The Castle of Aljustrel () is a
Portuguese medieval castle in
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Aljustrel e Rio de Moinhos, in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of
Aljustrel
Aljustrel (), officially Town of Aljustrel (), is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialis ...
, in the
district of Beja
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
.
History
Dominating the mountaintop of the territory of the Baixo Alentejo, the walls that encompass Aljustrel were once occupied since the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
and
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
, with the latter evidence in the fragments of flint and ceramics discovered at the site.
This primary phase was succeeded by a hiatus, and there are no materials leading to a proto-historic or Roman period of occupation.
[
It is unclear when the structure was used in a military capacity, but there are suggestions that it began during the late Muslim occupation, around the 13th century, at the time of the fortress of ]Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2.
History Earliest settlement
There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...
.[ Sometime between the 8th and 12th century, the castle was built by Arab inhabitants using taipa construction, possibly in the location of a fortified Romanized castro.][Ramos, Martins, Muralha and Estorninho (1993), p.15] that attest to the importance of the castle to the Muslim civilization in the southwest part of the peninsula.[
The reconquest of Aljustrel by Portuguese forces, 1234, marked the beginning of a new era for the castle.][ In 1235, King D. ]Sancho II of Portugal
Sancho II (; 8 September 1207 – 4 January 1248), nicknamed Afonso the Cowled or Afonso the Capuched (), alternatively, Afonso the Pious (), was King of Portugal from 1223 to 1248.
Sancho was born in Coimbra, the eldest son of Afonso II of ...
donated the fortifications to the Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...
, which was later sanctioned by his successor, King D. Afonso III Alfonso III (Spanish) or Afonso III (Portuguese) may refer to:
*Alfonso III of Asturias (866–910), surnamed "the Great"
*Afonso III of Portugal (1210–1279)
*Alfonso III of Aragon (1285–1291)
*Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Alfonso III ...
in 1255.[ The castle was not the only fortification to be added to the immediate defensive lines, many of the Muslim strongholds along the Algarve were incorporated into the Crown's possessions, including the mines at Aljustrel.][ The presence of D. ]Paio Peres Correia
D. Paio Peres Correia (1205 – January 1275) was a Portuguese warrior who played an important role in the thirteenth-century Reconquista.López Fernández, Manuel (2003)"Sobre la muerte y enterramientos de un Maestre santiaguista"in ''Revista de ...
, Master of the Order of Santiago was, therefore, not unusual to the wider expansion of the Kingdom, since it became a staging ground for further attacks to the south, during the 13th century.[ There are no records of what changes were made to the castle by Christian forces during this period.][ Shortly following, with the conquest of the Algarve, Aljustrel lost much of its important strategic relevance and the fort began to fall into ruin.][ Little remained of the walls, except the local name (derived from the Arabic) and the Christian church that was established nearby.][
]
Architecture
The castle is situated on an isolated hilltop, some above sea level, dominated by a panoramic view of the nearby landscape, near the Church of Nossa Senhora do Castelo.[
There are few traces of the foundations, in masonry stone, nor of the original taipa construction left by the Arab settlers.][ Most of the older Muslim foundations are located in the northwest, southeast and northeast quadrants, while part of the wall that bisects the stairs are part of the later castle structure.][
]
References
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aljustrel
Castles in Portugal
Castles in Beja District
Castle Aljustrel