Portel Castle

Portel Castle, locally known as Castelo de Portel, lies in the town of the same name in the Alentejo Central region in Portugal.

The settlement of Portel was donated in 1258 to João Peres de Aboim by Afonso III of Portugal, for his services during the conquest of the Algarve region. João was also allowed to build a castle, so, in 1261, Portel Castle was founded.

At the start of the reign of Denis of Portugal, in 1279, construction was probably still ongoing. In 1289 the castle passed to the Crown, after João had died and a conflict had arisen over his inheritance. King Denis is also credited for erecting the town walls.

During the crisis of the 1383-1385 Portuguese interregnum, Portel's mayor had chosen the side of the Castilians. For fear of his townspeople rebelling, he seized all their weapons and stored them in the castle. In 1384, however, a resident opened up the town gates to the Portuguese forces, forcing the castle to surrender. After the war had ended, Portel Castle passed to the House of Braganza.

Around 1510, the castle was rebuilt by the Braganza dukes; a palace was erected inside its walls and a barbican was placed in front of the gate.

Later on, Portel Castle lost it strategic function, being situated far from any border or important trade routes in the Alentejo and so, by the 19th century, it fell into ruin. During the 20th century the castle ruin continued to deteriorate, resulting in the collapse of a tower and, as recent as 1998, a part of the curtain wall.

The castle has a somewhat circular plan with round flanking towers and an impressive towering square keep. Its plan, unusual for Portuguese military architecture in the 13th century, is thought to have been inspired by Angers Castle in France.

Portel Castle can be visited, but sadly enough it was closed for restoration works when I came by. It looks great.

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