Montemor-o-Velho () is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

of the

Coimbra District Coimbra District ( pt, Distrito de Coimbra, or ) is located in the Centro Region, Portugal. The district capital is the city of Coimbra. Municipalities The district is composed by 17 municipalities: * Arganil * Cantanhede * Coimbra * Condeix ...

, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 228.96 km².

History

In 711, the Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula began. Montemor-o-Velho, a fluvial-maritime port of great importance at the time, was the target of conquests and reconquests throughout the 9th to the 12th centuries: in 848 the first

Christian reconquest The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

of Montemor was made by king Ramiro I of León, who gave the castle to abbot João, who resisted in the same year the siege made by the caliph of Córdoba

Abd al-Rahman II Abd ar-Rahman II () (792–852) was the fourth ''Umayyad'' Emir of Córdoba in al-Andalus from 822 until his death. A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts. Abd ar-Rahman was born in Toledo, the ...

. In 878 Afonso III the Great occupied

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

and proceeded to repopulate the Mondego line; on December 2, 990 there was another onslaught of Arabs led by Almançor, who take the castle of Montemor-o-Velho, and its government is given to Froila Gonçalves, a descendant of the Portucalense count

Gonçalo Moniz Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name. People with the name include: *Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer *Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast * Gonçalo Foro, ...

. This was dislodged during the reign of

Alfonso V of León Alfonso V (c. 9947 August 1028), called the Noble, was King of León from 999 to 1028. Like other kings of León, he used the title emperor () to assert his standing among the Christian rulers of Spain. He succeeded his father, Bermudo II, in 9 ...

, by Mendo Luz, who recovered it for the Christians, later passing it on to

Gonçalo Vieigas Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name. People with the name include: *Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer *Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast * Gonçalo Foro, ...

. In 1026 the Arabs conquered Montemor-o-Velho again, and in 1034

Gonçalo Trastamires Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name. People with the name include: *Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer *Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast * Gonçalo Foro, ...

recovered it again for the Christians, becoming its governor. After new Arab attacks, Fernando Magno, in 1064, definitively conquers Coimbra and the Mondego line, giving its government to Count D. Sisnando Davides, a

Mozarab The Mozarabs ( es, mozárabes ; pt, moçárabes ; ca, mossàrabs ; from ar, مستعرب, musta‘rab, lit=Arabized) is a modern historical term for the Iberian Christians, including Christianized Iberian Jews, who lived under Muslim rule in A ...

native of a settlement located in the vicinity of Montemor-o-Velho called

Tentúgal Tentúgal is a parish of Montemor-o-Velho Municipality, Coimbra District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,141, in an area of 34.29 km². The village is well known in Portugal for its old and unique conventual cakes, most notably the '' ...

. Raimundo, ruler of Galicia, personally governing Coimbra, gave a letter of settlement to Montemor in February 1095. At this time the river was the border between the Christian north and the Arab south, and a line of fortifications was built that included the castles of Avô, on the

river Alva Alva River ( pt, Rio Alva, ) is a river in Portugal. It flows into the Mondego River The Rio Mondego () or Mondego River is the longest river entirely within Portuguese territory. It has its source in Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain ra ...

, Penacova, Lousã,

, Penela, Soure and Montemor. There is a curious popular legend about the origin of Montemor. It tells that a deep rivalry opposed the inhabitants of Montemor and Maiorca, because each one considered his land to be placed at a higher point than the other. To annoy the Majorcans, those from Montemor shouted: "Monte... Mor! (Major... Hill!)", to which the Majorcan's retorted "Maior... Cá! (Bigger... Here!)". The fact is that in 1212 the town was called Mons Maiores or Montis Maioris, to which -o-Velho was added when king Sancho I of Portugal rebuilt the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

town of Montemor-o-Novo. Already in the period of nationality, Sancho I left Montemor-o-Velho in testament to his daughter,

Teresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

, who, with her sister

Sancha is a district of Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. It is also known as Sancha (三茶) for short. It is home to many bars, cafes and restaurants. Some major streets include National Route 246, Setagaya-dori and Chazawara-dori. Education Setagaya Board o ...

, gave charter to the village in May of 1212. It grew, following a demographic boom throughout the Lower Mondego, with the consequent clearing of new land for cultivation and creation of new settlements, as can be seen in the

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

which records numerous ''Casais'' and ''Póvoas''. Besides the royal lords, the lands of the ''

concelho Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal ...

'' (municipality) were distributed by the main ecclesiastic institutions of the region ( Monastery of Santa Cruz of Coimbra,

Monastery of Santa Clara Monastery of Santa Clara or Convent of Santa Clara in Vila do Conde, Portugal was one of the biggest and richest feminine convents in Portugal, founded in 1318, by Afonso Sanches and his wife, Teresa Martins Telo. The large historical comp ...

Monastery of Lorvão A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

). King

Afonso III of Portugal Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ...

donated the village to his daughter, Branca, abbess of Huelgas and Lorvão. It was in the castle citadel that king

Afonso IV of Portugal Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...

and his advisors met on January 6, 1355 to decide the fate of

Inês de Castro Inês de Castro (; in Castilian: Inés; 1325 – 7 January 1355) was a Galician noblewoman and courtier, best known as lover and posthumously-recognized wife of King Peter I of Portugal. The dramatic circumstances of her relationship with Peter ...

. They left on the following day to execute the plan. After the siege of Torres Novas, the Master of Avis,

João João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings ...

, passed through Montemor-o-Velho, where he received the honors of the mayor and the people, and went on to Coimbra where he was acclaimed king by the ''

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

''. João I granted the lordship to his son Peter, who stayed there for some time. King

João II of Portugal John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...

, by testament of September 29, 1495, donated Coimbra as a

dukedom Dukedom may refer to: * The title and office of a duke * Duchy, the territory ruled by a duke * Dukedom, Kentucky and Tennessee, United States * ''Dukedom'' (game), a land management game See also * Lists of dukedoms Lists of dukedoms include: ...

to his natural son,

Jorge Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

, including in the donation Montemor-o-Velho, which will remain in the House of the Dukes of Aveiro until 1759. On August 20th 1516, king

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portuga ...

gave a new charter (''

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

'') to Montemor-o-Velho; this document is of particular importance for the analysis of the way of life of the people of Montemor at the beginning of the 16th century. It is also at this time that there was an important change in the local economy due to the introduction of

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

corn in the fields of the Mondego, brought from

The Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, which led to an era of prosperity that lasted until the seventeenth century. The county's development was then based on three population centers: Montemor-o-Velho, Pereira and Tentúgal. In their fields, besides corn, linen and wheat were produced, cattle and horses were raised, manors were built, churches and convents were remodeled. From this period stand out the figures of

Diogo de Azambuja Diogo de Azambuja or Diego de Azambuja (1432–1518) was a Portuguese noble and explorer. Soldier He was born at Montemor-o-Velho, and became a knight of the Order of Aviz in the service of the Infante Dom Pedro, son of the Regent Infante ...

, Fernão Mendes Pinto and

Jorge de Montemor ( es, Jorge de Montemayor) (1520? – 26 February 1561) was a Portuguese novelist and poet, who wrote almost exclusively in Spanish. His most famous work is a pastoral prose romance, the ''Diana'' (1559). Biography He was born at Montemo ...

. The decadence seems to have started in the beginning of the 17th century and continued into the 18th century; in 1771

Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, we ...

, in the Atlantic coast, was elevated to town and, consequently, the importance of Montemor diminished. With the introduction of

rice cultivation The history of rice cultivation is an interdisciplinary subject that studies archaeological and documentary evidence to explain how rice was first domesticated and cultivated by humans, the spread of cultivation to different regions of the planet, ...

in the beginning of the 19th century, there is a new development surge. Indeed, the production did not stop increasing, becoming one of the main sources of wealth of the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho (in 1923, the production in 466 ha was 700,000 kg and in 1934 in 1,423 ha it was 2,135,000 kg). In 1826 the municipality was made up of the parishes of Alfarelos, Brunhós, Carapinheira, Figueiró do Campo, Gatões, Gesteira, Granja do Ulmeiro, Liceia, Vila Nova da Barca, Alcáçova, S. Miguel, S. Salvador, S. Martinho and Madalena. With the administrative restructuring of 1853, the county took the almost definitive form: the parishes of Verride, Santo Varão, Cadima and Tentúgal were extinct and the parishes of Arazede, Liceia, Pereira, Santo Varão, Reveles, Verride, Vila Nova da Barca, Meãs do Campo and Tentúgal were integrated in the county. In 1928 the parish of Abrunheira was created (by extinguishing Reveles), in 1943 the parish of Gatões was created (by dismembering Seixo de Gatões) and in 1984 the parish of Ereira was created (by dismembering Verride).

Climate

Demographics

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 11 civil parishes (''

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...

''): * Abrunheira, Verride e Vila Nova da Barca * Arazede *

Carapinheira Carapinheira is a town in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,898, in an area of 15.90 km². At 40°12'9"N 8°38'1"W, there is a 120 metres tall guyed mast used for a mediumwave transmitter working on 630 kHz. References Freguesi ...

* Ereira * Gatões e Montemor-o-Velho * Liceia * Meãs do Campo * Pereira * Santo Varão * Seixo de Gatões *

Economy

The municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, in the Baixo Mondego

river basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

, has been an important

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

center. Rice, corn, cattle and horses are important productions in the area.

Light industry Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industry and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced for ...

, tourism, forestry, retail, services and local government are among other main economic activities. The municipality, which hosts dozens of bakeries, is famed for its rich tradition in conventual sweets manufacturing which includes the nationally-renowned '' pastel de Tentúgal'' and the '' queijada de Pereira''.

Sports

Montemor-o-Velho has one of the only international sized 2 km

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

lakes in Portugal. The lake hosted its first rowing race in 2002 (the

Coupe de la Jeunesse The Coupe de la Jeunesse is an international rowing regatta rowed over 2,000 m every year. It was founded in 1985 and is open to rowers who are 18 or under by the end of the current calendar year. It is a two-day team event, with points award ...

), before it was completed. During the competition, FISA judges noted that the lake was not wide enough to meet international standards. After then, it was rebuilt to meet these standards. It hosted the 2010

European Rowing Championships The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA (the International Rowing Federation) for European rowing nations, plus Israel which, though not a member of the European federation is treated as a Europea ...

Culture

Since 2014, the city hosts the Festival Forte that takes place inside Montemor-o-Velho Castle, in August, with the main focus on electronic music, visual and performing arts.

Famous people

Olden times

* Sesnando Davides (born in

, died 1091) a

nobleman and military leader of the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

, became governor of the County of Coimbra *

(1432–1518) a Portuguese noble and explorer. *

Vasco Gil Sodré Vasco Gil Sodré (c. 1450 – c. 1500) was a Portuguese navigator and one of the first settlers of the island of Graciosa. Although he attempted to obtain the Donatary captaincy of the island, he and his progenitors were the origin of many of the ...

(ca.1450—ca.1500) a navigator, one of the first settlers of

Graciosa Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese) is referred to as the ''White Island'', the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of , a length of and a width ...

in the Azores * Fernão Mendes Pinto (1509 – 1583), Portuguese explorer and writer *

(ca.1520 – 1561) a Portuguese novelist and poet, who wrote the pastoral prose romance '' Diana'' in 1559.

Modern times

* Esther de Carvalho (1858–1884) a controversial actress and opera singer, also known in Brazil * Manuel Jardim (1884–1923) a Portuguese painter and art teacher. * Lurdes Breda (born 1970) a Portuguese poet and children's writer.

References

External links

Photos from Montemor-o-Velho
Municipalities of Coimbra District {{Coimbra-geo-stub