Castle of Almada
The Castle of Almada () is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal e Cacilhas, in the municipality of Almada, Portuguese Setúbal. History The castle was founded in a strategic position, on a site settled by Muslim forces during the Iberian occupation, referred to as al-Madan (which means gold mine or silver mine), suggesting that the site was built on mineral extraction in the region or epoch, and referred to in the Geografia Nubiense of Muhammad al-Idrisi (dating to the 12th century. During the Portuguese Reconquista of Lisbon (around 1147), Almada was assaulted and conquered by the combined forces of King D. Afonso and a crusader army. Following its conquest, the settlement's defenses were reinforced and expanded following the foral (charter) issued of 1170. King D. Sancho I signed a new foral in 1190. During this period, Almohad forces under the command of caliph Abū Yūssuf Yaʿqūb bin Yūssuf al-Manṣūr following their conquest of the Algarve, advanced to the north, expelling Portuguese forces from citadels in Alcácer do Sal and Palmela, and destroyed the defensive lines in Almada (1191). The Portuguese monarch reconquered the fortifications in 1195, and began the construction of a castle on the site. It was only following the battle of Navas de Tolosa (1212), when Christian forces registered a decisive victory over Muslim forces in the Iberian peninsula, that the lost territories were recaptured from the Tagus to Évora. On 24 February 1255, King D. Afonso III (1248-1279) reconfirmed to the Order of Santiago, in the person of Master Paio Peres Correia and his commander, the control of the castles first donated by D. Sancho I, and later confirmed by Afonso II (1211-1223), namely Alcácer do Sal, Almadar do Sal, Almada, Arruda and Palmela. The castle was expanded and reinforced during the reign of King D. Dinis I and, later, under the direction of King Ferdinand (1367-1383). During the succession crisis of 1383-1385, when the city of Lisbon was under siege (1384), Almada was encircled by forces loyal to Castile, by Condestável D. Nuno Álvares Pereira who was unsuccessful in liberating the region. During the reign of King D. Manuel I (1495-1521) a tower was constructed on the south wall of the castle fortifications. During the context of the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668), in the reign of King D. Afonso VI (1656-1683) the town was defended by the old castle, and was rebuilt in order to maintain the defense of Lisbon, resulting in the construction of a line of bastions. The castle was damaged during the events of the Lisbon earthquake (1 November 1755), but was only reconstructed around 1760, obtaining the actual extent and plan. It was decommissioned in 1825, and Lieutenant Fulgêncio Gomes dos Santos Vale received orders to collect all the arms material onsite, and transfer it the military arsenal in Lisbon. But, the site was garrisoned in 1831, during the context of the Portuguese Civil War (1828-1834). In this period, the site was commanded by