Castle of Alegrete
Medieval fortress in Alto Alentejo, key to regional defense.
The Castle of Alegrete, located in the Portalegre district, is a medieval fortress in the Alto Alentejo region. Since the Middle Ages, it played a key role in defending the area. It sits within the civil parish of Alegrete, in the municipality of Portalegre.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Portalegre, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo
- Country
- Portugal
- Owner
- Portuguese Republic
- Open to public
- Public
- Built
- 1160
Facts from the source article.
History
Just ten kilometers from Portalegre, the Castle of Alegrete stands as a key fortress in the Alto Alentejo, holding a vital role in regional defense since the Middle Ages. Its early history is unclear, though local tradition ties it to the beginnings of Portugal, with a legend claiming it was taken from the Moors in 1160 by D. Afonso Henriques. The earliest written records come from the 1200s, during the rule of King D. Afonso III, when the fortifications were built or rebuilt. On February 16, 1267, the settlement officially became part of the Portuguese Crown under the Treaty of Badajoz, signed between D. Afonso III and his father-in-law, King D. Alfonso X of Castile. A reconstruction of the defenses is credited to a charter from King D. Dinis in 1319, with most construction happening between the 13th and 14th centuries, likely starting right after the treaty. The fortress’s perimeter was highly irregular, not following the oval shape common in Portuguese Gothic design. The keep tower rose along the eastern walls, next to a cistern that supplied water to both the community and the garrison. The main gate, now hidden, faced south and was topped by a small tower with machicolations facing inward. A curtain wall linked to the castle supported the military force. In later centuries, Alegrete became important in conflicts with Castile. On April 8, 1384, D. Nuno Alvares Pereira visited as part of his efforts to defend Portugal. A new charter was issued on February 14, 1516, by King D. Manuel I. The shift to gunpowder warfare led to the castle’s gradual decline, but the dynastic crisis after King Sebastian’s death at Alcácer Quibir revived its strategic value due to its border location. Under the Marquess of Marialva, the walls were repaired and modernized in a quick rebuild, creating a fortress with bastions, though little of that work remains visible today.
Architecture
The urban fortifications, with the castle to the south, delimit the primitive settlement on top of the mountain at about 502.9 m altitude. The northern flank supported the town called the Arrabalde, while the other flanks are occupied by agricultural fields with olive orchards, broken by the Ribeira de São Pedro in the west. The location at the mountain top makes it an ideal lookout over the vast landscape. Much of the walls are in ruin, yet several trenches are conserved, including the "Vila" Gate, a prototype of typical Gothic gates. The castle comprises an irregular plan delimited by the "Vila" Gate in the north and the "Traitors'" Gate in the east. At this point there are ruins that could have been the keep tower, with cistern and pavement with door to the south. Over the cistern is another pavement above stairs extending from the patio. The tower appears divided in two from the cistern. To the west of the tower is a small tower and terrace opening to a patio. In the south-southwest are remains of a cubel/watchtower with a rectangular surface, accessible from a staircase addorsed from the southern wall. Much of the interior is occupied by rocks and unlevel ground. The urban walls extend from the castle: two walls to the southwest from the "Santana" Gate; west from a cubel continuing north; then inflecting east-southeast at the Rua do Forno Gate; connecting to the "Villa" Gate between two corbels; continuing along to a cubel in the east; before inflecting south, connecting the castle and terminating in the southwest.
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