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

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

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.

Castelo de Torres Vedras

The Fort of Milreu, also known as the Fort of St. Peter of Milreu (Portuguese: Forte de São Pedro de Milreu), is situated on the Atlantic coast 3km north of the town of Ericeira in Lisbon District of Portugal. Part of a programme to extend Portugal's coastal defences, it was built between 1670 and 1675.

History

The Fort of Milreu, was built after the Portuguese Restoration War between Portugal and Spain. Lessons learned from this war, which ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668), convinced the Portuguese of the need to reorganise their coastal defences by building numerous fortresses and forts along the entire coastline of the country. The choice of Milreu as a location to erect a fort was because this was the ideal place to both defend against maritime access to Ericeira from the north and protect against landings on the Beach of Ribeira de Ilhas, immediately to the north of the fort.

By 1680 the fort was already garrisoned, supplied with artillery and in full operation. Rectangular in shape and in a Mannerist style, it consisted of a battery with cannons, two circular bartizans with a conical cover, three barracks and a guardhouse. A side staircase, led to a terrace protected by a parapet. However, by 1751 it was reported to be in a poor condition as a result of a harsh winter and this was aggravated by the earthquake on 1 November 1755. By 1796 the garrison consisted of 7 soldiers and 5 gunners, and the artillery one bronze cannon and five iron cannon. The fort was abandoned in 1806 and by 1821 it was reported to be in an advanced state of ruin. Significant repairs were made in 1831-32 during the Portuguese Civil War and in 1832 it was garrisoned by Miguelist forces and artillery. However, by 1853 it was again abandoned and in a degraded state.

In 1871, parts of the fort were used in the rebuilding of the Church of São Pedro da Ericeira. With no remaining military function its bronze cannon were sent to Lisbon in 1880 and it was occupied by the Portuguese Fiscal Guard in 1891. Some repair work was carried out between 1908 and 1910 but this ceased with the dissolution of the monarchy in 1910. In 1940, work finally began to restore the fort but the following year it officially ceased to be considered a military fortification and responsibility for its management was handed over to the Ministry of Finance. Between 1946 and 1992 there were many ideas for the use of the building, such as a café or restaurant, but none materialised. The Fort of Milreu was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1977 and the Directorate General of National Buildings and Monuments (DGEMN) rebuilt the wall and made other repairs in 1984 and in 2001. Nevertheless in 2019 it remained in a degraded condition.

Fort of Milreu

The Palace of Mafra (Portuguese: Palácio de Mafra), also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra (Real Edifício de Mafra), is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, some 28 kilometres from Lisbon. Construction began in 1717 under King John V of Portugal and was completely concluded in 1755.
The palace was classified as a National Monument in 1910 and was also a finalist in the Seven Wonders of Portugal. On 7 July 2019, the Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada) was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The palace, which also served as a Franciscan friary, was built during the reign of King John V (1707–1750), as consequence of a vow the king made in 1711, to build a convent if his wife, Queen Mariana, gave him offspring. The birth of his first daughter the Infanta Barbara of Portugal, prompted construction of the palace to begin. The palace was conveniently located near royal hunting preserves, and was usually a secondary residence for the royal family.
The construction was funded in large part from the proceeds of the colonies in Brazil, where gold and then diamonds were mined in vast quantities.
This vast complex, largely built of Lioz stone, is among the most sumptuous Baroque buildings in Portugal and at 40,000 m², one of the largest royal palaces. Designed by the German architect João Frederico Ludovice, the palace was built symmetrically from a central axis, occupied by the basilica, and continues lengthwise through the main façade until two major towers. The structures of the convent are located behind the main façade. The building also includes a major library, with about 30,000 rare books. The basilica is decorated with several Italian statues and includes six historical pipe organs and two carillons, composed of 98 bells.
Construction
The exact site was chosen in 1713 and purchased in 1716. Construction began by the laying of the first stone on November 17, 1717 with a grand ceremony in the presence of the king, his entire court and the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon.
Initially it was a relatively small project for a friary of 13 Capuchin friars, who were to observe strict poverty. However, when the flow of gold and diamonds from the Portuguese colony of Brazil started to arrive in Lisbon in abundance, the king changed his plans and announced the construction of a sumptuous palace along with a much enlarged friary. This immense wealth allowed the king to be a generous patron of the arts.
He appointed an architect João Frederico Ludovice as director of the royal works at Mafra. Ludwig had studied architecture in Rome and knew contemporary Italian art. The extent of Ludwig's responsibility is unclear, as several other architects were involved in this project: the Milanese builder Carlos Baptista Garbo, Custódio Vieira, Manuel da Maia and even his own son António. However the application of the same architectural style over the whole building suggests the work of Ludwig as the head-architect in charge of the Royal Office of Works (Real Obra).
Construction lasted 13 years and mobilized a vast army of workers from the entire country (a daily average of 15,000 but at the end climbing to 30,000 and a maximum of 45,000), under the command of António Ludovice, the son of the architect. In addition 7,000 soldiers were assigned to preserve order at the construction site. They used 400 kg of gunpowder to blast through the bedrock for the laying of foundations. There was even a hospital for the sick or wounded workers. A total of 1,383 workers died during the construction.
The facade is 220 meters long. The whole complex covers 37,790 m² with about 1,200 rooms, more than 4,700 doors and windows, and 156 stairways.
When complete the building consisted of a friary capable of sheltering 330 friars, along with a royal palace and a huge library of 30,000 books, embellished with marble, exotic woods and countless artworks taken from France, Flanders and Italy, which included six monumental pipe organs and the two carillons.
The basilica and the convent were inaugurated on the day of the King's 41st birthday on October 22, 1730. The festivities lasted for 8 days and were of a scale never seen before in Portugal. The basilica was dedicated to Our Lady and to St. Anthony.
However the building was not finished. The lantern on the cupola was completed in 1735. Work continued till 1755, when the work force was needed in Lisbon by the devastations of the Lisbon earthquake.
Later history
The palace was not occupied permanently by the royalty, who considered the rooms too gloomy. Nonetheless, it was a popular destination for the members of the royal family who enjoyed hunting in the nearby game preserve, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra. During the reign of King John VI the palace was inhabited for a whole year in 1807.
The king was responsible for a partial renovation of the building by some well-known artists. However, with the French invasion of Portugal, in 1807, the royal family fled to Brazil, taking with them some of the best pieces of art and furniture in the building. Marshal Junot took up residence in the palace, to be driven out in turn by Wellington.
In 1834, after the Liberal Wars, Queen Maria II ordered the dissolution of the religious orders and the convent was abandoned by the Franciscans. During the last reigns of the House of Braganza, the palace was mainly used as a base for hunting. In 1849 the monastery part of the building was assigned to the military, a situation still in use today.
The last king of Portugal, Manuel II, following the proclamation of the republic, left on 5 October 1910 from the palace to the nearby coastal village of Ericeira on his way to exile. The palace was declared a national monument in 1907.[citation needed] At present, the building is conserved by the Portuguese Institute of the Architectonic Patrimony, which carried out several recovery programs, including the conservation of the main façade. A major restoration of the historical pipe organs began in 1998 with the collaboration of foreign experts and was finished in 2010. The restoration won the Europa Nostra 2012 award.
Description
Façade
The imposing façade, built of local limestone, is 220 m long and faces the town of Mafra. At each end of the façade stands a square tower with a bulbous dome, such as found in Central Europe. The church, built in white marble, is located in the centre of the main façade, symmetrically flanked on both sides by the royal palace. The king, wishing to rival the splendour of Rome, had sought architectural advice from his ambassador to the Vatican, who sent him small-scale models of important Roman religious buildings. The benedictal balcony at its centre is clearly mirrored on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. But this balcony is rather intended for the king, as a symbol of his power, than for the benedictions by a prelate.
The two church towers (68 m high) are inspired by the towers of Sant'Agnese in Agone (by the Roman Baroque architect Francesco Borromini). Their two carillons contain a total of 92 church bells, founded in Antwerp. The story goes that the Flemish bell-founders were so astonished by the size of their commission, that they asked to be paid in advance. The king retorted by doubling the offered amount. These carillons constitute the largest historical collection in the world.
The two towers are connected by two rows of Corinthian columns. The top row contains the statues of St. Dominic and St. Francis, sculpted from Carrara marble, standing in a niche on each side of the balcony. The lower row contains the statues of St. Clara and St. Elisabeth of Hungary.
Royal Palace
The spacious royal apartments are situated on the second floor. The apartments of the king are situated at the end of the palace while the apartment of the queen is 200 m away at the other end. Such was this distance that, when the king left his apartment towards the apartment of the queen, this was announced to the queen by the sound of a trumpet.
As king John VI had taken with him some of the best pieces of art and furniture in the building when the royal family fled in 1808 for the advancing French troops to Brazil, most rooms had to be redecorated in the original style. The Hunting trophy room (Sala dos Troféus) is decorated with numerous skulls of deer, the furniture is constructed of antlers and covered with deerskin and even the candleholders are made of deer antlers.
The Benediction Gallery (Sala da Benção) borders at the upper level of the basilica. The royal family could here attend Mass, seated at a window opening unto the basilica. The bust of John V in this hall is a work of the Italian Alessandro Giusti. The Throne Room, the Guard Room and the Room of Goddess Diana are decorated with murals by artist such as Ciryllo Wolkmar Machado, Bernardo Oliveira Góis and Vieira Lusitano.
Basilica
The church is built in the form of a Latin cross with a length of 63 m. It is rather narrow (16.5 m), an impression accentuated by the height of its nave (21.5 m). The vestibule (Galilee porch) contains a group of large sculptures in Carrara marble, representing the patron saints of several monastic orders.
The interior makes abundantly use of local rose-coloured marble, intermingled with white marble in different patterns. The multi-coloured designs of the floor are repeated on the ceiling. The barrel vault rests on fluted Corinthian semicolumns standing between the side chapels. The chapels in the transept contain altarpieces in jasper made by sculptors from the School of Mafra. The side aisles display 58 marble statues commissioned from the best Roman sculptors of their time. The All Saint's chapel in the transept is screened from the crossing by iron railings with bronze ornaments, made in Antwerp.
The choir has a magnificent giant candleholder with seven lamps sprouting from the mouth of seven rolled-up snakes. Above the main altar, inserting into the ceiling, is a gigantic jasper crucifix of 4.2 m, flanked by two kneeling angels, made by the School of Mafra. The cupola over the crossing was also inspired by the cupola of Sant'Agnese in Agone (by the Roman Baroque architect Francesco Borromini). This 70 m-high cupola with a small lantern atop, is carried by four finely sculpted arcs in rose and white marble.
There are six organs, four of which are located in the transept, constituting a rather uncommon ensemble. There were built by Joaquim Peres Fontanes and António Xavier Machado Cerveira between 1792 and 1807 (when the French troops occupied Mafra). They were made out of partially gilded Brazilian wood. The largest pipe is 6 m high and has a diameter of 0.28 m. King John V had commissioned liturgical vestments from master embroiderers from Genoa and Milan, such as Giuliano Saturni and Benedetto Salandri, and from France. They attest of superb quality and workmanship by their embroidering in gold technique and the use of silk thread in the same colour.
The religious paintings in the basilica and the convent constitute one of the most significant 18th century collections in Portugal. They include works by the Italians Agostino Masucci, Corrado Giaquinto, Francesco Trevisani, Pompeo Batoni and some Portuguese students in Rome such as Vieira Lusitano and Inácio de Oliveira Bernardes. The sculpture collection contains works by almost every major Roman sculptor from the first half of the 18th century. At that time, it represented the biggest single order done by a foreign power in Rome and still is one of the biggest collections in existence.
The parish of Mafra (Santo André de Mafra) and the Royal and Venerable Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Mafra (Portuguese: Real e Venerável Irmandade do Santíssimo Sacramento de Mafra) have their headquarters in the Basilica.
On 10 November 2020, Pope Francis granted a canonical coronation to the image of Our Lady of Solitude of the basilica, guarded by the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Library
The Rococo library, situated at the back of the second floor, is truly the highlight of this palace, rivalling the grandeur of the library of the Melk Abbey in Austria. Built by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, this library is 88 m long, 9.5 m wide and 13 m high. The magnificent floor is covered with tiles of rose, grey and white marble. The wooden bookshelves in Rococo style are situated on the sidewalls in two rows, separated by a balcony with a wooden railing. They contain over 36,000 leather-bound volumes, attesting of the extent of western knowledge from the 14th to the 19th century. Among them, are many valuable bibliographical jewels, such as incunabula. These beautiful finished volumes were bound in the local workshop (Livraria) in the rocaille style (also by Manuel Caetano de Sousa).
The library is known for homing bats which protect the books from insect damage.
The Library was used in Gulliver's Travels (1996) as the Great Chamber of War for the Emperor of Lilliput.
Convent
The rectangle behind the church and the palace houses the friary of the Franciscan friars of Arrábida Order (Ordem de São Francisco da Província da Arrábida) with cells for about 300 friars in long corridors on several floors. Between 1771 and 1791 this monastery was occupied by the Hermit Friars of St. Augustine.
Mafra School of Sculpture
The Mafra School of Sculpture was founded during the reign of king Joseph I of Portugal, successor of king John V. As the Mafra National Palace had a great need for sculptors, local and from abroad, it became the location of a sculpture academy headed by the Italian Alessandro Giusti (1715–1799).
Among the teachers were several important sculptors, such as José de Almeida (1709–1769), Claude de Laprade (1682–1738) and Giovanni Antonio da Padova (who created most of the statues for the cathedral of Évora).
The academy was awarded many commissions by the Augustinians from the monastery, resulting in the many marble statues and retables in marble and jasper in the basilica. This academy produced several generations of Portuguese sculptors, such as Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731–1822).
Cultural influence
A major reference to the construction of the palace is made in the novel Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento), written by the Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago. The main character, Baltasar, born in Mafra, works on the construction of the palace. Saramago makes a detailed description of the building process, including the transport of a giant stone from the quarry to the building site (which Baltasar assists with), depicting it as a torture for those who helped build the palace.

Palace of Mafra

História

Foi erguido em 1706 sob o reinado de Pedro II de Portugal, para defesa do porto de pesca e praia dos Pescadores.

Em 1821 encontrava-se abandonado e em mau estado de conservação, ainda em consequência da Guerra Peninsular. O relatório de inspeção em 1823 informa que o lado sul do forte desabara parcialmente e que se encontravam arruinadas as duas rodas dos reparos das duas peças de artilharia. No ano seguinte (1824), encontrava-se guarnecido por um sargento e cinco soldados da 6ª Companhia de Veteranos. Um Ofício Régio, datado de 1829, determinou que o forte desse salvas nos dias de festividades. Em 1831 foram substituídas as peças de artilharia de bronze, do calibre 12.

Posteriormente, em 1886 registou-se o desabamento de parte da muralha de sustentação do forte. Em 1891 as suas dependências passaram a abrigar a guarnição da Guarda Fiscal.

No século XX, após campanha de recuperação empreendida pela Junta de Turismo da Ericeira e pela Câmara Municipal de Mafra, o forte foi aberto ao público em 1976.



Forte de Nossa Senhora da Natividade

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

The Castle of Alenquer (Portuguese: Castelo de Alenquer), is a Portuguese medieval castle in civil parish of Alenquer (Santo Estêvão e Triana), in the municipality of Alenquer, in the district of Lisbon.

History

The territory of "Alan Cana" was conquered in 714 by Muslims, who established a fortress (alcaçova). To the north are two rectangular towers, whose lines demonstrate Muslim influences, but without direct connection to Muslim architecture.

Following two months of siege, D. Afonso Henriques' forces took the fortress and likely began repairs on the fortifications, while settling partisans within the territory.

By the first half of the 13th century, the castle was one of the important defensive structures in the north of Lisbon. In 1211, King D. Sancho I constructed a royal palace and donated it to his daughter, Sancha, who would eventually take refuge there following a disagreement with her brother, the Infante D. Afonso II (who disagreed with their fathers gifting of the castle).  She officially began living in Alenquer beginning in 1212, at which time D. Afonso II encircled the castle. In order to resolve the dispute between the siblings, Pope Innocence III placed the castle in charge of the Knights Templar in 1216, proving the military relevance of the structure at that time.

The castle's proprietorship passed in 1340, to D. Constância, wife of King D. Pedro I. At the beginning of this period, Alenquer began to be an integral part of the patrimony of the Portuguese Queens, being successively donated to sovereigns of the Kingdom. The work to build the structure were primarily instigated in the 14th century, by Queen Isabel when she began visiting the village. The majority of artefacts from the castle's construction indicate a chronological distinction during this Gothic period. The oval plan and keep tower addorsed to the walls were highlights of this style. The walls were covered by protected embattlements with rectangular merlons, and near the river, constructed as a defensive link to water resources was the "Torre da Couraça". It is likely that these 18 metres (59 ft) high structures were later to the castle and highly modified within the progressing years.

In 1384, Castilian forces take Alenquer, forcing the Master of Aviz, John I of Castile to lay siege to the fortress. After a period, the alcalde, Vasco Pires de Camões surrendered the fortifications, but as a reprisal for the former-alcalde's conspiracy against him, he ordered the removal of the cornerstones of the keep tower and lowered the walls.

It was only by 1439 that, continuing in the possession of the Queens of Portugal, D. Leonor Teles ordered that the walls be raised. Sometime around 1578, the castle cistern fell into ruin.

Following the allegiance shown by the town of Alenquer to D. António, Prior of Crato, in his struggle to maintain the Portuguese throne, little support was given to maintain the castle. Falling into ruin, the population began using the stones from the wall to fabricate their own homes.

In 1740, though, a small chapel was constructed over the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Gate. Ten years later, the Royal Academy and King Joseph I of Portugal recommended the conservation of the military grounds. But, these efforts were in vain: in 1755, the Lisbon earthquake caused the destruction of the two tower gates.

Similarly, following the Battle of Buçaco in 1810, the castle suffered damage, due to the garrisoning of troops associated with the Lines of Torres Vedras.

In the 19th century, the need to open a gateway between the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Gate and square, obliged the municipal authority to destroy part of the lower wall.

In 1927, archaeologist Hipólito Cabaço, proceed with clearing of the cistern, and recovered objects that permitted dating of the structure. Similar excavations in 1940 alongside the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Gate allowed archeologists to prove the existence of a prehistoric settlement on the site. As part of the archeological recovery of the site, the DGMEN demolished the chapel over the Gate, and proceeded to partially restore the walls, but the project was incomplete, and it remained unfinished.

Architecture

The castle is situated in the urban centre, over the remains of the primitive Muslim fortress, at the highest point of the town surrounded by forest. Alongside the former Jewish quarter, the castle walls encircle the urban area to the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Gate and the corridor towers. The interior is marked by a spring/fountain. Little remains of the primitive fortress except some walls.

The castle has a long, irregular plan that follows the morphology of the terrain and by the urban organization, in addition to the rest of primitive fortress. Of its original fortifications, only the northwest perimeter exists, in addition to a segment in the north and around the tower. The curtain of walls to the north includes three rectangular towers, with two arched doorways. The left tower, with strong lower backstop, along with the one in the northeast, are surmounted by terrace and parapets, and the right by rectangular construction with tile roof and small belfry.

The Gothic castle in Alenquer was organized into two enclosures: an upper courtyard, that conformed to the topography of the terrain, where the Muslim alcáova existed; and the inferior terrace that covered a much wider area, that protected the primitive urban agglomeration. Of the various stages of development little is known. It is presumed that the first structure was the Muslim fortification and settlement, and that after it was conquered in 1148, a new wave building began, such as in Lisbon, Sintra, Almada and Palmela at the time.

The castle fortifications are accessible by arched doorway. The curtain of walls are crowned by rectangular merlons and lined by battlements, in some areas protected by parapets.

The main rectangular tower extends 18.60 metres (61.0 ft) above the river, connected by a corridor to defend the walls. Both structures were reused for housing, and the walls incorporated into local constructions.