ELVAS, FORTIFICATIÓN BASTION

         
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Elvas is one of the scanty European cities that has been capable of preserving entirely the totality of his enclosure bastions, at the same time as, this one for his importance, one of the examples mas significant of fortification bastions of the centuries XVII to the XVII. All her elements (doors, ravelins, forts, bastions, bunkers, covered, ways, police officer's guard bodies...) can be admired individually and in his set. The set was reinforced with two exterior forts placed on paths hills that dominate the city: Holy Luzía and Our Lady of Grace. It is of emphasizing that this fortification, as soon as it was completed in all his extension, was never taken by the enemy. In 1578 the monarch Don Sebastián disappeared in Alcazarquivir's battle without leaving descent, being opened a successor crisis, which was tackled nominating a king to the elderly Infante and Cardinal Don Enrique, which to the 17 days of his proclamation expired. The Parliament, by means of a Public Edict, called on all the persons who believed themselves with right to ceñir the wreath lusa. One of the stages was opened this way mas important of the modern history of Portugal.
 

 

One of praises mas Elvas's out-standing monuments is Amoreira's aqueduct initiated by decree of Évora's Spanish Parliament, for what prepared of special taxes. It was inaugurated in June, 1622 under Francisco de Arruda's direction. It consists of 843 arches, some of which manage to overcome the thirties meter of height. His two ends are strengthened, since she was of vital importance for the population of case of siege.

Philip II of Spain married in 1543 with the princess Dona Maria, daughter of Juan III and Catalina kings of Portugal, claims her death duties, leaned on great part of the Portuguese nobility and the big merchants, receiving the support of Almeirín's Spanish Parliament in 1579, being created of done the union of both countries. Nevertheless, the flat people leaned the aspirations of the Prior of Crato, nephew of the Infante Don Enrique, one objected to the designation of the new monarch, being proclaimed king in Santarem in the year 1580, which motivated that Philip II was ordering the Duke of Alba the invasion of Portugal. This one divided from Badajoz supervised by a powerful army of 30.000 men, who took Elvas's seat in connivance with his leaders and at the same time it was done with the Olivenza's neighboring city. After entering Setúbal and later Lisbon, the Parliament of taking proclaims it a king as Philip I. That is to say, it two crown and an alone king. The monarch expanded his stay in Portugal for three years.

The commitments contracted by both countries, they are broken by the successive Spanish monarches, that it delivered the public and administrative and administrative charges to spaniards or Portuguese upstarts, loading with taxes the people and imposing a repressive politics, which progressive and inexorably was dismissed on the people and part of the nobility. Whereas the warlike contests supported by Spain, they harmed the Portuguese expansion in the Indies, there happened that on the occasion of the war in Catalonia, the duke of Braganza denied to himself to the parcel of Portuguese forces. The revolts happened for the whole territory, up to the point of which in December, 1640 the crowd attacked the Terreiro do Paço, giving death to been worth of Philip IV, Don Michael de Vasconcelos. It was the beginning of the War of Restoration of Portugal.

In this contest Elvas she had a cardinal importance, due to his strategic situation. Between other effects, stands out the assault of the Spanish forces supervised by the Marquess of the Carpio, which with 15.000 men, among infantes and horses, submitted her to five-peseta coin and long siege. The city protected in his formidable fortification lasted in spite of the inferiority of his forces and of the epidemics that suffered his population. The hill on which later building the fort of Grace, it was occupied by the Spaniards who bombarded the population with great hardness from this point. In defense of the seat they came you force from Estremoz and other harness of the border, supervised by the Count of Cantanhede.

The approximation of Spain to France and the increasing power of the alliance of Portugal with the British Wreath, they created a new area of tension in the peninsula, taking supreme importance Elvas's seat and his impressive fortification bastion (badly called Vauban). During the War of Spanish Succession, the city used as base to the Portuguese and British forces supervised by the Marquess of Mines, and afterwards(later) with the cooperation of the Count of Galloway they penetrated in Spanish territory, conquering you change populations, as Alcántara and Plasencia, to come later to the proximities of Madrid.

 

Between 1807 and 1811 Portugal suffered the French invasions arranged by Napoleon. On the other hand, the alliance with the Frenchmen turned(became) against Spain, which on having seen his territory invaded, respondiço with a popular revolt on May 2, 1808. When the map changes politics Portugal, Spain and England turn into allies, with the aim(lens) to expel of the Iberian peninsula to the forces of Napoleon. Badajoz, it(he,she) was in this case the key, to enter Portugal. But the Duke of Wellington arranged his forces in Vilaviçosa, Évora and Estremoz, supporting as advanced top the unconquered Elvas, from which it directed the operations that for years developed in Badajoz and her surroundings, emphasizing between them the bloody battle of The Albuera.

Towards Elvas the injured men were moved in the different battles that happened along the border. Exponent of it is the Cemetery of English man, beautiful and quiet place that served for this end and that occupies a small bastion in the high zone of the city.

   TO GO TO THE SANTA LUZÍA FORT 

  TO GO TO THE LADY OF THE GRACE FORT  

     http://www.cm-elvas.pt                                          http://zedemello.blogspot.com/search/label/UNESCO                         photographíes propierty of thr author

  Antonio García Candelas        Suggestions and impressions
ENTER EUROCITY BADAJOZ - ELVAS VILA VIÇOSA BORBA PORTALEGRE BADAJOZ