Castle of Torres Vedras, used in battle in the nation's infancy initiated by Lt. Gen. Arthur Wellesley in the
Peninsular Wars In 1148,
Afonso I took the town of Torres Vedras from the Moors, in the then region of
Estremadura, an area encircled by gentle hills and valleys. King
Afonso III conceded a
foral (
charter) in 1250, which was later confirmed by King
Manuel I in 1510. This latter decree conferred on the town many of the municipal privileges that it held for 729 years. While travelling through this district, King
Afonso III and Queen
Beatrice, ordered the construction of a municipal hall, alongside the ancient castle (which today no longer exists). For his part, King
Denis, his successor, was captivated by local Gracia Frois, fathering an illegitimate son, who would go on to be
Count of Barcelos. Later, the municipality was donated to the Queens of the realm, and in particular, under the Aviz dynasty, the Infanta
Eleonor (daughter of King
Edward and Queen
Eleanor), who would later marry
Frederick III of Germany, was born in Torres Vedras (18 September 1434). Torres Vedras continued to be a place of importance: in 1413, King
John I met with his council after legitimizing his
expedition to Ceuta (marking the beginning of
Portuguese maritime expansion); the Regent Peter, convened the Cortes in 1411, to deliberate over the wedding of his daughter Isabel with his nephew
Afonso; and the place where King
John II received the ambassadors of the
Kingdom of Naples, and later the
Republic of Venice, in 1496. At the same time, intrigues and confrontations were fermented in Torres Vedras by local
alcaides, such as in 1384 when the
Master of Aviz encircled the town in order to force the Castilian alcalde Juan Duque to surrender. It was for the same reason, that King
John IV was forced to take city in 1640, when the Portuguese alcaide João Soares de Alarcão, aligned himself with the
Philippine monarchs. In comparison, the loyalty and sympathies of the Portuguese of the region were tested with the French invasions of the
Peninsular Wars (1808–1810). Anticipating the final defeat of the French, General Delaborde's forces were defeated on 21 August 1808, at the battles of
Roliça and
Vimeiro, by the
Anglo-Portuguese Army that had landed at Porto Novo.
Junot, who had installed himself in the town, signed a truce and left the town, retreating towards Lisbon, but not before sacking the churches and convents along the way.
Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington and Marquess of Torres Vedras, began the construction (1809–1810) of the
Lines of Torres Vedras that would extend to the sea. This fortified system, which included 152 forts and 628 redoubts, was marked by the
Fort of São Vicente, in Torres Vedras. Ironically, the fort only saw battle after the French were removed from Portugal, when Cabralist forces (those supporting politician
Costa Cabral) under the
Duke of Saldanha, evicted
Setembrist forces of the Count of Bonfim. Over 10,000 troops were involved in the bloody Battle of Torres Vedras, which resulted in the surrender of the Count's forces on 23 December 1846. The deaths of 400 men and 500 wounded, that included Lieutenant-Colonel
Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque, a liberal officer who disembarked in Mindelo and was later buried in the Church of São Pedro. Following much of its history in battle, Torres Vedras lapsed into years of progress and development, supported by the expansion of the rail-lines in 1886, the installation of the electrical grid in 1912, and finally the canalization of waters to the town by 1926. These changes helped support a growth, construction of new barrios and roadways, resulting in the town's reclassification as a city in 1979. On 28 January 2026,
Storm Kristin caused a catastrophic impact with €37 million in damage in the municipality of Torres Vedras and 150 homes have suffered severe damage in the municipality. ==Geography==