Page 20 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Lisbon

18  INTRODUCING LISBON

The Reign of King Dinis The 16th century saw major
Under King Dinis, the son of Afonso III, developments: a new square,
the court at Lisbon became a centre the Terreiro do Paço (now the
of culture and in 1290 the University Praça do Comércio), was built
of Lisbon was founded. Dinis on the waterfront, and a new
extended the city away from the district, the Bairro Alto, sprang
castle, developing the Baixa, and up to house the many
Lisbon flourished as trade with merchants drawn to Lisbon.
Europe grew. The Inquisition, a Catholic
In the 14th century, the city movement which persecuted
continued to expand westwards heretics and non-believers,
along the river, despite the ruin began a reign of terror. Mass
caused by the Black Death, which trials and executions of those
spread throughout Portugal Statue of Manuel I and St Jerome that were condemned took place
from Lisbon. In 1373, after on the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos regularly in the Terreiro do Paço.
Lisbon was sacked by Enrique
II of Castile, Fernando I built a new line of Spanish Control
fortifications to protect his 40,000 citizens The young King Sebastião I was killed
and to redefine at the battle of Alcácer-Quibir in a
the boundaries of doomed attempt to invade Morocco in
the growing city. 1578. The lack of an heir led to conquest
When Fernando by Spain in 1580. Ignoring his advisers,
died without an Philip II of Spain refused to make Lisbon
heir, the throne the capital of his extended kingdom and
was claimed by left the government of Portugal to a
his illegitimate viceroy. The Spanish were ousted in
Musicians at the court of King Dinis half bro ther, 1640 and the Duke of Bragança was
João of Avis, crowned João IV.
who defeated Juan of Castile in 1385, With the discovery of Brazilian gold
at the famous Battle of Ajubarrota. in 1697, Lisbon enjoyed a new wave
of prosperity. From 1706, João V began
The Discoveries an ambitious building programme in
Periodic outbreaks of plague continued the city. The most valuable addition to
to destabilize the economy and led to riots Lisbon at this time was the Águas Livres
in Lisbon over grain shortages. Prosperity aqueduct (see p86), which carried water
returned during the Age of Discovery (see across the Alcântara valley for just a few
pp22–3) when Vasco da Gama, setting out years before the devastating earthquake
from Belém in 1497, successfully navigated struck the city in 1755 (see pp24–5).
a sea route to India. The resulting wealth
from the spice trade made Lisbon the
mercantile centre of Europe. In gratitude
for this new-found prosperity, Manuel I
ordered the building of the Torre de
Belém (see p72) and the magnificent
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém (see
pp68–9); their ornate late-Gothic style,
known as Manueline after the king,
reflects the Discoveries in the exotic and
nautical nature of the detailed sculpture The battle of Alcácer-Quibir in Morocco, where 8,000 men were
on the two monuments. killed and 15,000 captured

016-019_EW_Lisbon.indd 18 17/10/16 11:33 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
History Portrait template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.2)
Date 20th August 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm