Page 167 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

The picturesque coastline at Nazaré

ESTREMADURA
AND RIBATEJO

The name Estremadura comes from the Latin
Extrema Durii, “beyond the Douro”. This was
once the border of the Christian kingdoms in
the north. As Portugal expanded southwards
in the 12th century, land taken from the Moors
was given to the religious orders. The Cistercian
abbey at Alcobaça celebrates Afonso Henriques’
capture of the town of Santarém in 1147, after
which the Knights Templar began constructing
their citadel at Tomar (p176). Overthrowing the
Moors did not signal lasting peace in the region,
however, as Spanish claims to the Portuguese
throne brought more fighting. João I was victorious
over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in
1385, and he built Batalha’s magnificent abbey
near the site to celebrate Portuguese independence.
In 1808–10, Napoleonic forces sacked many
towns in the region, but were stopped by
Wellington’s formidable defences, the Lines of
Torres Vedras. Christianity remains as important
here as it was in the Middle Ages and, in the
20th century, Fátima became an important
pilgrimage destination following celebrated
visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. The region
is not out of touch with the modern world,
however, and the building of the dam at
Castelo de Bode in the 1940s heralded a
new era of hydroelectric power.
167

166-167_EW_Portugal.indd 167 20/09/2018 10:40