Castelo Rodrigo is both a mountaintop fortified village and a ruined medieval castle. The mountain upon which it sits is just over the border from Spain, thus the castle has been much contested between the two countries over the centuries. The castle was established around 1209 by Alfonso IX of Léon, a Spaniard, but was granted to Portugal in 1297. By then a town had grown up around the castle. It aligned with Castile at the time of the previously mentioned Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 and thence came back under Portuguese jurisdiction. In 1492 Castelo Rodrigo became a refuges for Jews expelled from Spain. A popular uprising destroyed the castle and palace in 1640 during the Portuguese revolt against Spanish rule. In the 20th century the community became a refuge for those seeking to escape
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