Castelo de Alfaiates (vestígios)

Portugal, Portugal

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The Castelo de Alfaiates, located near the Côa River in Alfaiates, Portugal, originated as a prehistoric hill fort possibly occupied by Romans, evolving into a Leonese watchtower called Castillo de la Luna during the late 12th-early 13th century Reconquista.

Secured for Portugal via the 1297 Treaty of Alcanices, King Dinis granted it a charter that year and ordered its rebuilding as a modest rectangular fortress alongside other border castles like Almeida and Pinhel, though it remained basic until radical 16th-century reforms under King Manuel I shifted defenses outward with slow-constructed walls and bastions unfinished by 1525.

Reinforced in the 17th century during the Restoration Wars by captain Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas, it aided defenses against Napoleonic forces in 1811's Peninsular War before abandonment post-1836, serving as a cemetery until 1967 and earning National Monument status in 1982 amid partial ruin.