Trancoso

Trancoso stands on a plateau in Beira Alta, its castle guarding a route near Portugal's eastern frontier. The town acquired strategic importance during the formation of the kingdom, and King Denis enlarged its walls and gates. In 1282 he received his bride Isabel of Aragon here. In 1385 Castilian troops raided the outskirts on their way to Viseu. On their return, forces led by the governors of Trancoso, Linhares and Celorico met them in battle near São Marcos. John I later reinforced the defenses against further invasions. The town was also home to the sixteenth-century shoemaker and prophetic poet António Gonçalves de Bandarra.