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 the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
district of
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, approximately north of the capital
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
Centro
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
*Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Duq ...
of Portugal. The population was 83,075, in an area of .
History
In 1148,
Afonso I
Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', dependi ...
took the town of Torres Vedras from the Moors, in the then region of Estremadura, an area encircled by gentle hills and valleys. Situated in the former district of Lisbon, Torres Vedras is a strong agricultural region linked with its vineyards and intense commercial and industrial life, resulting in a dynamic pole in the western subregion of Portugal. 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 ( ...
conceded 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'', Ca ...
(''charter'') in 1250, which was later confirmed by King
Manuel I Manuel I may refer to:
* Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180)
*Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263)
*Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), wa ...
in 1510. This latter decree conferred on the town many of the municipal privileges that it held for 729 years.
While travelling through this district, 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 ( ...
and Queen Beatrice, ordered the construction of a municipal hall, alongside the ancient castle (which today no longer exists). For his part, King Denis, his successor, was captivated by local Gracia Frois, fathering an illegitimate son, who would go on to be
Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos (in Portuguese ''Conde de Barcelos'') is a title of nobility, the first to be granted in Portugal. It was created in 1298 by king Denis I and initially it was a non hereditary title, although most of the holders belonged to the ...
.
Later, the municipality was donated to the Queens of the realm, and in particular, under the Aviz dynasty, the Infanta Eleonor (daughter of King
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and Queen
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
), who would later marry
Frederick III of Germany Frederick III of Germany may refer to:
*Frederick the Fair
Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the ...
, was born in Torres Vedras (18 September 1434).
Torres Vedras continued to be a place of importance: in 1413, King
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 ...
met with his council after legitimizing his expedition to Ceuta (marking the beginning of Portuguese maritime expansion); the Regent Peter, convened the Cortes in 1411, to deliberate over the wedding of his daughter Isabel with his nephew Afonso; and the place where King
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 ...
received the ambassadors of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, and later the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
, in 1496.
At the same time, intrigues and confrontations were fermented in Torres Vedras by local alcaides, such as in 1384 when the Master of Aviz encircled the town in order to force the Castilian alcalde Juan Duque to surrender. It was for the same reason, that King John IV was forced to take city in 1640, when the Portuguese alcaide João Soares de Alarcão, aligned himself with the Philippine monarchs.
In comparison, the loyalty and sympathies of the Portuguese of the region were tested with the French invasions of the
Peninsular War
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 ...
s (1808–1810). Anticipating the final defeat of the French, General Delaborde's forces were defeated on 21 August 1808, at the battles of
Roliça
Bombarral () is a municipality in the District of Leiria in Central Portugal. The population in 2011 was 13,193, in an area of . It includes four civil parishes ( pt, freguesia) that provide local services.
History
It is known that the area of ...
and
Vimeiro
Vimeiro () is a freguesia (civil parish) in the municipality of Lourinhã in west-central Portugal. It is in the District of Lisboa. The population in 2011 was 1,470,Anglo-Portuguese Army
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and Portugal, Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesl ...
that had landed at Porto Novo. Junot, who had installed himself in the town, signed a truce and left the town, retreating towards Lisbon, but not before sacking the churches and convents along the way.
Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington and Marquess of Torres Vedras, would begin the construction (1809–1810) of the
Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, ...
that would extend to the sea. This fortified system, which included 152 forts and 628 redoubts, was marked by the Fort of São Vicente, in Torres Vedras. Ironically, the fort only saw battle after the French were removed from Portugal, when Cabralist forces (those supporting politician Costa Cabral) under the
Duke of Saldanha
Duke of Saldanha (in Portuguese ''Duque de Saldanha'') is a Portuguese title granted by royal decree of Queen Maria II of Portugal, dated from November 4, 1846, to João Carlos Saldanha de Oliveira Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha, João Carlos Saldanha ...
, evicted Setembrist forces of the Count of Bonfim.
Over 10,000 troops were involved in the bloody Battle of Torres Vedras, which resulted in the surrender of the Count's forces on 23 December 1846. The deaths of 400 men and 500 wounded, that included Lieutenant-Colonel Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque, a liberal officer who disembarked in Mindelo and was later buried in the Church of São Pedro.
Following much of its history in battle, Torres Vedras lapsed into years of progress and development, supported by the expansion of the rail-lines in 1886, the installation of the electrical grid in 1912, and finally the canalization of waters to the town by 1926. These changes helped support a growth, construction of new barrios and roadways, resulting in the town's reclassification as a city in 1979.
Geography
Fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Torre Vedres is bordered by the municipalities of
Lourinhã
Lourinhã () is a municipality in the District of Lisbon, in the Oeste Subregion of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 25,735, in an area of 147.17 km². The seat of the municipality is the town of Lourinhã, with a population of 8,800 inhab ...
Sobral de Monte Agraço
Sobral de Monte Agraço () is a municipality in the District of Lisbon in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 10,156, in an area of 52.10 km².
The present Mayor is António Lopes Bogalho, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition.
Histo ...
(to the southeast) and
Mafra
Mafra is a Czech media group that publishes printed and internet media, headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It is a subsidiary of Agrofert holding conglomerate owned by trust of Andrej Babiš, the former Prime Minister of the Czech Repu ...
(to the south). A dispersed population, Torres Vedras includes 21 urban agglomerations, of which most have less than 200 inhabitants. Altogether the municipality has a population of 79,465.
The municipality covers an area of . Administratively, the municipality is divided into 13 civil parishes (''
freguesias
''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...
warm-summer 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 ...
with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.
Economy and tourism
In 2011, Torres Vedras received the QualityCoast Gold Award for its efforts to become a sustainable tourist destination, and was selected for inclusion in the global atlas for
sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities. Su ...
DestiNet
{{notability, date=April 2021
DestiNet.eu is a Knowledge Networking portal for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Tourism.
DestiNet was started in 2002 by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Network Evolution for Sustainable Touris ...
.
The Leonel Trindade Municipal Museum is an archaeological and historical museum in the town, located in a former convent (Convento da Graça) on the southern edge of the city centre. In addition to an extensive archaeological section dating back to late-
Palaeolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
times, the museum contains works of art from local churches as well as an exhibition relating to the Lines of Torres Vedras. Much of the archaeological collection comes from the
Chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
, fortified settlement known as the
Castro of Zambujal
The Castro of Zambujal ( pt, Castro do Zambujal) is a Chalcolithic age archeological site in the civil parish of Santa Maria, São Pedro e Matacães, municipality of Torres Vedras in the western litoral area of the Portuguese Centro Region. Th ...
(3rd millennium BC) and from the
Tholos do Barro
The Tholos do Barro (also known as the Tholos da Pena) was a Chalcolithic or Copper-Age domed tomb of block masonry. Its ruins are located on Monte da Pena, near the village of Barro, Torres Vedras municipality, in the Lisbon District of Portuga ...
, a Chalcolithic tomb, both of which are in the municipality.
Sport
The local professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team is
S.C.U. Torreense
Sport Clube União Torreense is a Portuguese sports club, best known for its association football section, founded in Torres Vedras in 1917, as Sport União Torreense.
History
It participated six times in the Portuguese Liga (last in 1991–92 ...
Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress
Eleanor of Portugal (18 September 1434 – 3 September 1467) was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. A Portuguese ''infanta'' (princess), daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon, she was the consort of Holy Roman Emper ...
(1434–1467) an infanta (princess), daughter of King
Edward of Portugal
Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son ...
&
Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches'') was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empress ...
*
Lopo Soares de Albergaria
Lopo Soares de Albergaria (c. 1460 in Lisbon – c. 1520 in Torres Vedras) was the fifth captain-major of the Portuguese Gold Coast and third governor of Portuguese India, having reached India in 1515 to succeed Afonso de Albuquerque as governor.
...
(c.1460 – c.1520) the third Governor of
Portuguese India
The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
*
Cristóvão Ferreira
170px, Ferreira was interred in the gravesite of his son-in-law Sugimoto Chūkei's family.
Cristóvão Ferreira (c. 1580–1650) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and Jesuit missionary who committed apostasy after being captured and tortured ...
(c.1580–1650) a priest and Jesuit missionary who committed apostasy in Japan
*
Luís da Silva Mouzinho de Albuquerque
Luís da Silva Mouzinho de Albuquerque (June 16, 1792 in Lisbon – December 27, 1846 in Torres Vedras; ) was a Portuguese military officer, engineer, poet, scientist and politician, who distinguished himself during the Liberal Wars and in th ...
(1792–1846) a military officer, poet, scientist and politician
*
Manuel Clemente
Manuel José Macário do Nascimento Clemente, GCC (; born 16 July 1948), officially Manuel III, is a Portuguese prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Metropolitan Patriarch of Lisbon since 18 May 2013 and a cardinal since 14 February ...
(born 1948) a prelate of the Catholic Church; the
Patriarch of Lisbon
The Patriarch of Lisbon ( la, Patriarcha Olisiponensis, pt, Patriarca de Lisboa), also called the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon once he has been made cardinal, is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lisbon. He is one of the ...
since 2013
* Carlos Miguel (born 1957) a lawyer, politician and Govt. minister of Romani ethnicity
* Beto (1967–2010) a Portuguese singer; lived in Torres Vedras from aged 17
* Susana Félix (born 1975) a singer, songwriter, musician, actress and producer.
*
Cristina Ferreira
Cristina Maria Jorge Ferreira (born 9 September 1977) is a Portuguese television presenter and businesswoman. Since the 2010s, she has been the highest-paid celebrity in Portugal (earning 232,000 Euros per month, as of 2022). Biography
Born i ...
Lisandro Cuxi
Lisandro Monteiro Furt (born 17 July 1999), better known by his stage name Lisandro Cuxi, is a Portuguese-French singer-songwriter and dancer. In 2017, Cuxi won the sixth season of '' The Voice: la plus belle voix'' as part of Team M. Pokora. ...
(born 1999 in Zambujal) a Portuguese–Cape-Verdean singer-songwriter and dancer.
Sport
* José Pereira (born 1931) a football goalkeeper with 302 caps with Belenenses and 11 for
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 ...
*
Joaquim Agostinho
Joaquim Fernandes Agostinho, OIH (7 April 1943 – 10 May 1984) was a Portuguese professional bicycle racer. He was champion of Portugal in six successive years. He rode the Tour de France 13 times and finished all but once,''International Cy ...
(19421984) professional bicycle racer
* Vítor Campos (1944-2019) a footballer with 275 caps with Académica
* Hélder Baptista (born 1972) a retired footballer with 311 club caps
* Nelson Pereira (born 1975) football goalkeeper with 201 club caps and 3 for
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 ...
* Zé António (born 1977) a Portuguese former footballer with 451 club caps
* Anselmo Cardoso (born 1984 in Freiria) a former footballer with 267 club caps
*
André Santos
André Clarindo dos Santos (born 8 March 1983) is a Brazilian footballer who most recently played for Figueirense. Santos is a left-back, who can also be deployed as a left winger. On 15 June 2009, he made his first international appearance ...
(born 1989) football player with 300 club caps
*
Henrique Chaves
Henrique Chaves (born 21 March 1997) is a Portuguese racing driver.
Career
Karting
Born in Torres Vedras, Chaves entered karting in 2006, when he took the title in the Portuguese Championship and Portuguese Cup in the Cadets Class. Chaves raced ...
(born 1997) a Portuguese racing driver.
* Fábio Carvalho (born 2002) footballer who plays for Liverpool.
List of forts of the Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon, capital of Portugal, from the French during the Peninsular War. Named after the town of Torres Vedras, their construction was ordered by ...