ALMEIDA
Establishment of the Town
1296, with the charter of King Dinis
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Number of inhabitants (2021)
1145
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Total area of the Fortress
64 HA, 3,180 M of covered road
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No. of Gates and Bastions
2 Double Gates (4 Portals), 1 New Gate (1979), 6 Bastions (with 6 Revelins)
Specifications
Almeida
A fortified fortress town, now twinned with Mutzig (Alsace), Almeida shares these medieval origins with a fortified vocation. Almeida's origins possibly date back to a Celtic fort, later Romanised as Cattacobriga. Millenary remains found in the so-called 'Enchido da Sarça' bear witness to this presence.
After the Islamic conquest, descendants of Tariq Ibn Ziyad settled there for more than three centuries, developing an ancient Roman castellum. The name 'Almeida' derives from the Arabic Al-Mêda or Almeydan, meaning 'the table' or 'place of horse races'.
The definitive Christian conquest only took place in 1208, during the reign of King Sancho I, although possession of the town alternated between the Moors, the Leonese and the Portuguese for over a century. King Dinis definitively conquered it for Portugal, granting it a charter and ordering the construction of the medieval castle.
The Treaty of Alcanizes (1297) confirmed Almeida as a Portuguese town, forming part of the defensive line of the Ribacôa region. This was followed by a succession of military reinforcements from King Afonso IV, King Pedro I and King Fernando I, reflecting the town's growing importance.
With the Restoration of Independence, Almeida became the headquarters of the Province of Beira (1641), and construction began on the star-shaped bastion fortress. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Almeida was the target of several sieges and attacks, and was the scene of notable episodes in the Wars of Restoration, Spanish Succession and the Seven Years' War. The most tragic moment occurred in 1810, during the third Napoleonic invasion, when an explosion in the armoury destroyed a large part of the town, killing hundreds of people.
Chronological Overview
100 BC-1 BC: Roman occupation of the fort of Cattacobriga.
1039: Christian conquest by Ferdinand I of León.
1081: Almeida receives its first charter under Leonese rule.
1190: Portuguese reconquest by King Sancho I.
1208: Almeida passes definitively to Portugal.
1297: Treaty of Alcanizes fixes borders and confirms Almeida as Portuguese.
1372-1385: Fernandine Wars; Almeida changes hands several times.
1421-1422: King João I includes Almeida in the Rol de Besteiros do Conto.
1641: Creation of the Beira Headquarters in Almeida; work begins on the bastioned fortification.
1663: Siege of Almeida by Spanish troops; Portuguese victory.
1696: Explosion destroys the Manueline castle.
1762: Siege during the Seven Years' War; capitulation on 25 August.
1808-1810: French invasions; in 1810, an explosion destroys a large part of the town.
1834: End of the Civil War; Almeida remains loyal to the Miguelistas.
1895: Declassified as a war square.
1928: Walls classified as National Heritage.
1962: Creation of the Special Protection Zone (ZEP).
See our suggestions for when you visit the Almeida Fortress
Itinerary