Estremoz

Estremoz commands a strategic position in the Alentejo between Portugal and Castile. After passing between Christian and Muslim rulers, it received a charter from Afonso III in 1258. King Denis rebuilt the castle as a royal residence, and his widow Elizabeth died there in 1336 after helping mediate peace between Portugal and Castile. During the succession crisis of 1383–1385, Nuno Álvares Pereira made Estremoz his headquarters before defeating Castilian forces at Atoleiros. Its military importance endured: during the Portuguese Restoration War, armies fighting nearby won the battles of Ameixial in 1663 and Montes Claros in 1665.