Bragança (; ), also known in English as Braganza ( , ), officially the City of Bragança (), is a city and municipality in north-eastern Portugal, capital of the district of Bragança, in the Terras de Trás-os-Montes subregion of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 35,341, in an area of 1173.57 km².

History

thumb|left|Bragança seen from the [[Castle of Bragança]]

Archeological evidence permits a determination of human settlement in this region to the Paleolithic. During the Neolithic there was a growth of productive human settlements which concentrated on planting and domestication of animals, with a nascent religion. There are many vestiges of these ancient communities, including ceramics, agricultural implements, weights, arrowheads and modest jewelry

The area was dominated by two ethnic communities: the Zoelae, with their seat in Castro de Avelãs, and a Lusitanian civitas under the stewardship of the Baniense in the southern part of the district. A Latin map, Atlas de Gotha by Justus Perthes, mentioned three settlements within this region: Aquae Flaviae (Chaves), Veniatia (Vinhais) and Zoelae (its seat in Zoelas, today Castro de Avelãs) without mentioning any reference to a name similar to Bragança.

Records of the proto-Germanic Suebic and Visigothic kingdoms are few, probably an indication of advancement in rural agrarian and pastoral communities during their occupation and settlement. Toponymic references such as Gimonde, Guadramil and Samil are some of the remains from this period. This conflicted with the Military Orders and administration of the Monastery of Castro de Avelãs, who believed that they had the right to settle all villages and use the land as they willed.

Monarchy

By the middle of the 13th century, Bragança was divided into four parishes: Santa Maria (then the main town), São Tiago, São João (outside the castle walls) and São Vicente.

In 1442, King Afonso V established the hereditary dukedom of the Duchy of Braganza, for his uncle Afonso, Count of Barcelos, becoming one of the oldest fiefdoms in Portugal. The second Duke of Braganza, Fernando, reinforced his grandfather's frontier strategy and expanded his territory by integrating the lands of his deceased brother Afonso, Marquis of Valença. Ferdinand supported King Afonso V of Portugal, and during his North African campaigns, became the Governor of Ceuta. Ferdinand was responsible for ensuring the elevation of Braganza to the status of city (on 20 February 1464), and was Regent when Afonso V returned to North Africa. But his conspiracies and court intrigues during the reign of King John II would have him condemned to death, the banning of the House of Braganza and the incorporation of their hereditary lands and titles into the Crown. The lands remained in the hands of the Crown until the reign of Ferdinand of Portugal, when they were offered as a dowry to João Afonso Pimentel on his marriage to Joana Teles de Menezes, half-sister of Queen Leonor Teles.

After 60 years the Portuguese were able to end the Iberian Union with Spain. On 1 December 1640 the independence of Portugal was restored, allowing the ascension of the 8th Duke of Braganza (then military governor of Portugal) as King John IV. The creation of this ecoregion was made to preserve the existing qualities and allow human/cultural interaction. Montesinho is classified into forests and woods (oak and chestnut plantations at the base of the Coroa Mountains, the Tuela and lower Baceiro Rivers); wood and pine forests (forests and shrub vegetation in the western and eastern Rio Maças, Aveleda, Portelo/Montesinho, Mofreito/Montouto, Pinheiros, Serrea da Coroa, Vilar Seco da Lomba); a sub-Atlantic mixed farming area (around the Tuela and Baceiro Rivers); open space that allows farming along the plateaus of Baçal, Aveleda, Onor, Deilão); and the granite mountains of oak and birch species, mainly within the park and Pinheiros area. influenced by the distance from the coast and the elevation, thus with cooler winters and shorter warm summers.

The average high in the coldest month – January – is around while the July high is around . The January average low hovers around the freezing point. It has been known to snow in April, and winter temperatures can fall to as low as , as recorded in February 1983, at around which time the station of a local institute on the outskirts of the city also recorded −17.5 °C. Frosts happen on average 53 days per year. The annual mean is around . The mean total rainfall in a year is . The year of 2005 was particularly dry in Portugal, and Bragança suffered water shortages and devastating forest fires in the rural areas.

Human geography

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thumb|235px|left|A perspective of the settlements around the base of the Castle of Bragança

thumb|235px|left|The parish of Parada on the periphery of the municipality of Bragança

thumb|235px|left|The rural scenery of the parish of Carragosa

Of the 18 Portuguese historical district capitals, Bragança is the farthest from Lisbon, the national capital.

The seat of the municipality is the city of Bragança, which consists of the parish Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo, and had a population of 20,309 in 2001. In the hierarchy of Portuguese urban communities, Bragança is only second to Chaves in the sub-region of the Alto Trás-os-Montes. Historically, the municipality has seen a demographic evolution. Between 1911 and 1991, there has been a 6.80% (1655 inhabitant) increase, mitigated by annual changes that both saw growth and decreases.

  • Alfaião
  • Aveleda e Rio de Onor
  • Babe
  • Baçal
  • Carragosa
  • Castrelos e Carrazedo
  • Castro de Avelãs
  • Coelhoso
  • Donai
  • Espinhosela
  • França
  • Gimonde
  • Gondesende
  • Gostei
  • Grijó de Parada
  • Izeda, Calvelhe e Paradinha Nova
  • Macedo do Mato
  • Mós
  • Nogueira
  • Outeiro
  • Parada e Failde
  • Parâmio
  • Pinela
  • Quintanilha
  • Quintela de Lampaças
  • Rabal
  • Rebordainhos e Pombares
  • Rebordãos
  • Rio Frio e Milhão
  • Salsas
  • Samil
  • Santa Comba de Rossas
  • São Julião de Palácios e Deilão
  • São Pedro de Sarracenos
  • Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo
  • Sendas
  • Serapicos
  • Sortes
  • Zoio

International relations

The municipality of Bragança is twinned with:

  • Zamora, Castile and León, Spain (1984);
  • León, Castile and León, Spain.

Economy

Bragança is a city of services with a dependence on state-run institutions like the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança and the regional hospital for jobs. In the turn of the 21st century, its countryside suffered a population decline with the abandonment of the villages and the aging of the rural population. The city of Bragança is an anchor of the regional economy, resisting the desertification of the hinterland, and concentrating public sector administration in the region. With 35,341 people, Bragança is the largest potential market in the station's surroundings. There are discussions about the possibility of a connecting motorway between Bragança and the area served by the station.[http://www.europapress.es/castilla-y-leon/noticia-pp-diputacion-zamora-apoya-conectar-carretera-puebla-sanabria-braganza-rihonor-castilla-20150305180357.html]

There are three main accessways within the municipality: the A4, IP2 and the N103 motorways. The club was founded in 1943 and its men's football team plays its home matches at the Municipal de Bragança stadium with 5,000 seats.

Religion

Bragança pertains to the Diocese of Bragança-Miranda, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga.

In June 1928, a synagogue was inaugurated in the city.

Notable citizens

  • Mendo Alão ( 1000; Brittany — 1050 in Bragança), nobleman and medieval knight who lived in Bragança (and friend of King Alfonso VI of León and Castile), clergy at the Monastery of São Salvador in Castro de Avelãs;
  • Francisco de Moraes ( 1500 – 1572) writer and personal secretary to the Portuguese ambassador in France;
  • Isaac Orobio de Castro ( 1617 – 1687) Portuguese Jewish philosopher, physician and religious apologist;
  • Jacob de Castro Sarmento (1690 – 1762) estrangeirado, physician, naturalist, poet and Deist;
  • Henrique Callado (1920–2001) Portuguese equestrian, competed in five consecutive Olympic Games;
  • António José Rafael (1925–2018) Roman Catholic bishop of Bragança-Miranda, 1979 to 2001;
  • Jorge Gomes (born 1951) businessman and politician and Secretary of State of Internal Administration;
  • Luís Miguel Afonso Fernandes (born 1989), known as Pizzi, footballer with almost 400 club caps and 17 for Portugal.

References

Notes

Sources

  • Photos from Bragança

vi:Bragança