Castle of Lanhoso

The Castle of Lanhoso (Portuguese: Castelo de Lanhoso) is a medieval castle located in civil parish of Póvoa de Lanhoso (Nossa Senhora do Amparo), municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portuguese district of Braga of Portugal.

The site on top of the mount had been occupied since the Chalcolithic period.

Between the 10th and 11th century, the castle existed as a series of walls and corners.

It was between 1071 and 1091 that Bishop D. Pedro, whose episcopate lasted between 1070 and 1091, supported the reconstruction of the castle's ashlar walls, over the pre-Romanic fortress, that originally defended the episcopal seat of Braga. An epigraphic plate in ashlar was located on the site, that reads: PETRIS AEPISCOPUS.

In 1121, D. Teresa of León sought refuge in the rebuilt castle, to which she was besieged by forces loyal to her half-sister D. Urraca, Queen of León. Urraca took Theresa captive. However, an intervention by Bishop Gelmires forced the two to an agreement, the Treaty of Lanhoso, that preserved the land holdings of both sides. Then, in 1128, she was imprisoned in the same castle, under the orders of her son, D. Afonso Henriques, after the Battle of São Mamede.

By the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th century, there was a Romanesque change in the construction of the keep tower, when the fortress was the centre of the region.

The castle was the site of a crime of passion, when the alcalde, D. Rui Gonçalves Pereira, the great-great-grandfather of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, discovered the infidelity of his wife while away. Upon learning of the marital infidelity of his wife, Inês Sanches, who was enamored with a friar from the monastery of Bouro, ordered the castle gates closed and fire set to the citadel. The fire killed Inês and her lover, as well as the servants, who were considered accomplices in the infidelity, for not having denounced the fact. By his order, no one escaped the fire alive (including domestic animals) when the structure burned down.

By 1264, the alcalde was D. Godinho Fafez, great-grandson of Fafez Luz, Master of Lanhoso, who nominated as his successor Mem Cravo.

On 25 September 1292, King D. Dinis conceded a foral (charter) to the town of Póvoa do Lanhoso, which was later confirmed by King D. Manuel I on 4 January 1514.

Text adapted from “Castle of Lanhoso” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castle of Lanhoso ranks #4,155 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #51 of the 205 mapped in Portugal. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,038 times in the last 60 days, more than 50% of the atlas. 6 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Braga, 12 km away. See how Portugal compares in the castle statistics.

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