EncyclopediaTôrres Vedras
Tôrres Vedras (tō'rush vā'drush) [key], town (1991 pop. 13,300), Lisboa dist., W central Portugal, in Estremadura. Located in an agricultural center, it produces wine and minor manufactures. The town was captured from the Moors by Alfonso I soon after he took Lisbon (1147) but was reconquered by the Almohads briefly in 1189. Tôrres Vedras was an important fortress and royal residence throughout the Middle Ages and was an important strategic point in the Peninsular War (1810).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
