Leiria

Leiria grew beneath a castle overlooking the river Lis. Afonso Henriques took the place in 1135 and granted a charter in 1142 to encourage settlement on a frontier that still faced attacks from the south. Its walls and castle were rebuilt, and the town later hosted meetings of the Portuguese Cortes. King Denis restored the castle keep and spent long periods at Leiria. He also ordered the expansion of the coastal pine forest, whose timber later supplied Portuguese ships. John I built a royal palace within the castle walls, while the town spread downhill toward the Lis. Leiria became a city and a bishop's seat in 1545, and its cathedral was built later in the sixteenth century.