Alvalade

History

In 1801, Alvalade had 1,321 inhabitants. Until 1834, it was a county seat consisting of the parishes of Alvalade and Nossa Senhora do Roxo. It belonged, between 1834 and 1855, to the municipality of Messejana and, between 1855 and 1871, to the municipality of Aljustrel. In 1755 the town, in common with much of southern Portugal, suffered badly from the Lisbon Earthquake. In 1234 Alvalade can be considered to have definitively become Portuguese land after the invading Moors were defeated. In 1273 Alvalade was donated to the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword by Afonso III of Portugal. On 20 September 1510 King Manuel I granted a foral (town charter) to Alvalade. Following the Liberal Wars (1828-1834) in Portugal, with the Liberal faction loyal to Dom Pedro IV) emerging victorious, the Liberals took over the national government and carried out a drastic redesign of the country's administrative structure. The reform of November 1836 not only abolished the municipality of Alvalade, integrating it into the municipality of Messejana, but also removed its town title. In March of the same year, the mayor of Alvalade protested to the government against an accusation, by a resident of Messejana, that the people of Alvalade had sided with Dom Miguel against his brother, Dom Pedro. On 1 June 1934 Miguel spent his last night on Portuguese soil after the wars, leaving Alvalade to make for the port of Sines and a British ship waiting to take him into exile. The removal of Alvalade's town title can thus be seen as retribution by the Liberals. There was a 2nd administrative reform in 1855 and the municipality of Messejana was integrated into Aljustrel, but Alvalade, faced with the refusal to restore its previous status, chose to be annexed to Santiago do Cacém, despite its…

Most-observed species

• corn bunting

  Emberiza calandra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  770
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  646
• Crested Lark

  Galerida cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  565
• Zitting Cisticola

  Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810) · Aves
  543
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  515
• Spotless Starling

  Sturnus unicolor Temminck, 1820 · Aves
  498
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  470
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  439