Monforte () is a municipality in the District of Portalegre in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,329, in an area of 420.25 km². The present Mayor is Gonçalo Nuno Lagem, elected by the Coligação Democrática Unitária.

History

The human occupation of this territory began in the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period, with small communities farming and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

raising. The

Roman civilization The history of Rome includes the history of the Rome, city of Rome as well as the Ancient Rome, civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman la ...

had an important influence in these lands leaving a rich patrimonial legacy. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

there existed in the territory of the present council two different population nucleus, the Villa of Monforte and the Villa of Assumar. The first Letter of

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

was granted in 1257, by D. Afonso III, to the Villa of Monforte. It would be it given new letter of charter on July 1, 1512, by D. Manuel I. In 1281, D.

Dinis 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 ...

offered it to its daughter D. Isabel, as gift of its marriage. In 1455, the Villa of Monforte entered in the ownership of the territorial domain of Bragança's House, through the donation done by D. Afonso V to the count of Arraiolos. The toponym derives of fortified hill or of fort, where the village seems to have had origin.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Assumar * Monforte * Santo Aleixo * Vaiamonte

Notable people

* António Sardinha (1887–1925) a Portuguese writer and the main intellectual behind the ''

Integralismo Lusitano ''Integralismo Lusitano'' (English: "Lusitanian Integralism") was a Portugal, Portuguese integralism, integralist political movement founded in Coimbra in 1914 that advocated Traditionalist conservatism, traditionalism but not conservatism. I ...

'' movement * José Carlos Malato (born 1964) a Portuguese TV presenter, radio broadcaster, copywriter and college teacher. José Carlos Malato, IMDb Database
retrieved 16 July 2021.

References

External links

Town Hall official websitePhotos from Monforte
Populated places in Portalegre District Municipalities of Portalegre District {{Portalegre-geo-stub