Iberia – Castles and peoples, letter to a Friend
A Letter to a History and Castles Loving Friend
Last year, soon after I started on this newly found pen pal app, I discovered a new penpal. Her personal profile mentioned interests in Castles and History, which motivated me to write the all-important fist letter to her.
The letter was accepted and a nice reply came back. My next letter, was long and full of details. Created in a long writing session, via mobile phone screen. (This was months before Slowly Web mode existed).
And it was enjoyed by both, writer and reader. Now I have decided to add it to the other letter samples already in my Blog. I think it's a nice one, hope you enjoy reading it too.
One of the many letters I have enjoyed writing with the wonderful Slowly app. I sincerely thank the developers, who were into penpal friendships and letter writing in their younger days, and now brought their experiences into our more accelerated days in this 21st century.
And the letter begins
Hello, M.! :)
Thank you for your wonderful reply, I am so happy to have found Slowly, and you and other nice penpals here thru it. Amazing.
I was just seating down for a bit, taking a break from mowing the lawn, and your letter arrived. I read and enjoyed it, you write well and with passion. :) Had some lunch and thought it deserves an immediate answer, so here we go.
Very glad you enjoyed my letter, and followed up by researching Marvão and Tomar castles, which are both wonderful. I have other interests, beside the many I marked in my profile here, for example Archaeology, which you have listed on yours. History is fascinating, and I like to understand it in conjunction with the economy, technology, trade patterns of the times – things connect once you see why some of the events took place, the needs, why people chose to settle in certain locations long ago.
And a Documentary Reference Suggestion :
I love reading, and historical novels are part of my favourite topics.
Have some ideas to mention in this letter, that I think you should be interested in. Before I get into them, could I suggest a nice documentary which I think you might like too?
It's called “When the Moors ruled in Europe”, a two hour or so production with great British professor Betanny Hughes, writing, narrating and explaining. See a summary here
There seems to be a full copy on YouTube
Ok, now I hope I didn't lose you to the video, lol, but I loved it, and it motivated me to visit some specific places in Europe, I will explain here later. Hope you don't mind reading a long letter. :)
Castles in Portugal, Historical Roots
Back on our topic of castles and Portugal, the reason I mentioned the documentary is because knowing about the Moor presence in the Iberian Peninsula is important to understand Portugal and its history. The country was founded around the year 1100, and preceded Spain as a nation by a long time.
The Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula around the year 710 or so, and stayed for along time, had an impact on the region which we can still see and study today.
When you visit Portugal, I would suggest some sites, castles, and some of them are directly related to this occupation.
Right in Lisbon itself, there's Saint George's Castle, dominating one of the highest hills in that gorgeous city. St George was actually built by the Moors, and was never defeated, it's such a stronghold on that mountain.
1139, and the Birth of a new Nation
The new kingdom of Portugal, which used to be a County of Portugal, vassal to the Kingdom of León, in today's northern Spain, was very young, and in a big military campaign to recover Christian lands from the Moors.
The first King rallied his troops, and also appealed to Crusader knights which were traveling from northern Europe to Palestine, for a new Crusade, asking them to help in the Reconquista, likening it to their mission of reclaiming occupied lands in Palestine.
A lot of them agreed to help, and joined forces, setting siege to Lisbon. The Moors held on but eventually sued for peace, delivering the city without a full scale invasion. So the castle changed hands and gained it's Christian name. Must see, really nice views of Lisboa from it too.
Also Nearby — Castle at Sintra
Another wonderful castle is nearby, in Sintra, which is about 30 km and an easy train ride from Lisbon. Castelo dos Mouros, or Moor's Castle is on a high hill, a phenomenal stronghold, with views not only of the whole surrounding region, but all the way to sea, you could see an incoming sailing ship a day or two before it reached Lisbon. This magnificent castle is in great shape and can be visited, I walked the guards pathways all over. It was ceded without a fight as well, once nearby Lisbon fell to the combined forces of Christendom.
Must see as well, there are some nice King's Palaces in Sintra also.
Other Historical Cities and Monuments
There are many other castles or fortified cities in Portugal, and the country is a wonderful place to travel. Good food and drink, a polite population, and low costs if you don't mind simpler accommodation. I travel there for about 20 to 30 euros per day, for food and accommodation costs, using lower priced shared accommodation, hostels, etc.
Évora is an ancient city, about 150 km from Lisbon, and still has a lot of history. It has a walled city center, with the walls pretty much intact. You can see that even on a map, the core is kind of circular, and the entry points to it are the gates in the city walls.
Tomar and the Templar Order in Portugal
Tomar I mentioned, and you already want to visit, the castle is pretty, in great shape, and very significant historically.
The land around Tomar was given by Dom Afonso Henriques, first King of Portugal, to the Templar Order, in recognition of their support in the fight for the Reconquista. The Templars chose the site for the city, planned and built it. Where the castle is, there seemed to be some Moorish presence back then, as it was a good strategical position.
I am fascinated by the Templars, love their history and their mission, we can talk about it in future letters as otherwise I won't finish this one today, lol. :)
Defensive Positions and the Reconquista
Many of the castles in Portugal date from this Reconquista time, which in Portugal happened much sooner than in the neighbouring lands which would become Spain someday. The last Moorish kingdom in Spain, which is Granada, only fell in 1492, same year Columbus travelled to the Americas.
So, that's why I mentioned and suggested that documentary.
Some of the other castles have other origins, namely to defend the country from invasion and pillage by the Spaniards. Along the eastern Portuguese border you can find a line of those castles, forts and fortified towns, built to defend the region.
Marvão and the nearby Castelo de Vide. Portalegre, a walled city. Elvas, Castelo Branco, Guarda.
There is a nice one in Bragança, which is further north and equally close to the troublesome neighbours. [ detail shown below. Full Image Here ]
Portugal, a Country long before Spain Existed
At the time Portugal was born, when the then Count of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques, requested recognition as an independent state from his then king, the one in León, there was no Spain, just 5 kingdoms in the North which still resisted and fought the Moors in the south, where they had established their own kingdoms as Al Andalus, now called Andalucía.
That region has fascinating history, and I really wanted to visit after seeing the documentary I suggested. If you have a chance, I am sure you would love seeing it too. Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada all have a lot to see. :)
Don't miss the Alhambra, in Granada — here seen from nearby at sunset.
Dear M., hope you enjoy reading this and our conversations. I am delighted to find someone interested in these topics, love the intellectual stimulation from discussing them.
Have a good week!
Yann2. :)
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