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In a dominant position over the Penenciada hill, it dominates the surrounding plain and the confluence of the Angueira stream with the Maçãs river.
At the time of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, the primitive boundary line of the Portucalense county with the kingdom of Leão developed along the left bank of the River Sabor until its confluence with the Angueira stream. This lane was guarded by four main sentinels: the Castelo de Milhão, the Castelo de Santulhão (both already disappeared), the Outeiro de Miranda Castle (in ruins) and this Algoso Castle. The castles of Penas Roias, Mogadouro and, although more distant, that of Bragança complemented this main defense of the northeastern sector of Trás-os-Montes.
The most recent studies indicate that the building of the primitive structure of the castle dates back to some time at the end of the reign of D. Afonso Henriques (1112-1185), when his son Sancho already exercised the royal power. As recorded in the Inquiries of 1258, its builder was a local man, Mendo Bofino (or Mendo Rufino), who in return received the landlord of the village of Vimioso.
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Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights. In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states. Text by Steve Smith.
