Campo Maior, Portugal
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Campo Maior () is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the
Portalegre District Portalegre District ( ) is located in the east of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Portalegre. As of 2021, it is the least populous district of Portugal. It borders Spain. Municipalities The district is composed of 15 municipalit ...
,
Alentejo Region Alentejo Region () is one of the seven NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province and part of the historical Ribatejo and Estremadura provinces. The greater region is defined within Portugal by the land bo ...
, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,456, in an area of . It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by
Elvas Municipality Elvas (), officially the City of Elvas (), is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and ab ...
on the Southeast, and by Arronches Municipality on the West. A recurring festival "Festas do Povo" (People's Festivities) was included in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...
in 2021. The festival includes the ornamentation of the streets of Campo Maior with paper flowers and other decorations.


History

Campo Maior was certainly a
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
settlement – the ancient Muro Dam is close by – which was under control of the Moors for half a millennium. In 1219, it was conquered by Christian knights, the Pérez de Badajoz family, who then granted the village, which belonged to the municipality of
Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
, to the Church of ''Santa Maria do Castelo'' (Saint Mary of the Castle). On May 31, 1255, King
Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...
promoted the village to town status. In 1260, Bishop Friar Pedro Pérez, the Town Lord, granted the first charter (''
foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...
'') to the inhabitants of Campo Maior. He also introduced the town's first
coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...
, showing Our Lady and a lamb, with a legend ''"Sigillum Capituli Pacensis"''. On May 31, 1297, the Treaty of Alcanizes was signed by King
Ferdinand IV of Castile Ferdinand IV of Castile (6 December 1285 – 7 September 1312) called the Summoned (''el Emplazado''), was King of Castile and King of León, León from 1295 until his death. Ferdinand's upbringing and personal custody was entered to his mother ...
and King
Denis of Portugal Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal from 1279 until his death in 1325. Dinis was the eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second ...
, whereby Campo Maior, together with Olivença and Ouguela, was transferred to the Kingdom of Portugal. Under Portuguese
sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...
, Campo Maior went through an additional two Town Lords – Branca, sister of King Denis, in 1301, and Afonso Sanches, natural son of King Denis, in 1312 – before returning to King Denis's direct rule in 1318. The
Castle of Campo Maior The Castle of Campo Maior () is a medieval military fortification, in the civil parish of São João Bapista, municipality of Campo Maior, part of a first line of defense in the Portuguese Alentejo, oriented towards Spain, in conjunction with ...
was rebuilt by King Denis in 1310. In the 17th and 18th centuries, other
fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
s were built and Campo Maior became an important
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
town. As a reflex of the influence of Castile in Campo Maior, the population and the garrison sided with Castile following the 1383–1385 Crisis. King
John I of Portugal John I ( WP:IPA for Portuguese, uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in 1383–85 crisi ...
and
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
Nuno Álvares Pereira '' Dom'' Nuno Álvares Pereira, OCarm (; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a very successful Portuguese general who had a decisive role in the 1383–1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a my ...
led their armies to Campo and besieged the town for six weeks, finally occupying it at the end of 1388. 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 (1087–114 ...
(1481–1495) granted a new coat-of-arms to Campo Maior: a white shield, with the arms of Portugal on one side, and
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
,
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of the town, on the other side. In 1512, King
Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned ov ...
renewed the charter (''
foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...
'') of Campo Maior. From the late 15th century, many of those persecuted by the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
in Castile took refuge in Portugal. Many of them settled in Campo Maior, which saw its population increase substantially. As a consequence, in the 16th century, the town's
New Christian New Christian (; ; ; ; ; ) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction referring to the population of former Jews, Jewish and Muslims, Muslim Conversion to Christianity, converts to Christianity in the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Po ...
community was so numerous that it provided most of those accused of
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
who were included in the
Portuguese Inquisition The Portuguese Inquisition (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in 15 ...
's ''
auto-da-fé An ''auto-da-fé'' ( ; from Portuguese language, Portuguese or Spanish language, Spanish (, meaning 'act of faith') was a ritualized or public penance carried out between the 15th and 19th centuries in condemnation of heresy, heretics, Aposta ...
'' that took place in nearby
Évora Évora ( , ), officially the Very Noble and Ever Loyal City of Évora (), is a city and a municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of . It is the historic capital of the Alentejo reg ...
. The war with Spain in 1640 brought major changes to the fortress. The need to re-fortify the town, which had grown markedly outside the medieval perimeter during the previous three centuries, and the urgency to build a new fortified perimeter to defend the inhabitants of the "new town" from the incursions of the Castilian armies, forced the kings of Portugal to invest large amounts of money, and to send contingents of military engineers, specialized workers and even more non-specialized workers to strength Campo's defenses. Due to these efforts, the garrison substantially grew in size. It is estimated that, in the late 17th century, one out of four inhabitants of Campo Maior was employed by the military. Campo Maior became the headquarters of the mercenary Dutch troops that fought in Alentejo. The town was at that time the second most important garrison in the Alentejo region, second only to the city of
Elvas Elvas (), officially the City of Elvas (), is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and ab ...
. In 1712, during the
Spanish War of Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...
, the Castle of Campo Maior was besieged by the Spanish Army, commanded by the French
Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay (1650 – 14 November 1715) was a French military officer in the service of Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession. Born in Salins in 1650, Maître married Cécile de Winssinkercke, who had been born i ...
. For 36 days, he launched tons of projectiles on the town and managed to breach one of the
bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
s before attempting to storm the fortress. Upon crossing the breach which had been put on fire by the defenders with the help of a French Huguenot engineer, the Spanish Army suffered heavy casualties and retreated in defeat as a Portuguese relief force from Elvas was arriving. On September 16, 1732, at 3 am, a storm hit the Armory, located in the castle's main tower, which stored 6000 ''arrobas'' of gunpowder and 5000 pieces of ammunition. A violent explosion ensued, followed by a fire. This event caused significant damage to the fortress and injured two thirds of the inhabitants of the fort. King
John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 ...
ordered the quick reconstruction of the castle. The town slowly rose from the ruins and eventually regained its main role both in times of war and in times of peace, and it became a trading post. In the 18th century, the Church of ''Misericórdia'' (Mercy) and the ''Matriz'' Church (Matrix, seat of the Parish) were built and the Church of Saint John was started. The town, which until then had been formed by a single ''
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 Portuguese over ...
'' (parish), was divided in 1766 into the present two – Our Lady of ''Expectação'' and Saint John the Baptist. The early 19th century was devastating for Campo Maior: first by a siege in 1801 by the Spanish during the
War of the Oranges The War of the Oranges (; ; ) was a brief conflict in 1801 in which Spanish forces, instigated by the government of France, and ultimately supported by the French military, invaded Portugal. The war resulted in the Treaty of Badajoz, the los ...
, and then by a local
rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
in 1808 against the French who were engaged in the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
. The uprising of Campo Maior against the Napoleonic invasion was successful due to the help from the
Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
army, which then garrisoned the town for three years. In 1811, a new Napoleonic invasion besieged the town for one month until Campo was forced into capitulation. This month gave time for the
Anglo-Portuguese Army The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined British and Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese, as the ''E ...
, under the command of British General Beresford, to arrive and rout the French. The town then earned the title of ''Vila Leal e Valorosa'' (Loyal and Valorous Town), now inscribed in its coat-of-arms. The
Liberal Wars The Liberal Wars (), also known as the Portuguese Civil War () and the War of the Two Brothers () was a civil war in Portugal that lasted from May 1828 to May 1834, fought between liberal progressive constitutionalists (led by former King P ...
(1828–1834) were also fought in Campo Maior area. In 1836, the neighbouring municipality of Ouguela was annexed by Campo Maior, increasing its number of ''freguesias'' (parishes) from three to four. In 1865, an epidemic of
cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
killed 150 people in two and a half months. In 1867, an attempt to extinguish the municipality of Campo Maior and integrate it in the municipality of
Elvas Elvas (), officially the City of Elvas (), is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and ab ...
provoked a popular uprising, with the population staging a strike on December 13. The attempt was dropped and the municipality survived. In 1926, a fourth rural ''freguesia'' (parish) is added to the municipality: Our Lady of the ''Graça dos Degolados'' (Grace of the Beheaded). In 1941, the municipality assumes its current division in three ''freguesias'' (parishes), with the annexation of the ''freguesia'' of Ouguela by the ''freguesia'' of Saint John the Baptist, due to the former's rapid population decline.


Climate


Economy

The main industry is coffee roasting and coffee packaging. Campo Maior is headquarters to
Delta Cafés Delta Cafés () is a Portuguese coffee roasting and coffee packaging company headquartered in Campo Maior, Alentejo. The company was founded in 1961 and is among the top market leaders in the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Rui Nabeiro (1931-20 ...
, the market leader of coffee distribution in Portugal. Other economic activities include
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
and
livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...
raising. Campo Maior is a production center of
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
s and
ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
, made from Iberian pig (also known as '' porco alentejano'').


Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 3 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Nossa Senhora da Expectação * Nossa Senhora da Graça dos Degolados * São João Baptista


Notable people

* Blessed Amadeu of Silva (1420–1482), a Portuguese nobleman who became first a
Hieronymite The Hieronymites or Jeronimites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome (; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks living according to the Rule of Saint ...
monk, then left that life to become a friar of the Franciscan Order. * Saint Beatrice of Silva (1424–1492), a Portuguese noblewoman who became the foundress of the monastic
Order of the Immaculate Conception The Order of the Immaculate Conception (), abbreviated OIC and also known as the Conceptionists, is a Catholic religious order of Pontifical Right for nuns founded by Beatrice of Silva, Saint Beatrice of Silva. For some years, they followed the P ...
. *
Vítor Manuel da Silva Caldeira Vítor Manuel da Silva Caldeira (born 2 January 1960) is a Portuguese auditor who served as President of the Portuguese Court of Auditors from 201 to 2020 and as President of the European Court of Auditors from 2008 to 2016. He was born in Campo ...
(born 1960), President of the Portuguese Court of Auditors, 2016–2020 * Rui Manuel Azinhais Nabeiro (1931–2023), Founder of Delta Cafes and honored with the order of " Comendador"


Demographics


References


External links


Municipality official website
* https://www.campingosanjos.com Parque de campismo rural Campo Maior {{Authority control Towns in Portugal Populated places in Portalegre District Municipalities of Portalegre District