Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman
castrum or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca, on the summit of the hill of Colina da Cardosa. The population grew on the slopes of this hill. Little is known of the history before 1182. There is, nevertheless, a document, from this date, mentioning the donation to the
Templars of a piece of land called Vila Franca da Cardosa, by a noble Fernandes Sanches. In 1213 it obtained a foral granting it autonomy and the name Castel-Branco appears for the first time.
Pope Innocent III confirmed this in 1215 giving it the name of Castelo Branco. It was around this time that the
Templar Knights built the walls and the castle. Historically, Castelo Branco was home to a
Jewish community, until its
forced conversion. After 1496, Castelo Branco became an important center for
marranos, Jews who had converted to Christianity publicly, but still practiced Judaism secretly. These practiced continued for hundreds of years, until the 1920s, when many descendants of Marranos returned to practicing Judaism openly and more traditionally. The local museum in Castelo Branco contains a stone with a
Hebrew inscription from the synagogue of
Belmonte, dated to the year 1297. In 1510 a new foral was conceded by
Manuel I and in 1642 the town acquired the status of Vila de Castelo Branco. In 1771 Castelo Branco became a city and a bishopric (see below) until 1881. In 1858 a telegraph line was opened between
Abrantes and Castelo Branco and in 1860 the city received its first public lighting. In 1959 it became capital of the district of the same name. == Ecclesiastical history ==