The Fort of King Luís I (''Forte D. Luís I''), also referred to as the Fort of Caxias (''Forte de Caxias'') and the Fort-prison of Caxias (''Forte-prisão de Caxias''), is located in the parish of Caxias, in the municipality of Oeiras in the Lisbon district of Portugal. It presently functions as a prison. Built between 1879 and 1886 it was intended as one of a number of forts, known as the ''

Campo Entrincheirado The ''Campo Entrincheirado'' (Entrenched Field) is a group of fortifications built at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century to protect the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, against invasion. It followed the boundaries of the city ...

'' of Lisbon, that formed a defensive perimeter that followed the boundaries of Lisbon at the time. It consisted of two separate strongholds, the north and the south. Originally called the Fort of Caxias, it was renamed as the Fort of King Luís I in 1901 in honour of the king who died in 1889. The fort was first used as a prison in 1916 when a group of soldiers who mutinied were arrested. In 1917 it was used to house construction workers who had gone on strike and in the same year telegraph workers on strike were also held there. From 1935 the southern part of the fort was used by the ''Estado Novo'' dictatorship as a political prison, which included torture chambers, and this continued until Portugal’s

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 ...

, when its doors were opened on April 25, 1974. It was subsequently used briefly to detain right-wing politicians. The fort was transferred to Portugal’s Prison Service in December 1988. Although the fort was not generally used by the ''Estado Novo'' to accommodate the communist party’s top leaders, who were mainly held in the Peniche Fortress, it did witness a mass escape on 4 December 1961 when eight communist party members were able to escape in an armoured car, which they succeeded in smashing through the main gate. The driver had taken a long time gaining the confidence of the guards by convincing them that he had rejected communism and was now on their side. In this way he was able to gain access to the vehicle, which was normally used for President Salazar.

Past prisoners

* Aida Magro *

Aida Paula Aida Paula (1918-1993) was a Portuguese communist who opposed the authoritarian '' Estado Novo'' government, was arrested on three occasions, and spent many years as a political prisoner. Early life Aida da Conceição Paula was born on 9 Decemb ...

* Albina Fernandes *

Cândida Ventura Cândida Ventura (30 June 1918, Maputo, Mozambique – 16 December 2015, Portimão, Portugal) was a political activist against the Portuguese '' Estado Novo'' regime and a political prisoner. She was the first woman to hold a leadership position ...

Carlos Aboim Inglez Carlos Hahnemann Saavedra Aboim Inglez (January 5, 1930 – February 13, 2002) was a Portuguese communist intellectual, militant and leader of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), entering the party in 1946 (at age 16). He was the son of Maria Is ...

Cesina Bermudes Cesina Borges Adães Bermudes (1908-2001) was a Portuguese Obstetrics, obstetrician who introduced the concept of “painless childbirth” to Portugal. She was also a prominent feminist and an opponent of the ''Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado No ...

* Conceição Matos *

Domingos Abrantes Domingos Abrantes Ferreira (born 19 January 1936), generally known as Domingos Abrantes, is a Portuguese Communist politician. He has been a member of the Portuguese Communist Party since 1954, and was a member of its Central Committee between 19 ...

* Fábio Paím *

Fernanda de Paiva Tomás Fernanda de Paiva Tomás (8 November 1928 – 15 September 1984) was a member of the Portuguese Communist Party who spent close to a decade as a political prisoner, from 1961 to 1970, under the authoritarian '' Estado Novo'' regime. Early life M ...

* Georgette Ferreira *

Helena Pato Helena Pato (born 19 April 1939) was a mathematics teacher, a communist opponent of Portugal's '' Estado Novo'' regime and a union leader. She was one of the founders of the Women's Democratic Movement in opposition to the ''Estado Novo'' and was ...

* Isabel do Carmo *

Isaura Borges Coelho Isaura Borges Coelho (1926 - 2019), was a Portuguese nurse and activist. She is known for her efforts in favour of nurses' rights, for which she was imprisoned and tortured by the Portuguese dictatorship's political police. Early years and trai ...

* Ivone Dias Lourenço * José Magro *

Julieta Gandra Julieta Gandra (1917–2007) was a Portuguese doctor who was imprisoned by the Portuguese authorities for supporting Angolan Independence. She was Amnesty International's "Prisoner of Conscience of the Year" in 1964. Early life Maria Julieta Gu ...

Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez (19322008) was a Portuguese communist activist who opposed the authoritarian '' Estado Novo'' regime in Portugal. Early life Maria Adelaide Dias Coelho was born in Castelo Branco, Portugal on 27 March 1932. She was t ...

* Maria Alda Nogueira * Maria dos Santos Machado *

Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes (1925-2016) was a campaigner against the authoritarian ''Estado Novo'' government in Portugal in the 20th century. She was twice held in prison. Her work with the poor and to assist political prisoners led to her bec ...

* Maria Luísa Costa Dias * Maria Rosa Viseu *

Sid Ahmed Rezala Sid Ahmed Rezala (13 May 1979 – 28 June 2000) was an Algerian-born French serial killer, dubbed "The Killer of the Trains". He was suspected of killing at least three women in 1999. Arrested in Portugal in early 2000, he confessed the murders ...

* Sofia Ferreira * Sofia Pomba Guerra *

Stella Piteira Santos Stella Piteira Santos (1917-2009) was a Portuguese communist who opposed the '' Estado Novo'' dictatorship. Arrested and tortured in Lisbon, she subsequently moved to Algeria, from where she helped broadcast programmes of Rádio Voz da Liberdade ...

References

{{Bastion forts in Portugal, state=collapsed King Luis Prisons in Portugal Estado Novo (Portugal) Campo Entrincheirado