Castles and Fortresses of Portugal

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Castelo de Penedono (Penedono Castle)




History
Human occupation of the site certainly dates back to pre-Roman times, although it is not possible to state this with certainty.

The oldest documentary sources mention this area only during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, regarding the repopulation of the region after the victory of Ramiro II of León's forces at the Battle of Simancas (939). The defense of this part of the territory was entrusted to Rodrigo Tedoniz, husband of Leodegúndia (sister of Mumadona Dias), with whom he had D. Flâmula (or Chamoa Rodrigues). Rodrigo would become the warden of the sovereign's castles and, in this role, is said to have ordered the rebuilding of Penedono Castle. Later, in 998 of the Hispanic Era (960 of the Christian Era), Chamoa Rodrigues, finding herself gravely ill, had herself taken to the Monastery of Guimarães, appointing her aunt Mumadona as her executor, with the responsibility of disposing of her assets for charitable purposes. Among these assets were a series of castles and their inhabitants (penellas et populaturas) on the border of Beira Alta, including this one, Penela.

During the 11th century, amidst the advances and retreats of the Christian frontiers, Penedono and its castle changed hands on several occasions. Its definitive reconquest was achieved through the actions of the Leonese king Ferdinand the Great (1064). An inventory of the assets of the Monastery of Guimarães, drawn up in 1095, lists the Castle of Penedono among other assets previously bequeathed by Dona Chamoa. With the political emancipation of Portugal, its domains became part of those of the young nation. King Sancho I (1185-1211), given the strategic location of Penedono near the border, encouraged the repopulation of these lands through a charter (1195), while simultaneously ordering the reconstruction of its defenses. His successor, King Afonso II (1211-1223), confirmed its charter in 1217. The town and its castle also received the attention of King Dinis (1279-1325), who ordered reinforcements to its defenses.

The current configuration of the castle dates back to the end of the 14th century, when King Fernando (1367-1383) included the town within the territory of Trancoso. Faced with the town council's intention to demolish Penedono Castle, the leading citizens of this town rebelled, achieving their autonomy. These lands were then donated to D. Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, lord of the Leomil estate, who had the castle rebuilt.

In the context of the 1383-1385 crisis, after the death in the spring of 1384 of the prefect of Penedono, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, his son, Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, succeeded him. Loyal to the party of the Master of Avis, he was entrusted, at the beginning of 1385, with the task of leading the Porto forces that conquered the Castle of Feira. Later, he distinguished himself, through merit, in the battle of Trancoso (May 1385), which earned him promotion to the rank of marshal. It is believed that the children of this warden were born in Penedono Castle, among them:

The eldest son, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1st Count of Marialva, who was part of the ill-fated expedition to Tangier (1437);

Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, the knight nicknamed Magriço, hero of the narrative of the Twelve Peers of England, immortalized by Camões in Canto VI of Os Lusíadas.

The descendants of the Count of Marialva maintained interests in Penedono Castle, namely: D. Gonçalo Coutinho, who inherited the title of Count, and D. Fernando Coutinho, both members of the second expedition to Tangier (1464), where the former lost his life; His grandsons, D. João Coutinho, 3rd Count of Marialva, and D. Francisco Coutinho, 4th Count of Marialva by succession from his brother, who died without issue, both were members of the expedition that conquered Arzila (1471), which cost the former his life.

Under the reign of D. Manuel I (1495-1521), the town received the New Charter (1512), which attests to its importance at the time. During this period, new works were carried out on the castle, to which the influence of the 4th Count of Marialva, overseer of royal works in Beira, is believed to have contributed. His only daughter, D. Guiomar Coutinho, married the Infante D. Fernando. When the Count died without issue, and his daughter died two years later, also without issue, the Coutinho family became extinct.

The domains of Penedono and its castle are mentioned in the 17th century as being associated with the Lacerda family, who then honorifically used the title of their chief magistrates.

The castle was visited by Alexandre Herculano in 1812, who described it at the time as already in ruins.

In the 20th century, it was listed as a National Monument by Decree published on June 23, 1910.

In 1940, as part of the centenary celebrations promoted by the Portuguese Estado Novo regime, the castle underwent consolidation and restoration work on sections of the walls and towers, which were partially reconstructed, carried out by the Directorate-General of National Buildings and Monuments. Further work took place in 1943 and 1953, allowing the complex to reach the present day relatively well preserved, but still requiring interior work.

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Castelo de Castelo Novo (Castelo Novo Castle)




History
Its existence predates the beginning of the 13th century, as the castle is mentioned both in the will of D. Pedro Guterres (January 8, 1221) and in the charter of Lardosa. It is also linked to the presence of the Knights Templar in the region, which is why some authors attribute its construction to the Master of the Order, D. Gualdim Pais, during the reign of D. Sancho I (1185-1211).

At the end of the 14th century, King D. Dinis (1279-1325) ordered the reinforcement of its defenses, a hypothesis based on the observation of vestiges of Dionysian battlements and merlons in a section of the walls. From that time onwards, the so-called Old Castle, at the top of the mountain, would have been abandoned.

Although there is a record that in the year 1500 the stonemason Luís de Cáceres was working on the castle's construction, the information from the Commandery, dated 1505, described its condition, which only required occasional attention:

part of the barbican at the entrance was ruined;

the stone entrance gate was missing doors;
a section of the inner wall was missing doors and ruined near the keep.

Perhaps for this reason, King Manuel I (1495-1521) ordered improvements (1510). Under the reign of his successor, King John III (1521-1557), the bell tower was already equipped with bells (1537).

Almost two and a half centuries later, the Judge who was updating the Commandery's assets, along with the Procurator and mediators, mentions that the castle was almost in ruins (1704). Still in that century, the "Parish Memoirs of 1758" report that the 1755 earthquake caused collapses.

In the 20th century, although registered by the General Directorate of National Buildings and Monuments, which carried out consolidation and restoration works on the walls between 1938 and 1939, resumed in 1942, the complex is not classified either as a National Monument, or as a Property of Public Interest, nor is it in the process of being classified.

Recently, between 2002 and 2004, three archaeological excavation campaigns were carried out at the castle by Arqueonova, within the scope of the Historic Villages of Portugal Program, which uncovered hundreds of vestiges of its medieval occupation, between its construction in the 12th century and its abandonment around the 17th century. Portuguese coins from the reigns of King Sancho I (1169-1210) to King John III (1521-1557), metal pieces in iron and copper, and ceramic pieces, among others, can be appreciated since 2005 at the Castelo Novo Museum Centre, in the premises of the former Town Hall, which has been converted into a historical-archaeological museum.

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Castelo de Mourão (Mourão Castle)




History
The region where the village of Mourão is located encompasses a great spatial and temporal diversity in relation to human presence. Current knowledge about the populations that lived and circulated in this area reveals that the area, both the closest (riverbanks) and the furthest (village and parishes of Mourão) from the Guadiana River, has experienced continuous occupation by human groups from prehistory to the present day, with the river and its tributaries being motivating and determining factors for the existence of traces of such occupation. The river thus attracted essential or complementary activities to its banks, complementing the traditional cycle of economic subsistence.

Since the prehistoric period, this area presents diverse and abundant records of human presence. Places such as Barca, Quinta da Fidalga and Agualta, Mercador and Porto das Carretas, among others, attest to this presence, visible in lithic industries, ceramic remains, rock art manifestations and megalithic monuments, such as the dolmen of the old cellulose factory (Portucel). The most significant Roman presence in the territory of Mourão was manifested in the area surrounding the old village of Luz. The Lousa Castle, a fortified construction from the Roman period (1st century BC), was the most visible element of Roman heritage in the municipality. Currently submerged, it can be visited virtually through a CD-ROM produced by EDIA, S.A., which records its history.

Between this period and the medieval period, the human characterization of Mourão is uncertain. With its historical origins lost in time and shrouded in tradition, the primitive village of Mourão may have been located, eventually, in the so-called Vila Velha (Old Village). This area was the subject of archaeological excavations before being submerged by the waters of the Guadiana River, revealing the existence of a necropolis associated with a church, as well as the identification of a large residential area.

In the medieval period there are references to Mourão, but its ownership appears as an element integrated into the undefined borders between the various kingdoms resulting from the Christian reconquest, sometimes belonging to the kings of Castile and León, sometimes under the dominion of the kingdom of Portugal.

The prior of the Order of the Hospital, D. Gonçalo Egas, granted Mourão its first charter in 1226, and D. Dinis confirmed it on January 27, 1296. This king recognized, at the meeting of Salamanca (1298), D. Teresa Gil as lady of the locality, with Mourão passing to the Portuguese crown after her death.

After the funeral of D. Teresa Gil, the Portuguese king granted a Spanish nobleman, D. Raimundo de Cardona, the privilege of buying Mourão, a fact that was consummated in 1313, contracting for this purpose a large loan from a Jew. Given the impossibility of honorably fulfilling the commitments made, the town of Mourão was again auctioned off on April 19, 1317, in the porch of the Church of Our Lady of Tojal, this time being acquired by a merchant from Monsaraz, named Martim Silvestre, for 11,000 pounds. However, given the social incompatibilities between the merchant and the king, the latter demanded its return for the same purchase price, making a new concession to D. Raimundo and his son Guilherme de Cardona.

Regarding the crisis of 1383-85, the town of Mourão sided with the Master of Avis, as mentioned in the chronicle of Fernão Lopes, and was the target of devastating Castilian incursions.

As for the governorship of Mourão, it was granted by the future King D. João II to Diogo de Mendonça, remaining in this family until the reign of D. Afonso VI. When the dual monarchy was established (1580), Mourão, through its chief magistrate Francisco de Mendonça, sided with the Spanish cause. Sixty years later, the town, through Pedro de Mendonça Furtado, joined the conspirators. The heir to the mayorship of Mourão, a close friend of the Duke of Bragança, felt the need to dignify his family's image, being one of the first conspirators to take part in the events that led to December 1st, 1640.

After the Restoration, as part of the wars of independence, Mourão suffered the impact of frequent border skirmishes, its fortress being besieged by the enemy army on several occasions. Of particular note is the siege of the town by the army of the Duke of St. Germain, during which, under the command of Captain João Ferreira da Cunha, the fortress managed to resist for only six days, thus revealing the fragility of the castle walls. Given that the reconquest of Mourão became a border priority, the regent queen, D. Luísa de Gusmão, was deeply committed to taking the town from the Spanish, which occurred on October 29, 1657. Joane Mendes de Vasconcelos played a decisive role in this reconquest.

In the 18th century, Mourão suffered the effects of the 1755 earthquake, which, along with the works of arrangement, expansion and consolidation of the structure, the defensive works on the castle, begun in the 17th century, and the state of destruction left by the enemies led to a redesign of the town's urban layout.

In the 19th century, the new administrative reform led to the creation of new municipal boundaries, which in the case of Mourão contributed to its extinction and annexation to the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, by decree of October 24, 1853. In 1861, the municipality of Mourão was re-established.

Mourão is currently surrounded by the Alqueva reservoir, with this new natural resource emerging as one of the engines of sustained economic development for this locality and the municipality.

The Castle
Following the Portuguese conquest of the region, its domains were donated to the Knights of the Order of the Hospitallers, with its Prior, Gonçalo Egas, being granted the first Charter of Rights to the town, aiming to encourage its settlement and defense (1226). The construction or reconstruction of the fortification dates from this period, during the reign of King Sancho II (1223-1248).

A new charter was granted to the town by King Afonso III (1248-1279) in 1254.

During the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325), the town of Mourão received a new charter (1296), confirmed in 1298. During this period, the original castle was renovated, acquiring three towers.

During the crisis of 1383-1385, the town and its castle distinguished themselves in the struggle for the side of the Master of Avis.

Later, during the reign of King Manuel I (1495-1521), the town and its castle are depicted by Duarte de Armas (Book of Fortresses, c. 1509). It received the New Charter from the sovereign, from which point it underwent a new wave of reforms, with the design of the military architects Diogo and Francisco de Arruda, masters of royal works in the region of Antre-Tejo and Odiana. The construction of the parish church, within the walled enclosure, dates from this period in the 16th century.

While the town and Castle of Mourão sided with Philip II of Spain during the succession crisis of 1580, during the Restoration of Independence (1640), Pedro de Mendonça Furtado was one of the first to raise the banner of King John IV (1640-1656). Its fortification was subsequently redesigned according to a project by the French military architect Nicolau de Langres, comprising four new bastions, ravelins, and a moat, of which few traces remain today.

It is listed as a Property of Public Interest by Decree published on July 18, 1957.

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