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00:00Fortress, prisons, towers, the castles have witnessed our history for centuries.
00:30In Europe, over a hundred thousand are still standing, thousand years later.
00:40Let's visit the most spectacular and most mysterious castles.
00:47We will discover the secrets that are hidden behind their walls
00:53and we will relive their long-lasting legends.
01:29The Pena Palace is quite a symbol in Portugal.
01:3430 kilometers from Lisbon, rising majestically above Sintra,
01:39a city of historic worship and the country's tourist center,
01:46is the Pena Palace.
01:59From its lofty position, it dominates and controls an area,
02:04where we find defensive constructions, curious palaces and their legends,
02:09and mysterious masonic occultist constructions and templar origins.
02:16Is there any link between these constructions that stand so close to each other?
02:29Commissioned by King Ferdinand II of Portugal as a holiday residence in 1839,
02:40the Pena Palace is a huge mixture of styles and exoticism that makes it special.
02:47We know that Ferdinand II, of German descent,
02:51was Grand Master of the Order of the Rosicrucians,
02:55a secret order born in Germany that had links with the Masons.
03:00According to the legend, he was a well-initiated king,
03:05a king who had other visions and who would have applied everything he knew in that reconstruction.
03:16The Order of the Rosicrucians claims to seek, through the occult sciences and esotericism,
03:23the mysteries of the universe and of nature,
03:26transmitted from the most ancient times, including from ancient Egypt.
03:32To be an active member, apart from having a pure bloodline
03:37and demonstrating excellence in culture, there are a number of initiation rites that must be performed.
03:46And in that context, just a short distance from the Pena Palace,
03:51we find the initiation well in the Quinta da Regalera.
03:56This mysterious estate, full of passageways, mazes and esoteric symbols,
04:07was created by Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro,
04:11born to Portuguese parents and known as the Millionaire.
04:27He bought the land in 1892 and built this visual delight, which is a main attraction in Sintra,
04:39but also a place of Masonic worship that conceals meanings related to alchemy,
04:45the Templars and the Rosy Cross.
04:56In the walkway of all its properties, there were several-pointed stars drawn on the sidewalk,
05:04to know that a property of the man, of Carvalho dos Milhões, was next to it.
05:14The most striking feature is this curious structure.
05:17It has the name of initiation well,
05:20because apparently initiation rites for new members of the Order were held here.
05:26This initiation well has its name also associated with the initiation rites
05:34that Freemasonry imposed on the new Freemasons.
05:39And so it got that name.
05:41And the legends, of course, spread about the historical factuality associated with that well.
05:50It is an inverted 27-meter-high tower.
05:56It can be accessed from the top or from several tunnels that emerge at the base.
06:03At the base, we can see an eight-point star, which originates in the Templar symbol.
06:12The Order's aim was for new members to pass through these tunnels in dark
06:17and the light projected from the mouth of the well.
06:21This was a symbolic reference.
06:23The initiate was searching for the unknown, leaving behind his previous life,
06:29increasing his knowledge as he climbed up the tower staircase.
06:38There were two entrances in the park leading to the well.
06:42Both are winding and labyrinthine,
06:45and although they are now lit, back then they were in complete darkness.
06:51Passing through the tunnels meant overcoming earthly obstacles.
06:56The climb out of the well's 27-meter depth was up a staircase dotted with Romanesque arches,
07:03and there are nine clearly differentiated levels,
07:06a figure associated with the nine levels of hell in Dante Alighieri's Divina Commedia.
07:16The well can also be visited in reverse, from top to bottom,
07:20but doing it like this meant risking a fall back into darkness.
07:26In fact, one of the tunnels leads directly to an unfinished well,
07:31a ruined replica that symbolizes that the reverse route has no exit.
07:45It's like faith.
07:50If I believe firmly that it is an initiatory well,
07:55I can establish the various levels and the various paths,
08:01from the spirit to the ground, to the earth.
08:07I can create, according to my knowledge and my legend,
08:13a whole new legend and a whole new mystique.
08:22Were there tunnels connecting the Quinta da Regalheira with the Pena Palace?
08:27Ferdinand II and Carvalho Monteiro shared the order of the Rosicrucians just a few years apart.
08:34Some say that the huge gardens conceal mazes and passageways that were used in olden times.
08:42The landscape is full of caves,
08:45caves with many times esoteric justifications,
08:49which raise legends.
08:53The Quinta da Regalheira is not the only spot in the area
08:57that has elements in common with Templar symbols and numerology.
09:03Just a few hundred meters away stands the National Palace of Sintra,
09:09another peculiar construction with its recognizable image of two enormous chimneys
09:15that have become an icon of the city.
09:18Inside, the octagonal figure is present in much of its decoration.
09:23The number 8 and its geometric representation is highly reminiscent of the Templars.
09:39The National Palace was a royal residence from the Middle Ages,
09:43once it had been reconquered.
09:45King John I of Portugal enjoyed it for years
09:49and that period has passed down to us the curious legend of the magpies.
09:57Apparently, the queen caught the king kissing a lady-in-waiting.
10:02In his surprise at being caught, he replied,
10:05Foi por bem, which means, for the good of all.
10:11The phrase rapidly became an object of derision among the ladies of the court.
10:16In the face of this laughter and rumors,
10:19the king ordered that a room in the palace be decorated with 136 magpies painted on the ceiling,
10:26in honor of all the ladies in the court who had gleefully spread the gossip.
10:31Nowadays, it is known as the Sala de las Huracás, or magpie room.
11:02Years before giving rise to the legend of the Huracás, as king of Portugal,
11:08John I was engrossed in reconquering his lands from the Spanish armies.
11:13The period was the middle of the 14th century.
11:17The first legend of the Magpies was that of the Magpies,
11:21a group of magpies that were found in the deserts of the Andes.
11:25The castle of the Moors was a very difficult fortress to conquer
11:29because of its position on a steep rocky outcrop in the mountain range surrounding Sintra.
11:35Very close by is the Pena Palace,
11:39and at the bottom of the valley, the National Palace.
11:55It was defended by a mare loyal to the Spanish crown.
12:00A detachment attempted to attack it,
12:03but before they arrived, a tremendous storm broke above them,
12:09and the troops were forced to retreat to Lisbon.
12:15King John I, in one of his phrases recorded for posterity,
12:20justified it by saying that it was a victory.
12:25It was not God's will to conquer the castle at that moment.
12:29The castle of the Moors owes its name to the Arab presence during the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
13:00They built a first fortification between the 8th and 9th centuries,
13:06and for the rest of its history, it was alternately controlled by Spanish and Portuguese.
13:29This water tank, or cistern, for the water emanating from the spring in the rock,
13:36dates from the Arab period.
13:38The water was used to supply the troops, which made any siege complicated.
13:47The design and the strength of the cistern is admirable,
13:51if we bear in mind that we are talking about something that was built more than a thousand years ago.
14:00The presence of the various Moorish tribes in the peninsula and in Portugal was important,
14:08and they played a good role in colonization and left many fortifications.
14:14Hence the name, Castelo dos Moores.
14:20In the 12th century, after great victories on the battlefield,
14:24Afonso Henriquez acceded to the throne of Portugal.
14:29Just as John I would do later, he sent a group of 20 soldiers to take Sintra Castle.
14:37Apparently, the soldiers were terrified, because there were few of them,
14:41and they knew about the Arabs' fighting abilities.
14:45And this gave rise to the legend of Melides.
14:51When the soldiers were at their most wary,
14:55the legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to them.
15:01Do not be afraid because you were twenty, but you were a thousand, you were a thousand because you were twenty.
15:11After five days in hiding, they defeated the ferocious Arab soldiers.
15:25Consecrating the help of Our Lady, the Virgin,
15:29the Christians ordered the construction of the chapel of Our Lady of Melides.
15:35And it was there that the miracle of Our Lady was confirmed,
15:39with the help of the Christians in the fight against the Moors.
15:47Nowadays, the vegetation planted subsequently has gradually taken over,
15:54and it is difficult to make out the castle's winding structure.
15:59But the climb up the 500 steps leading to the royal tower continues to be spectacular,
16:06with majestic views from the tower of the Pena Palace,
16:11the city of Sintra, its national palace,
16:16and the Quinta da Regalheira,
16:19four locations replete with mystery and legends.
16:24LISBON
16:30Lisbon, year 1147.
16:35A huge fortified citadel dominates the city.
16:40Inside, a Moorish detachment resists the siege of the army of Afonso I,
16:47made up of crusaders from various origins, on their way to the Holy Land.
16:53SEVENTEEN WEEKS TRYING TO FORCE OUT THE INVADERS
17:00The Lisbon Castle, in fact,
17:03being the most important city in this territory,
17:07was always a target for the prisoners and the kings of the north, the Christians.
17:19One morning, the captain of the Portuguese troops, Martim Moniz,
17:24saw how a door in the wall half opened
17:28and threw himself against it without a second thought.
17:32The legend has it that a fierce struggle ensued,
17:35with Martim Moniz using his body to stop the door from closing.
17:40His soldiers seized the opportunity and entered the fortress.
17:45A few hours later, the castle of St. George was captured,
17:49and everyone attributed it to the sacrifice made by Captain Martim Moniz.
17:55Martim Moniz, who in fact is a hero,
17:58considered a hero precisely because he offered his body
18:04to allow the Christians to advance without being able to close the door.
18:12Martim Moniz is considered one of the heroes of the reconquest of Portugal.
18:18The castle gate now bears his name,
18:22and a square at the foot of the hill pays homage to the captain's bravery.
18:28A martyr who is permanently revered in Lisbon.
18:34Martim Moniz is a character that,
18:37since primary school, all Portuguese know.
18:40We must not forget that even today,
18:43our education still has many influences from that time of the dictatorship.
18:48Therefore, he was the great hero of the conquest of Lisbon.
18:55During the following centuries,
18:57the castle witnessed a number of skirmishes and sieges
19:00laid by the Spanish troops in the process of configuring the two countries,
19:06after territories were regained from the Arabs.
19:11It was always a difficult bastion to capture.
19:14It comprised 6,000 square meters of high ground,
19:18with a configuration of 11 towers and 12 entrance gates.
19:23It has its own springs,
19:25which made long sieges difficult for the attackers.
19:33It formed an enormous citadel,
19:35with the curious feature of long staircases,
19:38allowing soldiers easy access to the lower areas of the castle wall.
19:44From its lofty position,
19:46overlooking the navigable mouth of the river Tegas,
19:50San Jorge afforded views of any danger that might be lying in wait.
19:59In the 20th century, to illustrate this,
20:02an optical system of lenses and mirrors,
20:05created by da Vinci, was installed,
20:08offering a detailed 360-degree view of the city.
20:14This perspective helps us to understand the importance the site had,
20:19in terms of defense and communication,
20:22for the different civilizations that settled here.
20:39Soldiers.
20:41Monks.
20:43Crusaders.
20:45The Knights Templar were responsible for actions with a scope
20:49that transformed the future of the Middle Ages.
20:53With Christian faith as their banner,
20:56they left an impression on the Western world that is still remembered today.
21:02They also lived a life shrouded in an aura of occultism
21:06that propelled them into the territory of legends.
21:10Branded as heretics in their latter days,
21:13the castle of Tomar saw the end of their influential travels.
21:19This fortress became the religious order's last bastion in Europe.
21:31Stories were already being told in the period
21:35of how the Templars found this location
21:38using profane premonitory arts.
21:43But what we know for sure is that after the reconquest,
21:47the first king of Portugal donated the land to the order
21:51as part of a defensive project.
21:56The main reason for building the fortress
21:59was to defend the convent of Christ.
22:03The importance of this monastery lies in its church.
22:08Whose chapel has an unusual circular design
22:12in the form of an ambulatory, called charola,
22:16or the oratory of the Templars.
22:38Because it is directly inspired
22:41by the temple of the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land.
22:50This site was used to certify the faith of its devotees
22:54and their adherence to the order.
22:59Allowing horsemen to enter the church without dismounting.
23:04This way, they could be made armed knights in this very spot.
23:26Tomar benefited from the architectural advances of the Templars.
23:31Turning the fortress into an example of their achievements
23:35and a centre that met the high standards imposed by the order.
23:40Characteristic elements of their fortifications,
23:43such as double walls and a profusion of towers,
23:47were used in its design.
23:51Also worthy of note are its doors.
23:54The most famous is the so-called Blood Door.
23:59Given this name after the battle against the Muslim troops.
24:04900 men besieged the castle for six days,
24:08but the door stood fast.
24:13A genuine bloodbath ensued,
24:15confirming that Tomar could not be conquered.
24:23The Templars made the most of the knowledge they acquired
24:27from fighting in the Holy Land
24:29to give the fortification its recognisable curtain wall.
24:57A fortress of these characteristics
24:59could not fail to be associated with mystery.
25:06A multitude of esoteric elements abounds in the castle,
25:10promoting that mystical aura
25:12that damaged the order's reputation in its latter years
25:16and was used by its enemies to accuse them of heresy.
25:20There is a profusion of the number 8,
25:22the mystical figure par excellence,
25:24which appears on its columns, for example,
25:27and also other symbols considered to be pagan.
25:31For this reason, Tomar continues to make historians
25:34doubt the authenticity of the accusations
25:37that depleted their reputation.
25:41Tomar was one of the first to establish
25:43the name Tomar,
25:46If we take both the myths and the truth into account,
25:49Tomar stands as the last great Templar fortress in the West,
25:53the guardian of the mysteries of the order of the Temple.
26:16Just over 20 kilometres from Tomar
26:19stands another of the Templar enigmas in Portugal,
26:25the arcane castle of Almorol.
26:31Why is Almorol considered Portugal's most enigmatic castle?
26:38What lay behind the walls of its robust fortifications?
26:46Without a doubt, it is a picturesque castle,
26:49in a rocky outcrop, in the middle of the river,
26:52covered with vegetation,
26:54and in the 19th century,
26:56with a relatively ruined image.
27:03The participation of the Templars
27:05in the reconquest of Portugal was decisive.
27:09Thanks to this, they were given the so-called Tagus Line,
27:14consisting of a series of fortifications
27:16on the banks of this great river,
27:18which served as a barrier
27:20to defend the capital of the period, Coimbra.
27:44According to legends,
27:46the Knights Templar may have used these constructions
27:50for something more than defending the nation.
27:56The design of these fortresses
27:58was entrusted to the Knights Templar,
28:00who, in the 19th century,
28:02began to build fortifications
28:04on the banks of the river,
28:06and in the 19th century,
28:08the Knights Templar began to build
28:10fortifications on the banks of the river,
28:13which was entrusted to Gualdim Paes,
28:15the mysterious Master of the Order,
28:17whose time in charge is shrouded
28:19in both military exploits
28:21and alchemistic rituals.
28:25Gualdim Paes was a Portuguese nobleman
28:29who was in the Holy Land
28:31during the Second Crusade.
28:33When he returned,
28:35he came as Grand Master
28:37and had all the knowledge
28:40acquired in military architecture
28:42in the East.
28:46Gualdim's influence remains to this day,
28:49as some claim to have noted his presence
28:51among the Almorol battlements.
28:59The castle is also the stage
29:01for a multitude of legends
29:03surrounding Moorish converts,
29:05from girls thrown into the void
29:07as victims of treason
29:10to romances that ended in murder.
29:19With its double-walled enclosure
29:21flanked by nine four-cornered towers,
29:23the fortification was designed
29:25to be adapted
29:27to the particular features of the space,
29:29an island of stone
29:31in the middle of the River Tagus.
29:35But why did the Templars embark
29:37on the complicated task
29:40of building a fortress in a place like this?
29:45What were they trying to protect
29:47behind these walls
29:49that were so difficult to reach?
29:52Many people defend the idea
29:54that the famous treasure of the Templars
29:56can be found within its walls.
30:00How did the legend
30:02of the treasure of the Templars come about?
30:10It is said that after losing Jerusalem,
30:12the Templars fled from the Sultan Saladin,
30:14laden with relics
30:16from the ancient Temple of Solomon.
30:20Gold and silver furniture,
30:22artefacts of power
30:24and other fantastic objects,
30:26such as the mythical Table of Solomon,
30:28form part of the legend
30:30of the treasure of the Templars.
30:33An island in the middle of the Tagus
30:35would be a perfect place
30:37to hide their booty.
30:39However,
30:41it is also said
30:43that a network of 12 kilometers of tunnels
30:45connected the castle
30:47with the outside.
30:51And these tunnels
30:53may have been where the treasure disappeared
30:55after the Templars left.
30:59Although no archaeological record
31:02remains have been found
31:04to certify its existence.
31:32With or without treasure,
31:34Al Morol,
31:36with its unusual location
31:38and its iconic design,
31:40will always be shrouded
31:42in the mists of the Templar myth.
31:56Amongst the rubble,
31:58in the harsh confines
32:00of the old fortress,
32:04battered by strong winds,
32:06covered in stone,
32:08tightly packed,
32:12are two stacked coffers,
32:14one of gold,
32:16the other of the plague.
32:18These verses
32:20are the start of the poem
32:22written by the Count of Montserrat,
32:24based on one of the most intriguing legends
32:26surrounding the castle
32:29of Monte Morovelo.
32:31It may be that beneath its walls
32:33is one of Portugal's
32:35most impressive hidden treasures.
32:39And one of its curses.
32:4925 kilometers from Coimbra,
32:51the ruins of the castle
32:53of Monte Morovelo
32:55stand as vestiges of a life
32:58spent being passed from hand to hand.
33:02Muslims and Christians
33:04were involved in a continuous struggle
33:06for these lands
33:08and dominated the region by periods.
33:12The fact that it stood
33:14on the banks of the river Mondego
33:16made the fortress a highly prized possession,
33:18standing on a line
33:20that was the natural separation
33:22between the Christian north
33:24and the Muslim south.
33:28The fortification's reputation
33:30also came from its large size.
33:36Nearly 5,000 men
33:38could be housed inside the complex.
33:44It is no surprise
33:46that the terrain
33:48should give off
33:50such a startling sensation.
33:53Given that it is replete
33:55with the ghosts
33:57of many centuries
33:59wandering its crumbling walls.
34:05Despite having suffered
34:07centuries of plundering
34:09and occupations,
34:11the fort has areas
34:13that have lasted until today.
34:17Protected inside the castle walls
34:19are the remains
34:22we can still enjoy
34:24the church of Santa Maria de Alcazoa,
34:28a building renovated
34:30in the 16th century.
34:32It has more than one surprise in store,
34:34like its stylized
34:36Manueline columns.
34:40But what really
34:42catch the eye
34:44are its altarpieces
34:46and Romanesque sculptures,
34:48silent witnesses
34:51and a
34:52magnificent
34:54church.
34:56A fortress
34:58with a tumultuous history
35:00is the perfect setting
35:02for myths and fantasies to develop.
35:06The most famous legend
35:08associated with these lands
35:10is the so-called
35:12Legend of the Two Coffers.
35:14The lord of the castle,
35:16a stern widow,
35:19said she was his greatest treasure.
35:21But when the young woman
35:23secretly married a knight
35:25against her father's wishes,
35:27he flew into a rage.
35:31In an act of revenge,
35:33the lord of the castle decided
35:35to give them a malicious gift.
35:37He offered them two sealed coffers,
35:39which they had to choose from.
35:43One was full of gold.
35:45The other was loaded
35:47with the plague.
35:49Once opened, it would unleash a plague
35:51that would annihilate the population mercilessly.
35:57The young lovers preferred their love
35:59and fled without choosing
36:01either of the coffers.
36:15An ark has what's good
36:17and an ark has what's bad.
36:19It's better to be quiet
36:21and leave the two arches closed.
36:25Could the coffers still be hidden
36:27somewhere in the castle?
36:29Or could someone have opened them already?
36:41Rising above the Sierra de San Mamés
36:44mountain range
36:46is a fortress that is so high
36:48that as the local residents
36:50are wont to claim,
36:52you can see the backs
36:54of the birds flying below.
36:56This is why the castle of Marvao
36:58is also known as
37:00the Eagle's Nest.
37:02José Saramago,
37:04the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature,
37:06went as far as to say,
37:08from Marvao
37:10you can see the whole of the Earth.
37:14Indeed,
37:16nobody can doubt
37:18the panoramic view enjoyed
37:20by these lands.
37:40Its unique location,
37:42together with the sheer rock
37:44that supports it
37:46and the legend that protects it,
37:48gives the castle of Marvao
37:52the reputation
37:54of being Portugal's most
37:56unconquerable fortress.
38:12The castle of Marvao
38:14is considered to be
38:16a set of superimposed
38:18fortresses.
38:20Its three different lines
38:22of fortification
38:24confirm
38:26the fact that
38:28the castle of Marvao
38:30was built
38:32in the 11th century.
38:34The castle of Marvao
38:36was built
38:38in the 11th century
38:40The three lines of fortification
38:42confirm that its architects
38:44took their task seriously.
38:48All the elements of the castle
38:50were designed to make it
38:52an impregnable site.
38:56From its interminable ramparts
39:00to its strategic battlements.
39:06From its blind doors
39:10to its embrasures
39:12for low fire.
39:16Marvao was designed to be
39:18an obstacle course for its attackers.
39:20The walls were
39:22adapted to the sheer nature
39:24of the terrain,
39:26making the most of the
39:28passive defense provided
39:30by the craggy crest of quartz rock
39:32on which the fortress is built.
39:40If it were to be taken,
39:42it would have to be by hunger,
39:44in prolonged circles.
39:46It would be very difficult
39:48to conquer it
39:50through direct attacks.
39:54Marvao, it is claimed,
39:56was able to withstand
39:58a year-long siege.
40:00The water tank that can still
40:02be seen in the castle
40:04is one of the reasons supporting such a claim.
40:06This enormous
40:08meter-high cistern could supply
40:10the hamlet for months.
40:26The inhabitants of Marvao maintained
40:28that the hamlet has lasted so long
40:30because of the protection of its patron,
40:34Nossa Senhora da Estrela,
40:36Our Lady of the Star.
40:38It is said that
40:40she defends anyone who lives
40:42within its walls.
40:44There is a story
40:46that in wartime,
40:48two Spanish soldiers crept up close
40:50to the fortress in search of an entrance
40:52to attack it.
41:00Suddenly, an unknown
41:02woman's voice shouted.
41:06Take arms!
41:12The lookouts then alerted
41:14the troops garrisoned in the castle.
41:16After being given away
41:18by this woman,
41:20the Spanish soldiers fled
41:22down the slope in terror.
41:24Of course, it is said that the woman's voice
41:26that alerted the soldiers
41:28was the voice of Our Lady of the Star herself.
41:32It is perhaps thanks
41:34to Nossa Senhora da Estrela
41:36that the castle of Marvao
41:38still stands today,
41:40protecting its inhabitants.
41:42One thing we can be sure of, however,
41:44is that its stones will continue
41:46to witness the passage of time
41:48from the privileged vantage point
41:50provided by the Sierra de San Mames.
42:00Feats of war and political intrigues
42:02are characteristic elements
42:04of all fortresses.
42:08But castles are also notable
42:10as being the backdrop
42:12for famous romances.
42:16What turns a fortress
42:18into the perfect stage
42:20for stories of lovesickness?
42:26Braganza has witnessed
42:28treachery in love
42:30and being locked up for love.
42:34The adultery
42:36committed by the nobleman
42:38Fernão Mendes,
42:40which led his wife
42:42Doña Sancha to take refuge
42:44in the castle,
42:46are well known.
42:50Another scandalous case
42:52was that of Doña Leonor,
42:54the wife of the 4th Duke of Braganza,
42:56who was imprisoned in the castle
42:58after being unjustly accused
43:00of adultery.
43:04But the most famous romance
43:06associated with this place
43:08is the one that revolves
43:10around the so-called Princess's Tower.
43:26They talk about the Princess's Tower,
43:28about the Gate of Betrayal,
43:30about the Gate of the Sun,
43:32and so the explanation
43:34of these nicknames
43:36is in a very curious legend
43:38that the people remember
43:40that talks about a princess
43:42who lived there with her uncle,
43:44a nobleman tyrant
43:46who didn't allow her
43:48to fall in love.
43:50The girl fell in love
43:52with a poor soldier,
43:54so he left
43:56to seek his fortune.
44:00But time passed
44:02and the soldier did not return.
44:04Even so, the princess
44:06rejected all the suitors
44:08that came seeking her hand in marriage.
44:12Years later, her uncle
44:14betrothed her to a wealthy knight,
44:16but when she met him,
44:18she confessed her intention
44:20to continue to wait for her soldier.
44:24Her uncle flew into a rage
44:26and came up with a plan
44:28to teach her a lesson.
44:30Disguised as a ghost
44:32during a stormy night,
44:34he crept into the princess's bedchamber.
44:36The ghost's message was clear.
44:38The girl must forget
44:40about her lover because
44:42he would never return.
44:44Her duty was to marry the knight
44:46chosen by her uncle.
44:48Miraculously, a flash of lightning
44:50lit up the room and revealed
44:52that it was in fact her own uncle.
44:58The disconsolate princess
45:00withdrew into one of the towers,
45:02some say forever,
45:04others until her love returned.
45:10This story ensured
45:12that the building would forever be known
45:14as the princess's tower.
45:22This fortress,
45:24with its sturdy walls
45:26and robust design,
45:28represents the virtues
45:30of the Portuguese people.
45:32The castle of Guimaraes
45:34is the beginning
45:36of the Kingdom of Portugal.
45:38How can it be
45:40that this fortress
45:42carries such a reputation
45:44on its shoulders?
45:46Ancient Portuguese
45:48historians believe
45:50Ancient and regal,
45:52the fortress was built
45:54to become a medieval bastion
45:56against the continuous attacks
45:58of Moors and Norsemen.
46:04A bird's eye view
46:06reveals the surprising triangular
46:08shape of Guimaraes.
46:10Its three-point floor plan
46:12reminds us of a shield,
46:14an appearance that supposes a good metaphor
46:16for the defensive nature
46:18of the fortress.
46:22It also benefits from a design
46:24unlike the usual Portuguese
46:26constructions of the period,
46:28perhaps because of the Saxon influence
46:30that can be seen in its forms.
46:38With its solid granite walls,
46:40Guimaraes resisted attacks
46:42for centuries, despite its
46:44relatively small size.
46:46It was just 50 meters long
46:48by 30 meters wide.
46:50The castle was built
46:52with an imposing appearance,
46:54made to look much bigger
46:56than it actually is.
47:12With eight turrets around its keep,
47:14this imposing fortress
47:16stands proud and important,
47:18as it has done since it was built,
47:20witness as it was
47:22to the birth of the Portuguese nation.
47:28So let's have a look at the foundations
47:30of modern-day Portugal.
47:44The origins of Portugal
47:46give rise to one of the most
47:48powerful legends of the time.
47:50We are talking about a tale
47:52that defines the honourable
47:54nature of the country
47:56and the importance of its
47:58historical significance.
48:00It is the story of a man
48:02who came to Portugal
48:04to be the first Portuguese
48:06to be crowned.
48:08It is the story of a man
48:10who came to Portugal
48:12to be the first Portuguese
48:14who came to Ukraine
48:20working here.
48:22It is a tale of the country's
48:24honourable nature
48:26and its capacity of loyalty
48:28and commitment.
48:32The tale is Egas Moniz.
48:34TB
48:3612th century.
48:38The Spanish army was
48:40the siege of Spanish troops.
48:42After so many days of siege and when the survival of the people was already impossible to continue,
48:52Eges Muniz disguised himself and left the castle clandestinely.
48:58He went to the King of Castile and asked him to lift the siege
49:03because the Infante was going to give him vassalage.
49:08However, Henriquez, the Portuguese Prince, went back on Moniz's promise.
49:13He refused to submit to the Spanish King and continued with his plans.
49:18This meant that Moniz's honour was called into question.
49:38To keep his honour intact, Moniz decided to leave for the court of the Spanish King.
49:47He did away with his noble attire, dressed in rags and travelled to Toledo.
50:08He presented himself to the King as a beggar.
50:13His intention was clear, to place his life and that of his family at the sovereign's service
50:19as a guarantee of his commitment and a gesture of loyalty.
50:26The monarch was overwhelmed by Moniz's actions.
50:31Understanding that his promise had been kept, he was moved and gave him back his freedom.
50:41The legend of Eges Moniz thus became the representation of the honourability of the Portuguese people.
50:49And the castle of Guimaraes benefits from this tale
50:53to stand as one of the most unusual fortresses on the Iberian Peninsula.
51:00A genuine national symbol based on honour and on legend.
51:18Coming up, it's Celebrity Mastermind.
51:20All over on SBS World Movies, an American tourist travels to Romania
51:25and falls in love with the wife of a gangster in The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman.
51:48CELEBRITY MASTERMIND