Frontier town · Kingdom of Portugal · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Trancoso

One of the castle-towns of the upper Beira that face León's Riba-Côa, chartered by Afonso Henriques.

Who holds it

Name
Sancho I (the crown); the alcaide on 1 January 1200 is not pinned
Title
Royal town under the king's alcaide or tenente
Confidence
medium

Lord in 1200

The crown; the tenente on 1 January 1200 is not pinned (Fernão Aires d'Anho became tenente in 1193 but leaves Portuguese records; Lourenço Soares de Ribadouro holds it later).

Overlord

Sancho I of Portugal

What the town holds

  • The castle and town
  • Its termo

How things stand that morning

Royal frontier town.

Wealth

Pasture and grain of the plateau.

Military

Castle. No figures.

Threats

  • Leonese raids from Riba-Côa until the peace

Fuero

Foral of Afonso Henriques, dated 1162-1165 by the Aldeias Históricas account.

Council

A frontier concelho.

Communities

Settlers; others not pinned.

Fairs and markets

Not pinned for 1200 (its chartered fair is of 1273).

Militia

Cavaleiros-vilãos and foot. No figures.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Foral from the Aldeias Históricas page; tenentes from Calderón Medina and pt.wikipedia.

Primary sources for Portugal

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

5 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.

Sources and studies

  1. Trancoso (Aldeias Históricas de Portugal)
  2. Inés Calderón Medina, 'Beyond the Border: the aristocratic mobility between the kingdoms of Portugal and León (1157-1230)', e-Journal of Portuguese History
  3. Lourenço Soares de Ribadouro (pt.wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.