Castle of Beja

The Castle of Beja (Template:Lang-pt) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Beja, municipality of Beja, Portuguese district of Beja.

History

Early History

The earliest human occupation of the site dates back to prehistoric times. It is also mentioned in the writings of Ptolemy and Polybius in the second century BC. Despite the ancient mentions, its fortifications find its origins in the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed that the defensive walls date back sometime to the third and fourth century AD. The region was later important when the Swabians, Visigoths and Moors occupied the region. It is believed that the Roman defensive walls date back to sometime between the third century and fourth century. This economic and strategic importance remained at the time of the Swabians, the Visigoths under the Muslim occupation.

Medieval era

At the time of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the region was first conquered in 1159 by the forces of King Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185), only to be abandoned four months later. The first construction of the walls of Beja dates from the reign of King Afonso III (1248–79). The town received its Foral charter in 1254. The charter was later confirmed by King Dinis (1279-1325). This, in turn, continued reconstruction work, reinforcing and extending the walls and towers (1307) and started construction of the keep (1310).

The village supported the king John I during 1383-1385 Portuguese succession crisis.

Post-middle ages

By the seventeenth century, the Castle of Beja was the object of several expansions and modernizations, particularly during the context of the war for Portuguese war since the castle was reinforced by bastions

In the early nineteenth century, with the outbreak of the Peninsular War, the city of Beja oppose serious resistance to the invading Napoleonic troops. As a result, the forces under the command of General Jean-Andoche Junot, killed about 1,200 people in the region, all happened in 1808.

The Liberal Wars came to the region and ravaged the population of the region. In the 19th century, a disaster razed part of the defensive perimeter of the castle.

Modern era

The IGESPAR arm of the Portuguese government classified the castle as National Monument by Decree published on 16 June 1910. From 1938, IGESPAR started an intervention campaign of restoration and reconstruction through thethe National Buildings and Monuments Directorate General (DGEMN). Two decades later, it started up the consolidation campaigns of sections of walls (1958, 1959-1962, 1969, 1970-1973, 1980, 1981 and 1982) and recovery Watchtower (1965, 1969,1981).

On 14 November 2014, part of the balcony of the battlements of the castle keep collapsed inside of the walls, causing damage.

Architecture

The castle is constructed of a combination of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Mannerist architectural styles. The site plan is shaped in a pentagonal shape. The walls are perpendicular to the wall and has a surrounding parapet flanked by forty towers (including the keep), marked by seven gates and two wickets, all of them surrounded by barbicans. The robust Keep, in remarkable Gothic style, is considered one of the most beautiful examples of military architecture of the Middle Ages in Portugal. Towering forty meters high (the highest in the country), the keep consists of three floors. The tower features angular balconies on boulders, joined by verandas defended by pyramidal battlements. It is torn by ogival doors and double windows and arched in horseshoe form. The rooms inside, richly decorated, feature ceilings rib vault of warheads. The castle's main gate opens in pointed arch and accesses the place of arms. Primitive doors remaining two Romanesque origin: Port of Évora, next to the castle; and the arc of Avis door. Moura port is defended by two turrets.