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The quake devastates Lisbon and much of southern Portugal and plunges the nation into long-lasting crisis. Napoleon’s troops invade in 1807.

Legend has it that the great general landed at Portimão.

Henry assembled the best nautical minds in an academy, but why is there no trace of it?

The immaculately restored battlements are an integral part of the town’s historical make up. A wonderful little museum has been built into the castle walls which includes a recreation of a traditional Algarve kitchen. The view from the ramparts affords grand views.

King Dom Sebastião (1557–78) is said to have roused an army from the window at Lagos Castle.

Named “the eagle’s nest” by locals, this medieval hamlet, set high upon on a rugged escarpment, is an astonishing sight. Sinuous 13th-century battlements envelope an immaculate village, where polished cobbled streets snake past neat façades, whitewashed cottages, a dainty church, trim gardens and a cherished museum. Crowning all this is a castle commanding dramatic views of the Serra de Marvão and the borderlands.

Designated avila museu , or open-air museum-town, the old quarter of Mértola is divided into a number of areas of historic interest. Each reflects the diverse periods in the town’s history: Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors all took advantage of its strategic position on the River Guadiana. A number of museums exhibit treasures from each period, but the most stunning collection can be found in the new Museu Islâmico.

Swathes of vineyards surround Monsaraz, a name synonymous with some of the finest Portuguese wine. The fortified hilltop village is a delight, especially in spring when bright red poppies cling to the granite walls of the 13th-century castle. Also highly visible are the twin bell towers of the Igreja Matriz, holding court over a maze of truncated lanes lined with squat dwellings and tucked-away restaurants.

The atmospheric ruins of Paderne’s long-abandoned Moorish castle are best appreciated on a Sunday morning when there’s little traffic on the nearby motorway. The thick outer walls of mud and sandstone and the remains of a barbican tower are all that exist of the original structure. Inside, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Assunção lies in mournful pieces.

Faro is the last Moorish stronghold to fall, in 1249. Portuguese sovereignty over the Algarve is confirmed in a treaty with the kingdom of Castile in 1297.