Castelo Real was a Portuguese castle established in Mogador, now

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ), known until the 1960s as Mogador (, or ), is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marrakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It has 77,966 inhabitants as of 2014. The foundation of the city of Essaouira was the work of t ...

in Morocco, by the Portuguese in 1506."By 1506, at Mogador, his Castelo Real had risen firm and strong, in spite of opposition from fierce fanatical Berbers" ''The reign of the fortunate king, 1495-1521'' Elaine Sanceau Archon Books, 1970 p.89

Construction (1506)

The Portuguese king Dom Manuel ordered

Diogo de Azambuja Diogo de Azambuja or Diego de Azambuja (1432–1518) was a Portuguese noble and explorer. Soldier He was born at Montemor-o-Velho, and became a knight of the Order of Aviz in the service of the Infante Dom Pedro, son of the Regent Infante ...

, the founder of Castello da Mina, to build a castle on a small island, now called "La Petite Ile", in the Moroccan locality of Mogador. The role of the castle was to serve as a relay on their routes along the Moroccan coast, between Safi, where the Portuguese were established since the end of the 15th century, and

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

, which had just been occupied in 1504. The castle could also easily receive supplies from

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

. The construction process was accompanied by constant attacks from the Beni Regraga tribe, strongly motivated by Jihad and supported by the Saadian Sheriffs. On several occasions, the garrison was helped by troops sent from Portugal, one of which was a detachment of 350 men sent from Madeira. The Beni Regraga, a sub-tribe of the Masmuda, were the dominant force in the region together with two other sub-tribes originating from the Jebel Hadid, the Iron Mountain, the Haha, and the Chiadma. The tribes blockaded the fortress and in October or November of 1510, they successfully managed to capture the castle under unknown circumstances. The castle appears in various subsequent documents, as late as 1767 with the map of

Théodore Cornut Théodore Cornut, also Cornout, was a French mathematician and military architect of the 18th century, born in Avignon, who worked for the King of Morocco. Cornut initially worked as an architect for military fortifications in Roussillon. He ...

. Soon however the fortifications of Essaouira were updated to become what they are today, and all traces of the Castelo Real have disappeared.

Other Portuguese fortresses in Morocco

Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized 6 Moroccan towns, and built 6 stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the river Loukos in the north and the river of

Sous The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) (, ) is a historical, cultural and geographical region of Morocco, which constitutes part of the region administration of Souss-Massa and Guelmim-Oued Noun. The region is known for the en ...

in the south. Four of them only had a short duration: Graciosa (1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of Mogador (1506–10) and Aguz (1520–25). Two of them were to become permanent urban settlements: Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (

, founded in 1505-06), and Mazagan founded in 1514-17. The Portuguese had to abandon most of their settlements between 1541 and 1550, although they were able to keep

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

and Mazagan.''City walls: the urban enceinte in global perspective'' James D. Tracy p.352
/ref>

Notes

{{Forts and fortresses of the Portuguese empire, state=collapsed Former Portuguese colonies Colonial history of Morocco Forts in Morocco Essaouira Buildings and structures completed in 1506 1506 establishments in the Portuguese Empire 1510 disestablishments in the Portuguese Empire Buildings and structures demolished in the 18th century 16th-century establishments in Africa 16th century in Morocco Portuguese colonial architecture in Morocco

Construction (1506)

Other Portuguese fortresses in Morocco

See also

Notes