Castle of Vinhais

The Castle of Vinhais (Portuguese: Castelo de Vinahis) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Vinhais, municipality of Vinhais, Portuguese district of Bragança.

Its close proximity to the Kingdom of Castile made it influenced by the local architecture.

Human occupation of the region dates back to prehistoric times. The early humans left behind numerous archaeological remains, including rock art, and the megalithic monuments (dolmens) and forts.

Vinhais was originally a Galician settlement that was an occasional trade center. After the Romans entered Iberia the town was turned into a Galician-Roman fortress. Regarding the location of this primitive village, scholars are divided into three hypotheses:

These assumptions are justified by the appearance of Roman coins, traces of buildings of the ancient Roman city of Veniatia, and the remains Roman military road that connected Braga to Astorga (Asturica Augusta).

The Swabians and Visigoths established the village. A few centuries later the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula resulted in the increase of the castles.

The Vinhais village is the result of the centralization of the territory of Tras-os-Montes in so-called "new towns" of initiatives under the direct control of the Crown, better-equipped to attract and organize the services for the people.

When the court clerks King Dinis (1279-1325) were preparing the 1320-1321 catalog, is not that the common Parish Church, which indicates that both the temple and the fortification have been very time-consuming construction. Will date from the reign of this sovereign, possibly from the late thirteenth century the completion of the village fence, supported by five or six towers, two of them flanking the gate. Not having citadel, the main tower integrated to the fence.

Records from the late thirteenth century show the completion of the village wall supported by five or six towers, two straddling gate. Since the village did not have a citadel, the main tower was integrated to the fence. Durante a crise de 1383-1385, o Alcaide-mor de Vinhais tomou partido por D. Beatriz, vindo posteriormente a reconhecer a soberania de D. João I (1385-1433). Esse processo não terá sido pacífico, uma vez que o seu Alcaide-mor, João Afonso Pimentel, revoltou-se em 1397 contra o soberano, passando-se para Castela, tendo a praça voltado à posse portuguesa apenas em 1403.

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