Castle of Miranda do Douro

The Castle of Miranda do Douro (Portuguese: Castelo de Miranda do Douro, Mirandese: Castielho de Miranda de l Douro) is a Portuguese medieval castle in the civil parish of Miranda do Douro, in the municipality of the same name, in the district of Bragança.

The town originated in Celt settlement and survived during the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, and systematically influenced by cultural shifts initiated by the Suebi, Visigoths and the Moors by 8th and 9th centuries. The settlement was definitively conquered from the Moors in 857, by forces loyal to Count Henry.

By 1093, the western limits of Galicia included portions of Miranda, that included the Douro River, falling under the dominion of the county of Portucale and successively ruled by Count Henry, his widow, the Countess Teresa, and their son, Afonso Henriques. In 1136, Afonso Henriques conceded a Foral (charter) to Miranda and converted the site into a military outpost, even as a fortification already existed at the site. During this period the town was already defended by a castle, left in ruins by the struggles of Reconquista.

Following the campaigns to take Galicia, in 1135, Afonso Henriques was encouraged to restore castles, monasteries and churches in strategic places along the Miranda do Douro. Aiming to build up the settlement and defense in their time of peace, the village received tenure in 1136, coming to be in place Couto and safe haven. The town grew around the castle, by the end of the reign of Henriques. In the following years, successive monarchs re-issued the forals, that included the 1217, re-issue by D. Afonso II and, the 1286, renewal by King D. Dinis, who issued orders to proceeded with work on the site. Then between 1294 and 1299, King D. Denis ordered the reconstruction of the castle.

The struggles between D. Sancho I and his son/successor, Afonso II, along with support from Alfonso IX of León, resulted in the lands Miranda being occupied by Leonese forces who, ultimately, returned the castle to Portugal, in 1213.

In 1325, the settlement was elevated to the status of "town".

Miranda was returned to Portugal in 1371, following the Treaty of Évora. After its return, in 1383, the fortification walls and military square improved under the direction of Pedro Homem de Távora.

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

Castle of Miranda do Douro ranks #6,013 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #109 of the 205 mapped in Portugal. See how Portugal compares in the castle statistics.

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