History
The region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of Roman, Visigoth and Muslim occupation.
During the Reconquista, Estremoz was captured in the 12th century by the army of knight Geraldo Sem Pavor (Gerald the Fearless), who had also conquered neighbouring Évora. However, Estremoz was soon retaken by the Moors and only in the mid-13th century reconquered by Portuguese King Sancho II.
King Afonso III granted a letter of feudal rights (foral) to Estremoz in 1258, promoting the colonisation of the area. In the early 14th century, King Dinis I rebuilt the castle as a Royal Palace, turning the village into an important political centre. King Dinis' widow, Queen Isabel, considered a saint by the people, died in Estremoz castle on July 4, 1336. Many later kings and queens lived in Estremoz, like Peter I, who died at the Convent of St Francis in 1367.
During the 1383–1385 Crisis, in which Portugal was almost conquered by neighbouring Castile, Nuno Álvares Pereira established his headquarters in Estremoz, and defeated the Castilian army nearby in the Battle of Atoleiros.
Estremoz was again militarily important in the 17th century, during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640–1668). Forces from Estremoz took part in the decisive Battles of Ameixial (1663) and Montes Claros (1665), once again against the Castilians.
Read more about this topic: Estremoz Municipality
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“America is the only nation in history which miraculously has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization.”
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929)
“The history of literature—take the net result of Tiraboshi, Warton, or Schlegel,—is a sum of a very few ideas, and of very few original tales,—all the rest being variation of these.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)