Montalegre () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in northern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, located in the district of

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality cover ...

, along the border with Spain. The population in 2011 was 10,537, in an area of 805.46 km².

History

Early construction in Montalegre date back 3500–4000 years when early inhabitants, around the villages of Mourela, Veiga and Vila da Ponte, buried their dead in funeral mounds. Vestiges of this culture predominate the region, and suggest that settlements have been ongoing since the Metal Ages.

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

colonies began to appear afterward, constructing castros in many of the places that developed into formal settlements. With the arrival of the Romans, bridges and formal roads began to appear, while many of the castros began to be converted into Roman encampments, later the nuclei of formalized settlements. Remains of the Roman

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...

are still common: ''Praesidium'' (in Vila da Ponte, popularly known as ''Sabaraz'') and ''Caladunum'' (in Cervos). Although there were no overt indications that the Moors settled in this region, although oral tradition inferred as much. With the establishment of the Christian kingdom of Portugal,

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

donated portions of the land for charitable hospices (Salto), hospitals (Vilar de Perdizes and Dornelas) or monasteries (Pitões). Owing to its location, on the border with

Galiza Galicia (; gl, Galicia or ; es, Galicia}; pt, Galiza) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain and nationalities and regions of Spain, historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Pen ...

, defense fortifications were constructed, including the Castles of Gerês and Piconha, and later in Portelo and the village of Montalegre. A lighthouse was also constructed in Tourém, likely by King

Sancho The name Sancho is an Iberian name of Basque origin (Santxo, Santzo, Santso, Antzo, Sans). Sancho stems from the Latin name Sanctius.Eichler, Ernst; Hilty, Gerold; Löffler, Heinrich; Steger, Hugo; Zgusta, Ladislav: ''Namenforschung/Name Studies/ ...

in 1187, since he was the master of the Terras da Piconha region. It was only in September 1273 that King

Afonso III Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ( ...

bestowed on the citizens a

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

(charter), founding the town of Montalegre and making the local sheriff the master of the Terras de Barroso. The foral was later confirmed by King Denis in 1289, and renewed by

Afonso IV Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...

(in 1340),

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

(in 1491), and Manuel (in 1515). After the Portuguese Interregnum, during the reign of

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

, the Terras de Barroso were offered as a gift to

Nuno Álvares Pereira D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. (; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic ...

for his support. In 1809, French troops had problems in the region, during the

Peninsular Wars The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, ...

, fighting off the ''Barrosões'', in Misarela. On 6 November 1836, the municipality of Montalegre was divided, in order to create the municipality of

Boticas Boticas () is a municipality in northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,750,

. In course, the parishes of Vilar de Vacas was lost to the neighbouring municipality of

Vieira do Minho Vieira do Minho (, ) is a municipality in the district of Braga, in the north of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 12,997, in an area of 216.44 km². The present mayor is António Cardoso, elected by a coalition between PSD and the CDS– ...

, and later the parish of Couto Misto de Santiago de Rubiás, was also de-annexed. Contemporary history of the municipality has been marked by growing emigration, the result of the lack of economic recourse and the abandonment of traditional activities. The institutionalization of local government permitted a revitalization in the municipality, after the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...

, which saw a growth in tertiary activities.

Geography

Montalegre is one of the two municipalities that compose the region of Barroso. The

Peneda-Gerês National Park The Peneda-Gerês National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park located in northern Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. ...

comprises 26,26% of its area (211,74 km² out of a total 806,19 km² belonging to that park).

Climate

At an elevation of above sea level, Montalegre has a cool

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Csb''). There is a short dry season in summer, but overall plenty of precipitation annually. The average annual temperature is around and the average annual rainfall is around . The driest month is July, with . Most precipitation falls in December, with an average of . Summers are pleasant and dry, and winters are chilly and snowy.

Human geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 27 civil parishes that administer local area government and support the local populations: * Cabril * Cambeses do Rio, Donões e Mourilhe * Cervos * Chã * Covelo do Gerês * Ferral * Frades do Rio *

Gralhas Gralhas is a parish and village in Montalegre Municipality, northern Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwe ...

* Meixedo e Padornelos * Montalegre e Padroso * Morgade * Negrões * Outeiro * Paradela, Contim e Fiães * Peireses * Pitões das Júnias * Reigoso * Salto * Santo André * Sarraquinhos * Sezelhe e Covelães * Solveira * Tourém * Venda Nova e Pondras * Viade de Baixo e Fervidelas * Vila da Ponte * Vilar de Perdizes e Meixide

Notable people

* Delfim Modesto Brandão (1835–??) the penultimate "Juiz" (head of state) of the micro-state of

Couto Misto Couto Misto ( pt, Couto Misto ; gl, Couto Mixto; es, Coto Mixto) was an independent microstate on the border between Spain and Portugal. It was composed of the villages of Santiago de Rubiás, Rubiás (now in the Spanish municipality of Calvo ...

which lasted 4 years from 1864. *

Bento António Gonçalves : ''For the city named Bento Gonçalves in Brazil, see Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul'' Bento António Gonçalves, GOL (2 March 1902 – 11 September 1942) was the second General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party. He was born in Mo ...

(1902–1942) the second Secretary General of the

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português, , PCP) is a communist, Marxist–Leninist political party in Portugal based upon democratic centralism. The party also considers itself patriotic and internationalist,Portugue ...

References