a violent fire, which completely destroyed the Governor's House. In 1871, the Governor of the fortress reported on its bad condition and some restoration work was carried out.

Recent history

During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), the fortress’s buildings were used to accommodate Boers who had sought refuge from the British in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. During World War I (1914-1918), German and Austrian nationals were detained there. From 1928 the buildings were used as a tuberculosis sanatorium. However, in 1934, under the Estado Novo, or Second Republic, it was converted into a maximum-security political prison. In 1938 all buildings of the fortress were classified as a national monument, leading to some repair work being undertaken in subsequent years, in some cases making use of prisoners as labour.

The fortress became famous for two escapes by prisoners opposed to the authoritarian government. In December 1954, a Communist supporter, António Dias Lourenço, managed to squeeze through a 20 cm x 40 cm opening that he sawed in his cell door. He then attempted to descend 20 meters to the sea with a rope made with sheets torn into strips. However, the improvised rope broke, causing him to fall into the sea. Although being dragged by the waves he managed to reach land and escape with assistance from fishermen. On January 3, 1960, communist leaders Álvaro Cunhal, Francisco Martins Rodrigues and eight others connived with a member of the National Republican Guard who agreed to immobilize with chloroform a colleague responsible for the surveillance of the prisoners. They also descended the walls with a rope made of sheets. This escape became a great embarrassment for the government, which claimed that a Soviet submarine had been near the Peniche coast waiting to pick up the escapees. During the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974, which led to the overthrow of the Estado Novo, the fortress was one of the main targets of the initial coup.

From 1977 to the early 1980s, in the context of the process of Portuguese decolonization in Africa, parts of the fortress were used as temporary accommodation for families returning from the overseas territories. After departure of the last returnees from the former colonies, a group of Peniche citizens, with the agreement of the City Council, developed a museum in the fortress dedicated to the anti-fascist resistance. Improvements in 1984 made it possible to visit the cell where the secretary general of the Portuguese Communist Party, Álvaro Cunhal, had been held, as well as the location of his escape. Further repairs and improvements to the fortress were made in the 1990s. Plans in 2008 to use part of the fortress as a hotel (as has been done, for example, in the Citadel of Cascais) did not materialize. Further repairs to the fortress were made between 2010 and 2013 but it remained in an advanced state of degradation. In 2016 it was included on a list of national monuments to be granted to private bodies under a programme (REVIVE) designed to promote private investment for tourism purposes but was withdrawn after two months following popular opposition to the idea. In November 2017 it was closed to visitors to permit further work to be carried out.

A sum of €3.5mn was allocated in April 2017 in the Portuguese budget for repairs and preparation of museum spaces and a tender for the design was completed in early 2018. On 2 May 2019 an exhibition at the Fortress was opened by the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, designed to give an indication of the types of exhibits that will be available when the museum, to be known as the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom (Museu Nacional da Resistência e da Liberdade), is completed.

Praça-forte de Peniche

The Castle of Óbidos (Portuguese: Castelo de Óbidos) is a well-preserved medieval castle located in the civil parish of Santa Maria, São Pedro e Sobral da Lagoa, in the municipality of Óbidos, Portuguese District of Leiria.

History

Óbidos had its foundation in the existence of a fortified settlement, likely over the Luso-Roman castro and Roman oppidum (then civitas) on the hilltop, that was the mysterious Eburobrittium, once cited by Pliny the Elder as being situated between Collipo (present-day Golpilheira near Leiria) and Olisipo (Lisbon). Archeological surveys later resulted in the discovery of a forum, baths and other Roman structures near the settlement. The area was later settled by the Lusitanos (since the 4th century BC) and Romans in the first century, but later occupied by Visigoths during the 5th and 6th century and Muslims, who were responsible for fortifying the town in the 8th century.

During the Christian Reconquista, forces under the first Portuguese king Afonso I (1112–1185) defeated the settlement's defenses through a ruse, on 10 January 1148. The first surveys of the castle were undertaken in 1153, although the castle was never completely conquered until the reign of King D. Sancho I (in 1195), as documented in the epigraph Torre do Facho. Also at this time, the Albarra tower was converted into a jail, when the walls were reformulated by King Sancho I. The old dungeon was restored and expanded by King D. Denis, while the barbicans alongside the main gate was constructed.

Sancho's son and successor, King D. Afonso II (1211–23), donated the settlement and its castle to his wife, D. Urraca (in 1210). The settlement and castle maintained their loyalty to King D. Sancho II (1223–48), during the crisis, resisting victoriously the assaults of forces loyal to the Count of Bologna, future King D. Afonso III (1248–1279). This resistance resulted in the epitaph of mui nobre e sempre leal (very noble and ever loyal), that figured into the municipal coat-of-arms.

The settlement progressively expanded from this point, followed by the fortifications, integrating such structures as the Torre Atalaia (situated in the south). Donated as a wedding gift to D. Denis (1279–1325) and Queen Elizabeth during their stay, the town began to figure into the property/possessions of all successive Queens of Portugal as of 1834. The dungeons were later expanded and the keep tower ( the Torre de D. Fernando or D. Fernando Tower) constructed by the Queen. As part of the construction, a connection was made between the dungeons and the Church of Santiago gallery.

During the context of the 1383–1385 Portuguese succession crises, the alcalde (against the wishes of its residents) allied with John I of Castile, resulting in an assault by the forces loyal to the Master of Avis (future King John). Óbidos and its castle were transferred to John (following his election by the Cortes in Coimbra as King) by Vasco Gonçalves Teixeira, following the death of his father and former-alcalde, João Gonçalves, in the Battle of Aljubarrota.

A settlement started building to the west and southern part of the castle within the walls sometime in the 15th century. During the reign of King D. John II (1481–1495), Queen Leonor selected the settlement and castle to reside following the death of her son, the Infante D. Afonso, opting for the thermal waters of the region for treatments necessary during her later life. King John II's successor, Manuel I donated to the town a foral in 1513, resulting in improvements to both the town and castle. During this phase, the Paços do Alcaide (Palace of the Alcalde) was reconstructed, by then alcalde D. João de Noronha. The alcade also worked on improving the walls.

During the 1755 Lisbon earthquake the castle suffered structural damage.

During the context of the Peninsular War, the fortification in Óbidos fired the first artillery rounds in the Battle of Roliça (1808) that resulted in the first defeat of Napoleonic forces. In 1842, the Albarrã tower was transformed into a clocktower. Construction on an exterior staircase access to the D. Fernando Tower occurred in 1869.

From 1932, the town saw the first interventions of consolidation, reconstruction and restoration by the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-General for National Monuments and Buildings). But, after many years of abandon, in 1948, the castle was transformed into a pousada, under a project developed by João Filipe Vaz Martins. The castle and the entire urban area of Óbidos are reclassified as a National Monument by governmental decree published on 5 January 1951. It took two years to concluded the adaptation of the medieval structure into a tourist pousada, by the Direcção dos Serviços dos Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate for the National Monument Services). The spaces were decorated in order to transform it into the Pousada do Castelo, with many of the furniture designed by architects Fernando Augusto Peres de Guimarães andLuís Benavente, with the collaboration made by Leonardo Castro Freire. The Comissão para a Aquisição de Mobiliário (Furniture Acquisition Commission) was charged with acquiring furniture provided by the Fábrica de Móveis Aséta (in Porto), under concession of Paola Luísa Maria Oliva (Luísa Satanela).

Architecture

The trapezoidal castle oriented to the southeast rises 79 metres (259 ft) above sea level and is situated on the extreme northwest of the walled fortifications.  It is reinforced in the north by three semi-circular and rectangular corbels; in the east and west of the wall by rectangular corbels, known as the towers of D. Dinis and D. Fernando; to the south by two semi-circular corbels, one with machillitions; and a barbican in the north and west. Along the wall dividing the two courtyards is a gentle, rectangular arch, known as the tower of Albarrã. The castle's architecture shows elements of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Manueline influences spread over two main areas: the Castelejo (current Inn Castle, or Pousada de Obidos) and the intramural district.

The enclosed courtyard in the form of an irregular triangle plan, encircled by square merlons with sills and battlements. The perimeter of the walls, reinforced by square and cylindrical plant towers, extends 1,565 metres (5,135 ft) and completely covered by a battlement defended by crenellated parapet. To the west, is a line of walls that accompanies the mountainous cliffs, reinforced by large, rectangular towers. This line of walls is broken by the Cerca Gate, Talhada Gate and the watchtower of Jogo da Bola, terminating in the southwest by the Facho Tower. From here the walls are irregularly adapted to the relief of the land along the northeast, inflecting towards the north and east, and reinforced by semi-circular corbels and the minarets of the castle. In some places, the walls tower 13 metres (43 ft) high.

Built by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of King John III (1521–1557), a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) aqueduct was constructed to carry water from the mountains of Usseira to Óbidos, supplying the fountains of the town.

Within the citadel, along the north face of the old wall, is the Paço dos Alcaides (Palace of the Alcaldes), whose access to the enclosure is affected by a high wall, reinforced by turrets, one of which is topped by a counter with boulders. The building is designed in a "U" plan covered in tile roof, with the western wing shorter than the opposite wing. The central wing is three-stories high, with the two floors in the east over the cliffs. The doors of the palace on the first floor are surmounted by Gothic arches, on the second by rectangular friezes, with two windows with double, polycentric arches and twin panel, with iron balcony. At the top of the second floor staircase is an arched doorway surmounted by flanked armillary spheres and central coat-of-arms; the staircase connects the doorway to the eastern, second floor and the door of the 3rd central floor. The northern facade is coincident with the exterior wall, reinforced with corbels and marked by friezes and rectangular windows on the third floor, while the eastern face includes Manueline windows, similar to the southern facade.

The first floor is the service floor, the second the reception area, and a bar in the eastern corp, while the remaining wings are taken-up by bedrooms. In the third floor is the formal dining and living rooms, with the kitchen and bedrooms. The two towers that flank the southern facade, of various dimensions and heights, are finished in pentagonal merlons (the tower of D. Fernando) and pyramids (the tower of D. Dinis), and were adapted into rooms. Over the door that connects the two courtyards is a passageway that connects the palace and the Church of Santiago.

Castle of Óbidos

The Fort of São João Baptista das Berlengas, or simply known as the Fort of the Berlengas, is located off western coast of Portugal, on the largest island of the archipelago of the Berlengas, in the municipality of Peniche in Oeste region. The fortification belonged to a group of defensive military structures meant to protect the municipality located on the coast.

History

King Manuel of Portugal ordered the construction of a fortress on Berlenga Grande in 1502, which was immediately rectified under the reign of King Sebastian of Portugal. The fort was constructed from the remains of a pre-existing monastery (the Monastery of the Misericórdia da Berlenga), which had previously been abandoned. Hieronymite monks had, in the early 16th century, decided that the Berlengas were well situated to provide aid for seafearing people in need of shelter. The islands isolation also provided ideal conditions for the monks to live in austerity through solitude and silence, assiduous prayer and healthy penance. But, the monks became victims of frequent attacks by Algerian, Moroccan, English, and French pirates and privateers. Further, violent weather often cut-off communication to the mainland, which was especially distressing during pirate incursions, as result, the Monastery was abandoned.

It was only during the middle of 17th century that construction began, under the administration of John IV of Portugal, after the visit of João Rodrigues de Sá to the island, who, accompanied by a military engineer determined the plan to follow in its construction (in 1651).  Originally during the Portuguese Restoration War, the Counsel of War had determined that a better coastal defense was needed, and had ordered the demolition of the monastery ruins to build the fort. By 1666 construction of the fort had proceed under the direction of engineer Mateus do Couto. That year the Fort of the Berlenga was instrumental in stopping the attack by a Spanish fleet, which was sent to kidnap Queen Maria Francisca of Savoy, on her arrival in Portugal, when she was to be married to King Afonso VI of Portugal. After this attack, the King ordered the repair of the fortress, increasing the firepower of its defenses. Following its destruction by Spanish corsairs in 1666, it was finally completed in 1678 under the command of General Marquês da Fronteira (from an inscription over a gate).

During the French invasion of the peninsula, the outpost served as a base for British troops, although it was the French later who plundered it. In 1821, João VI of Portugal ordered a remodelling of the fort that included the reconstruction of the chapel, which had been burned down during the French assault. The fort was also used during the Liberal Wars, serving as a forward base for troops loyal to Pedro IV of Portugal, to attack the fortress of Peniche (then occupied by Miguelist forces). Fourteen years later its armaments were removed, beginning a gradual decline in the fort's state.

In 1953, the fort was repaired and remodelled as part of an attempt to adapt the structure into an inn (Portuguese: pousada).

The DGEMN Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-General of Buildings and National Monuments) became involved after 1981 in the restoration of the structure, culminating in projects between 1986 and 1987 to consolidate the fortification and make it secure for visitors. The fortress is open to the public during the summer, with guides reserved through the Casa Abrigo.

Architecture

The fort is located in the waters off the southeastern coast of Berlenga Grande, on a small islet connected to the island by a causeway/arch-bridge and anchorage to the north.

The structure is irregular octagon, longer from north to south, with a similarly irregular rectangular structure on this base covered in paved terraces, with a slight incline. The two-storey walls serve as both defense and narrow enclosed corridors that circuit its perimeter, broken by several arched windows on the northern and western facades. Meanwhile, the southern and eastern facades are broken by an irregular curtain of canon embrasures.

The structures on the exterior wall functioned as the casemates, while the central body functioned as the armory.

Forte de São João Baptista das Berlengas

The Fort of Olheiros (also known as the Fort of Canudo) was a small fort in the town and municipality of Torres Vedras, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Situated at 105 metres above sea level, it was the most northerly of all the forts and other military facilities built in 1809-10 under the orders of the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War, and commonly known as the Lines of Torres Vedras.

History

152 forts, redoubts and other defences, forming three lines of defence, were constructed over 80 kilometres, reinforcing the natural obstacles that the land offered and making maximum use of the existing topography. All sites were given numbers and the Fort of Olheiros was No. 23. Incorporating a windmill that was already on the site, it is situated a few hundred metres to the northwest of the much larger Fort of São Vicente, which is considered to have been the most important of the forts constructed for the Lines. Olheiros fort is an irregular polygon of seven sides, around 45 metres long by 19 metres wide. It has a pronounced stone-lined dry moat, with access having originally been over a drawbridge. There were eleven gun emplacements and a store for the munitions. In addition to covering the River Sizandro valley, as support to three forts in the Varatojo mountains and the Fort of Grillo, it was also designed to defend the western side of the Fort of São Vicente. It is believed that the fort’s garrison would have totalled 180 soldiers.

Forte de Olheiros

The Fort of São Vicente (St. Vincent) is located in the town and municipality of Torres Vedras, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. In 1809 it was the first of 152 forts, redoubts and other defences to be developed as part of three defensive lines between the Atlantic Ocean and the River Tagus that were designed by the Duke of Wellington to protect the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, from possible invasion by French troops during the Peninsular War. These came to be known as the Lines of Torres Vedras. Together with the Fort of Alqueidão, it is considered the most important fortress of those constructed for the Lines.

History

Following the Treaty of Fontainebleau signed between France and Spain in October 1807, which provided for the invasion and subsequent division of Portuguese territory into three kingdoms, French troops under the command of General Junot entered Portugal, which requested support from the British. Thus, in July 1808 troops commanded by the Duke of Wellington, at the time known as Arthur Wellesley, landed in Portugal and defeated French troops at the Battles of Roliça and Vimeiro. This forced Junot to negotiate the Convention of Cintra, which led to the evacuation of the French army from Portugal. In March 1809, Marshal Soult led a new French expedition that advanced south to the city of Porto before being repulsed by Portuguese-British troops and forced to withdraw.

However, the threat of further invasions by the French led Wellington, on October 20, 1809, to order the construction of defensive lines in order to protect Lisbon from Napoléon Bonaparte's troops. Work on the Fort of São Vicente as part of the first line of defence began on November 8, 1809, at more or less the same time as improvements to the Fort of São Julião da Barra, close to Lisbon, and construction of the new Fort of Alqueidão to the southeast of Torres Vedras near Sobral de Monte Agraço, under the overall supervision of Colonel Richard Fletcher who was commander of the Royal Engineers. A total of 152 forts, redoubts and other defences forming three lines of defence were eventually constructed over 80 kilometres, reinforcing the natural obstacles that the land offered and making maximum use of the existing topography. In addition to protecting Lisbon, the defensive lines were also designed to cover Wellington’s own retreat and possible evacuation from a beach close to the Fort of São Julião da Barra, if his troops were overwhelmed by French forces.

The third French invasion was headed by Marechal Masséna. He was defeated in September 1810 by the Anglo-Portuguese army commanded by Wellington at the Battle of Buçaco. Despite this he forced the allies to retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras, where a stalemate ensued for several months. He eventually had to retreat due to lack of food and supplies, withdrawing to the Spanish border. Thus the Fort of São Vicente did not see action during the Peninsular War. It finally saw action in 1846 when, during the so-called Little Civil War, it was the scene of a battle between the attacking troops of the Duke of Saldanha and the besieged forces of the Count of Bonfim. This was the only time a force has directly attacked one of the fortifications of the Lines. After the Convention of Gramido in 1847 brought peace to Portugal, most of the forts ceased to have any military function and were allowed to gradually fall into ruin.

Tourism

The Fort of São Vicente has not undergone major alterations since construction, and restoration work has been faithful to the original design. A Lines of Torres Vedras Interpretation Centre, which is sited in the chapel at the fort, was opened in July 2017. It includes a model of the means by which signals were exchanged between the forts of the lines and also presents a short video describing the history of the Lines.

Fort of São Vicente

Castelo de Torres Vedras is a castle in Torres Vedras, Portugal. Characterized by a mix of Gothic and Manueline features, it is classified by IGESPAR as a Site of Public Interest.

History

Use of the castle area goes back to Roman times as evidenced by the existence of two Roman cisterns, tombstones, coins and other artifacts. Primitive fortifications date back to the time of the Goths. Its first walls were constructed by North Africans (known as Moors) during the time of Muslim control of Portugal. These walls were destroyed during the Christian reconquest when the castle was seized in 1148 by Afonso I of Portugal, but were immediately rebuilt. In 1288 King Denis ordered that the defences be strengthened and extended and Ferdinand I of Aragon ordered further improvements in 1373. 

The Castle of Torres Vedras has served as a temporary residence for several Portuguese kings. It was here that King John I gathered the Council that decided on the conquest in 1415 of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, that marked the beginning of the outward-looking policies of Portugal. In 1510, Torres Vedras received a municipal charter (Foral), and six years later King Manuel I, ordered reconstruction of the castle. Around 1520, the Palace of the Alcaides was constructed by the Chief Magistrate, João Soares de Alarcão. It remains the dominant feature of the castle, despite being in ruins. In 1589, during the Philippine dynasty (1581-1640), forces of António, Prior of Crato commanded by Sir Francis Drake disembarked in Peniche and briefly took the Castle of Torres Vedras.

The castle suffered heavy damage from the 1755 earthquake, particularly the Palace of the Alcaides and some of the walls. In 1809, it was integrated into the Lines of Torres Vedras, which were defensive lines established by the Duke of Wellington to protect against French invasion during the Peninsular War. Together with the Fort of São Vicente on a hill immediately to its north, the castle, with about 500 soldiers, guarded the main road between Coimbra and Lisbon. As part of the adaptation by the British Royal Engineers for this purpose the castle door was demolished. During the Liberal Wars (or Portuguese Civil War), sections of the walls facing east and some turrets on the north side were rebuilt. During the so-called Little Civil War in 1846, it served as barracks for the troops of the Count of Bonfim and was bombarded by the forces of the Duke of Saldanha, which caused the almost total ruin of the Palace. Despite its poor condition, the castle continued to function as a barracks until the end of the 19th century.

In 1929, the Ministry of War transferred the property to the municipality of Torres Vedras. In 1955 there was a collapse of part of the wall to the northwest. In 1957 the castle was classified as a Property of Public Interest and this was followed by several repairs being carried out but there remained the danger of collapse to part of the walls, which happened in 1963, leading to additional repairs.