Campo Maior
Encyclopedia
Campo Maior (ˈkɐ̃pu mɐˈjɔɾ), is a municipality
in the Portalegre District, Alentejo Region
, Portugal
.
The municipality has an area of 247,26 km² and a population of 8359 (2004). It is divided into 3 parishes (freguesia
s). It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by Elvas Municipality on the Southeast, and by Arronches Municipality on the West.
The seat is the town of Campo Maior
. The town has a population of 7900.
settling - the ancient Muro Dam
is close by - which went under control of the Moors for half a millennium. In 1219, it was conquered by Christian knights, the Pérez de Badajoz
family, who then gave the village, which belonged to the municipality of Badajoz
, to the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo (Saint Mary of the Castle).
On May 31, 1255, King Alfonso X of Castile
promotes the village to town status.
In 1260, Bishop Friar Pedro Pérez, the Town Lord, grants the first charter (fuero
) to the inhabitants of Campo Maior. He also introduced the town's first coat-of-arms, showing Our Lady and a lamb, with a legend "Sigillum Capituli Pacensis".
On May 31, 1297, the Treaty of Alcanizes was signed by King Ferdinand IV of Castile
and King Denis of Portugal
, whereby Campo Maior, together with Olivenza
and Ouguela, were transferred to Portugal.
Under Portuguese sovereignty
, Campo Maior went through an additional two Town Lords - Branca, sister of King Denis, in 1301, and Afonso Sanches, natural son of King Denis, in 1312 - before returning to King Denis's direct rule in 1318.
The Castle east of the village was rebuilt by King Denis in 1310. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, other fortification
s were built and Campo Maior became an important garrison
town.
As a reflex of the influence of Castile in Campo Maior, the population and the garrison sided with Castile following the 1383–1385 Crisis
. King John I of Portugal
and Constable
Nuno Álvares Pereira
led their armies personally and had the town besieged for six weeks and finally occupied, in the end of 1388.
King John II
(1481–1495) granted a new coat-of-arms to Campo Maior: a white shield, with the Arms of Portugal on one side, and John the Baptist
, patron saint
of the town, on the other side.
In 1512, King Manuel I
renews the charter (foral
) of Campo Maior.
From the late 15th Century, many of those persecuted by the Inquisition
in Castile took refuge in Portugal. Part of them settled in Campo Maior, which saw its population increase substantially. As a consequence, in the 16th Century, the town's Jewish community was so numerous that it provided most of the accused of Judaism
which were included in the Inquisition's Auto-de-fé that took place in nearby Évora
.
The war with Castile from 1640 brought big changes. The need to re-fortify the town, which had grown markedly outside the medieval perimeter during the previous three centuries, and the urgency to build a new fortified perimeter to defend the inhabitants of the "new town" from the incursions of the Castilian armies, were the reasons that forced the Kings of Portugal to invest large amounts of money, and to send contingents of military engineers, specialized workers and even more non-specialized workers. The garrison had then a substantial size. It is estimated that, in late 17th Century, one out of four inhabitants of Campo Maior was military. Campo Maior was also the main home of the mercenary Dutch troops that fought in Alentejo. The town was at that time the second most important garrison in Alentejo, after Elvas
.
In 1712, the Castle of Campo Maior is besieged by the Spanish Army, commanded by the French Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay
. For 36 days, he launched tons of projectiles on the town and managed to breach one of the bastion
s. However, upon crossing the breach, the Spanish Army suffered heavy casualties and retreated in defeat.
On September 16, 1732, at 3 am, a storm hits the Armory
, located on the Castle's main tower, which contained 6000 arrobas of gunpowder and 5000 pieces of ammunition. A violent explosion ensued, followed by a fire, taking down two thirds of the inhabitants.
King John V determines the quick reconstruction of the Castle. The town will slowly rise from the ruins and will eventually regain its main role both in times of war and in times of peace, as a trading post with Spain.
In the 18th Century, the Church of Misericórdia (Mercy) and the Matriz Church (Matrix, seat of the Parish) are built and the Church of Saint John is started. The town, which until then had been formed by a single freguesia
(parish), is divided in 1766 into the present two - Our Lady of Expectação and Saint John the Baptist.
The early 19th century were agitated in Campo Maior: a siege in 1801 by the Spanish, and a local rebellion
in 1808 against the French who were then engaged in the Peninsular War
.
The uprising of Campo Maior against the Napoleonic invasion was successful due to the help from the Badajoz
army, which then stayed in the town for three years.
In 1811, a new Napoleonic invasion besieges the town for one month until capitulation. But that gave time for a Portuguese and British contingent, under the command of British General Beresford
, to arrive and disband the French. The town then earned the title of Vila Leal e Valorosa (Loyal and Valorous Town), now inscribed in its coat-of-arms.
The Liberal Wars
(1828–1834) were also fought in Campo Maior.
In 1836, the neighbouring municipality of Ouguela was extinct and annexed to Campo Maior, increasing its number of freguesias (parishes) from three to four.
In 1865, an epidemic of cholera
killed 150 people in two and a half months.
In 1867, an attempt to extinguish the municipality of Campo Maior and integrate it in the municipality of Elvas
provokes a popular uprising, with the population staging a strike on December 13. The attempt was dropped and the municipality survived.
In 1926, a fourth rural freguesia (parish) is added to the municipality: Our Lady of the Graça dos Degolados (Grace of the Beheaded).
In 1941, the municipality assumes its current division in three freguesias (parishes), with the annexation of the freguesia of Ouguela by the freguesia of Saint John the Baptist, due to the former's rapid population decline.
, the market leader in Portugal.
Other economic activities include agriculture
and livestock
rising. Campo Maior is a production center of olive
s and ham
, made from Iberian pig (also known as porco alentejano).
Municipalities of Portugal
In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
in the Portalegre District, Alentejo Region
Alentejo Region
Alentejo Region is one of the NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province, but the Lezíria do Tejo Subregion also covers areas of the Estremadura Province.-Subregions:* Alto Alentejo Subregion...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
The municipality has an area of 247,26 km² and a population of 8359 (2004). It is divided into 3 parishes (freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
s). It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by Elvas Municipality on the Southeast, and by Arronches Municipality on the West.
The seat is the town of Campo Maior
Campo Maior
Campo Maior , is a municipality in the Portalegre District, Alentejo Region, Portugal.The municipality has an area of 247,26 km² and a population of 8359 . It is divided into 3 parishes . It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by Elvas Municipality on the Southeast, and by Arronches...
. The town has a population of 7900.
Parishes
- Nossa Senhora da Expectação
- Nossa Senhora da Graça dos Degolados
- São João Baptista
Demographics
| Population of Campo Maior Municipality (1801–2004) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 1849 | 1900 | 1930 | 1960 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2004 |
| 4975 | 4416 | 6050 | 8234 | 9887 | 8549 | 8535 | 8387 | 8359 |
History
Campo Maior was certainly a RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settling - the ancient Muro Dam
Muro Dam
The Muro Dam was a Roman dam in Portugal. Located near the eastern municipality of Campo Maior, it is the largest surviving ancient dam in the country south of the Tagus river....
is close by - which went under control of the Moors for half a millennium. In 1219, it was conquered by Christian knights, the Pérez de Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
family, who then gave the village, which belonged to the municipality of Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, to the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo (Saint Mary of the Castle).
On May 31, 1255, King Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
promotes the village to town status.
In 1260, Bishop Friar Pedro Pérez, the Town Lord, grants the first charter (fuero
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
) to the inhabitants of Campo Maior. He also introduced the town's first coat-of-arms, showing Our Lady and a lamb, with a legend "Sigillum Capituli Pacensis".
On May 31, 1297, the Treaty of Alcanizes was signed by King Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
and King Denis of Portugal
Denis of Portugal
Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...
, whereby Campo Maior, together with Olivenza
Olivenza
Olivenza or Olivença is a town in the autonomous community of Extremadura, situated on a disputed section of the border between Portugal and Spain...
and Ouguela, were transferred to Portugal.
Under Portuguese sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, Campo Maior went through an additional two Town Lords - Branca, sister of King Denis, in 1301, and Afonso Sanches, natural son of King Denis, in 1312 - before returning to King Denis's direct rule in 1318.
The Castle east of the village was rebuilt by King Denis in 1310. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, other fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s were built and Campo Maior became an important garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
town.
As a reflex of the influence of Castile in Campo Maior, the population and the garrison sided with Castile following the 1383–1385 Crisis
1383–1385 Crisis
The 1383–1385 Crisis was a period of civil war in Portuguese history that began with the death of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, who left no male heirs, and ended with the accession to the throne of King John I in 1385, in the wake of the Battle of Aljubarrota.In Portugal, this period is also known...
. King John I of Portugal
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
and Constable
Constable of Portugal
Constable of Portugal or Constable of the Kingdom was a title created by the King of Portugal Ferdinand I in 1382, to substitute the title Alferes Mór do Reino. The constable was the second most powerful person in the kingdom, after the King of Portugal...
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. , also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile...
led their armies personally and had the town besieged for six weeks and finally occupied, in the end of 1388.
King John II
John II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
(1481–1495) granted a new coat-of-arms to Campo Maior: a white shield, with the Arms of Portugal on one side, and John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the town, on the other side.
In 1512, King Manuel I
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
renews the charter (foral
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
) of Campo Maior.
From the late 15th Century, many of those persecuted by the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in Castile took refuge in Portugal. Part of them settled in Campo Maior, which saw its population increase substantially. As a consequence, in the 16th Century, the town's Jewish community was so numerous that it provided most of the accused of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
which were included in the Inquisition's Auto-de-fé that took place in nearby Évora
Évora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
.
The war with Castile from 1640 brought big changes. The need to re-fortify the town, which had grown markedly outside the medieval perimeter during the previous three centuries, and the urgency to build a new fortified perimeter to defend the inhabitants of the "new town" from the incursions of the Castilian armies, were the reasons that forced the Kings of Portugal to invest large amounts of money, and to send contingents of military engineers, specialized workers and even more non-specialized workers. The garrison had then a substantial size. It is estimated that, in late 17th Century, one out of four inhabitants of Campo Maior was military. Campo Maior was also the main home of the mercenary Dutch troops that fought in Alentejo. The town was at that time the second most important garrison in Alentejo, after Elvas
Elvas
Elvas is a Portuguese municipality, an episcopal city and frontier fortress of Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about 230 km east of Lisbon, and about 15 km west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon railway...
.
In 1712, the Castle of Campo Maior is besieged by the Spanish Army, commanded by the French Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay
Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay
Alexandre Maître, marquis de Bay was a French military officer.-Service Record:1696 - 1701: in service in the Dutch cavalry, colonel....
. For 36 days, he launched tons of projectiles on the town and managed to breach one of the bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s. However, upon crossing the breach, the Spanish Army suffered heavy casualties and retreated in defeat.
On September 16, 1732, at 3 am, a storm hits the Armory
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
, located on the Castle's main tower, which contained 6000 arrobas of gunpowder and 5000 pieces of ammunition. A violent explosion ensued, followed by a fire, taking down two thirds of the inhabitants.
King John V determines the quick reconstruction of the Castle. The town will slowly rise from the ruins and will eventually regain its main role both in times of war and in times of peace, as a trading post with Spain.
In the 18th Century, the Church of Misericórdia (Mercy) and the Matriz Church (Matrix, seat of the Parish) are built and the Church of Saint John is started. The town, which until then had been formed by a single freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
(parish), is divided in 1766 into the present two - Our Lady of Expectação and Saint John the Baptist.
The early 19th century were agitated in Campo Maior: a siege in 1801 by the Spanish, and a local rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
in 1808 against the French who were then engaged in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
The uprising of Campo Maior against the Napoleonic invasion was successful due to the help from the Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
army, which then stayed in the town for three years.
In 1811, a new Napoleonic invasion besieges the town for one month until capitulation. But that gave time for a Portuguese and British contingent, under the command of British General Beresford
William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, GCB, GCH, GCTE, PC , was a British soldier and politician...
, to arrive and disband the French. The town then earned the title of Vila Leal e Valorosa (Loyal and Valorous Town), now inscribed in its coat-of-arms.
The Liberal Wars
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
(1828–1834) were also fought in Campo Maior.
In 1836, the neighbouring municipality of Ouguela was extinct and annexed to Campo Maior, increasing its number of freguesias (parishes) from three to four.
In 1865, an epidemic of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
killed 150 people in two and a half months.
In 1867, an attempt to extinguish the municipality of Campo Maior and integrate it in the municipality of Elvas
Elvas
Elvas is a Portuguese municipality, an episcopal city and frontier fortress of Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about 230 km east of Lisbon, and about 15 km west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon railway...
provokes a popular uprising, with the population staging a strike on December 13. The attempt was dropped and the municipality survived.
In 1926, a fourth rural freguesia (parish) is added to the municipality: Our Lady of the Graça dos Degolados (Grace of the Beheaded).
In 1941, the municipality assumes its current division in three freguesias (parishes), with the annexation of the freguesia of Ouguela by the freguesia of Saint John the Baptist, due to the former's rapid population decline.
Economy
The main industry is coffee roasting and coffee packaging. Campo Maior is headquarters to Delta CafésDelta Cafés
Delta Cafés , officially named Novadelta - Comércio e Indústria de Cafes, S.A., is a Portuguese coffee roasting and coffee packaging company headquartered in Campo Maior, Alentejo. The company was founded in 1961 and is among the top market leaders in the Iberian Peninsula...
, the market leader in Portugal.
Other economic activities include agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
rising. Campo Maior is a production center of olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s and ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, made from Iberian pig (also known as porco alentejano).
External links
- http://www.campingosanjos.com Parque de campismo rural Campo Maior