Its name comes from the Latin PortusAlacer (meaning "cheerful port"). The municipal holiday is 23 May. According to the 2001 census the city of Portalegre had 15,768 inhabitants in its two parishes (Sé and São Lourenço). These two parishes, plus the eight rural parishes, had a total of 25,608 inhabitants. The current mayor is Adelaide Teixeira, who was elected as an independent.[when?]
History
According to a frequently mentioned legend, described by Friar Amador Arrais in his 1589 work, Diálogos,[3] Portalegre was founded by Lísias in the 12th century BC, following the disappearance of his daughter Maia. She was walking with Tobias when she is coveted by a vagabond, Dolme, who kidnaps and murders Tobias.
Lísias is desperate for his daughter's disappearance and goes in search of her, eventually finding her dead by a stream that today is named Ribeiro de Baco. Lísias will die of joy when she thinks she has seen her daughter extend her arms to her. The city that was founded in the meantime was given the name of Ammaia. Lysias would also have built a fortress and a temple dedicated to Bacchus on the site where the Church of São Cristóvão stands today. According to Friar Amador Arrais, ruins of this temple still existed in the 16th century.[4]
It is believed the legend resulted from fantasies somehow supported by the existence of a tombstone with a dedication to the Roman emperor Commodus (161-192), which was probably brought from the ruins of the Roman city at São Salvador da Aramenha, near Marvão, which is now commonly accepted as the Roman Ammaia referred to in various historical sources.[citation needed]
The location of this and other cities mentioned in sources from the Roman period, Medóbriga, was the subject of controversy until, at least, the beginning of the 20th century, with speculation until that time whether there were any important ancient settlements in the area currently occupied by the city or in its surroundings.[citation needed]
The name of Portalegre comes from Portus Alacer (meaning "happy" port or crossing point). It is likely that in the 12th century there was a village in the valley to the east of Serra da Penha. The name of Portalegre, where one of the important activities would be to provide shelter and food for travelers (hence the name of port, crossing point or supply). The contrast of its green slopes and valleys with the more arid and monotonous landscape to the south and north may have contributed to its name. The village prospered. In 1129, it was a village in the municipality of Marvão, becoming the seat of the municipality in 1253, having been awarded the first charter in 1259 by Afonso III, who ordered the construction of the first fortifications, which were never completed.[5]
The next king ordered the construction of the first walls in 1290, which he himself would surround for 5 months in 1299, following the civil war that opposed him to his brother, who asserted the throne claiming that Denis was an illegitimate child.[citation needed]
That same year, Denis would grant Portalegre the privilege of not being assigned the lordship of the village "neither the infant, nor the rich man, nor the rich lady, but being of the King and of his first heir son".[citation needed]
After Ferdinand I died in 1383 without leaving any male heirs, Leonor Teles assumed the regency of the Kingdom at the same time that she became acquainted with Count Andeiro, a Galician nobleman. This situation upset a large part of the people, the bourgeoisie and a part of the nobility, as it was feared that this situation would reinforce the claims to the Portuguese throne of John I of Castile, who was married to Beatrice, the daughter of Ferdinand and Leonor.[citation needed]
This dynastic crisis, which involved a warlike civil war between Portugal and Castile, would come to be known as the 1383-1385 Crisis. The strongest party among those who opposed the claims to the throne of John I of Castile and D. Beatrice supported the coronation of John of Aviz.[citation needed]
Among the nobles who supported John of Aviz was Nuno Álvares Pereira, brother of the then mayor of Portalegre, Pedro Álvares Pereira, Prior of Crato, who was a staunch supporter of Leonor. This position of the mayor provoked the revolt of the people of Portalegre, which surrounded the castle and forced Dom Pedro to flee to Crato. The former mayor would die in 1385 at the Battle of Aljubarrota, where he fought on the opposite side of his brother, Nuno.[5]
The town grew in importance and on August 21, 1549 the Diocese of Portalegre was created, by a bull of Pope Paul III, following steps in this direction by John III, who would elevate Portalegre to the city on 23 May 1550.
The importance of the city at that time was reflected, for example, in the volume of revenue from the tax on Jewish quarters, which was similar to that of Porto, and only surpassed by those of Lisbon, Santarém and Setúbal. It was also one of the most important fabric industry centers in the country, along with Estremoz and Covilhã.[5]
Engraving depicting the siege of Portalegre by the troops of Philip V of Spain in 1704
Owing to its proximity to the border with Spain, over the years Portalegre endured many invasions by foreign troops.[citation needed]
In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, it was attacked and conquered by the army of Felipe V; again in 1801 during the War of the Oranges, it surrendered to the Spanish Army, in an attempt to counter the French dominion. In 1847, it was occupied by forces of the Spanish General Concha.[citation needed]
Although the landscape of the municipalities north of Portalegre is still typically Alentejo, with relatively flat areas alternating with mostly relatively low hills, Portalegre is often described as a transition zone between the drier, flat Alentejo and the Beiras, wetter and mountainous. The terrain is more varied than in the rest of Alentejo in general, which contributes to the landscape having its own peculiar characteristics.
The city is located at an altitude of between 400 and 600 m (1,300 and 2,000 ft), in the transition zone between the relatively flat landscape, but with many low hills to the south and west, and the mountainous system of Serra de São Mamede, which surrounds it to the north, east and southeast.
The unique characteristics of the landscape, flora and fauna are at the base of the creation of the Serra de São Mamede Natural Park, which includes a considerable part of the municipality's area.
Climate
Portalegre has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Its position at the foot of Serra de São Mamede gives it cooler day temperatures, higher precipitation and lower insolation than the surrounding municipalities.
Climate data for Portalegre (elevation: 597 m or 1,959 ft), 1981-2010 normals
The house-museum of José Régio, a famous Portuguese poet, was installed in his home, in which he lived for 34 years. When Régio was accepted at the high school of Mouzinho da Silveira, in Portalegre, this place was a hostel. It was previously an annex of the convent of S. Brás, of which there are still some vestiges, namely the chapel. It served as a headquarters when the peninsular wars were fought, but it was later named Pensão 21.[citation needed]
Régio rented a humble room and, as he needed more space (he collected several works of art, amongst which more than 400 representations of Christ), he would rent more space. So, as time went by, he finally became the only inhabitant of the hostel.[citation needed]
In 1965, he sold his collection to the municipality of Portalegre with the condition of it buying his house, restore it and transform it into a museum. He lived there until he died, in 1969. The museum was opened to public in 1971.[citation needed]
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