Although traces of human occupation in the surrounding area to the current Almeida
village are from the Roman period, its strategic importance will only be appreciated during
the Middle Ages, given the needs as the border line of defence with the Kingdom of Castile
and Leon.
Of Muslim presence not more than toponymic heritage still remains, owing to Arab, its
own name, probably derived from the expression Al-ālmaidă, the hill, the table.
Integrated in the territory conquered to Islam by Fernando Magno (1035-1065), Almeida
kept in the dark until the end of the thirteenth century, if compared to the importance that
the Leonese monarchs attributed to some villages. Almeida is not among the villages
Leonese with Regional Law Codes given by Alfonso IX of Leon, as happened with
Alfaiates, Castelo Rodrigo, Castelo Bom and Castelo Melhor, but its existence is confirmed
by the presence of this monarch, which gives a donation letter of several fishing frames to
the monks of Santa Maria de Aguiar.
This would, however, change with the occupation of Riba-Côa by D. Dinis and its final
integration in the kingdom of Portugal, formally recognized by the Treaty of Alcañices, in
1297.
Almeida, that had received the first Portuguese Regional law Code the year before, sees
quickly recognized its strategic importance due to the work D. Dinis had carried out in his
castle and the village wall, that would be continued by D. Fernando.
From the end of the fourteenth century, the artillery fire was replacing the old siege
machines based on levers and counterweights, making ineffective the medieval defence
structures, founded on walls and turrets, powerless against the projectiles thrown by
bombards and mortars.
Progressively, the old fences were giving way to angular structures, offering the lowest possible
exposure to artillery fire and auxiliary protections that protect the fields of the wall and host
defence artillery.
It’s in Italy, where the artillery had developed under the taste of Florentine and Milanese
imagination (serpentine, culverin, gerfalcon, falconet ...) that are the first innovations in defence of
military structures. The old walls are lowered and reinforced with embankments on its inner side,
while the quadrangular towers are replaced by circular towers. However, this development will lead
to purpose-built structures, especially the building of bastions, generally pentagonal, connected by
fields, and more exposed to artillery fire, that needed additional protection.
To this purpose, by the end of the fifteenth century, by order of Piero dei Medici, the ravelin was
introduced in the castle of Sarzanello, initiating a reform of military structures across Europe that
would reach its apogee with the Vauban system, during the reign of Louis XIV of France.
It’s in this context, that the Almeida bastion system is built, assuming the image drawn by its six
bastions and ravelins and so well characterized in its star shaped.
The first interventions to adapt the Almeida Castle to the challenges posed by the action of artillery
are due to D. Manuel I`s initiative to instruct the Biscay master builder, Francisco d'Anzilho, to
erect new walls in the castle. It was the year 1509. The result of these works can be seen in the
design Duarte d'Armas.
The policy of rapprochement between the Iberian crowns carried out by D. Manuel and D. João
III, would eventually devalue the strategic importance of Almeida, a fact which, of course, would be
reinforced during the Philippine period.
However, after the revolt that put on the throne the Duke of Braganza, Almeida came back to play
a key role in defending the border of the Beira region. The recognition of this importance was
reflected as early as 1641, with the renewal of the fortification ordered by their governor, Don
Alvaro de Abranches.
In 1645 starts the construction of the San Francisco Gates, under the direction of Pierre Garsin,
but only from 1657, under the baton of D. Luisa de Guzmán, the works receive the boost that the
situation demands, creating the conditions needed for it to resist the siege of the Duke of Ossuna`s
troops on July 2nd, 1663.
The destruction of the Dionysian donjon tower, on August 23rd, 1695, due to a lightning strike,
allowed to adapt the castle to new engineering techniques, constructing a barn bomb-proof inside
the space left vacant by the tower. But Almeida was not yet totally protected, despite work
continuing under the direction of Engineer Miguel Luis Jacob, after 1759.
As a reflection of this insecurity is the taking of the village, after ten days of siege, on August 25th,
1762, by Spanish troops of Carlos III with the support of the French army of Louis XV of France,
under the command of Marquess of Sarriá, during the span of the Seven Years War.
The liberation of the village only occurs as a result of the Treaty of Paris of 1763, when it was
possible to analyse the flaws that had allowed the taking of the square. In July 1764, Field Marshal
Francisco Maclean ordered Miguel Luis Jacob to do the lifting of Almeida Fortress to meet its
needs as a well defended square. For four years, aided by several other elements, as him, formed at
the Fortification Academy of Lisbon, draws a set of engineering projects, among which stand out
the Cavalry Barracks of Santa Barbara rampart, Artillery Barracks of Saint Anthony rampart, the
Military Hospital and the bread factory. At the same time, at the request of the Marquis of Pombal,
the Swedish engineer Jacques Funck, prepares the General Plan of Additional Works Required for the
Defense of the City of Almeida, which describes in detail the flaws existing in the various strongholds
and ravelins and proposes the construction of a new hospital and of a latrine.
As a result of this work, Almeida is the subject of great defensive reinforcement works that will give
it the features it had by the time of the third French invasion, commanded by Massena.
Its starry polygonal shape with twelve vertices, formed by the combination of six bastions, joined
by straight fields and six ravelins that protected, housed, apart from the village population, a strong
military contingent which, according to João Campos1, in 1801, reached 3,000 men, distributed as
follows: 1,599 soldiers of infantry, 448 cavalry and 100 artillery, being the remaining, helpers.
1
Campos, João: Almeida: O castelo de D. Dinis e a fronteira de Portugal, Almeida: Câmara Municipal, 2013, p 182.
Access to the square was through two doors: The South East, the St. Francis door opened the
Ravelin of the Cross that communicated by bridge, with the field that connected the bastions of St.
Peter and St. Francis. The West, the San Antonio door opened the ravelin of the same name and
connecting by bridge, over the pit, the field that joined the Train bulwark, or of Our Lady of
Brotas, to San Pedro`s bulwark.
In addition to these doors, there are three posterns that allowed communication between the square
and the pit. One, dated 1797, stands in eastern face bulwark of St. John of God (Casamatas) and is
commonly referred to as 'false door'. The others are located in the San Francisco bulwark and on
the edge of St. Peter's field.
Facing South stands San Pedro`s bulwark with a wall facing eastwards that connects to St. Francis`s
bulwark. Continuing in the same direction, another field connects this bastion to the Fountain or
St. John of God, inside which stands the casamatas. Continuing the circuit, we find Saint Barbara`s
bulwark, with ruins from the chapel with same name, another field joins the Train Bulwark, or of
Our Lady of Brotas or Abróteas. From here, we reach through another field, San Antonio`s
bulwark, completing the circuit with the field that connects to San Pedro`s bulwark.
If the bulwarks rose insurmountable, proud of their fire power that whipped who dared to
penetrate the respective pit, the fields were vulnerable in their rectilinear facade, despite the
protection of the flank artillery fire received from the bulwarks. It was on the ravelins were the
defence rested, protecting them from any impetuous advance, running into them, any attempt at
scaling the fields and enter the square.
The ravelin assumes the basic structure of defence of the weakest link of this type of fortification.
Without it, the fields would be unprotected, being of little worth to them the action of the
bulwarks.
So we retrace in its function, the haven where any traveller finds the protection and rest of a pilgrim
of life.
Other interesting features:
http://www.aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/almeida