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After the Reconquest of the Tagus line in 1149, part of the effort to defend it fell to the order of the Temple. To do this, they ascend the Tagus and, arriving at the present Beira Baixa, turn to the northeast following the Ponsul River, where by the construction of several castles they form a barrier to Muslim incursions. Monsanto, donated in 1165, was one of the first fortified places - on the previous Muslim castle - within the scope of this operation, although in 1172 it returned to the Crown. This Romanesque phase, now vaguely recognizable in the citadel, was followed by a great and reforming Gothic campaign, between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the next, totally casting the summit. It was spared construction during the Restoration War, but was remodeled in the 19th century. A vast restoration in the 1940s-50s brought, sometimes in a debatable way, the castle to its current form.
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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.
