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250:(Our Lady of Help) and were built at the top of the Serra da Alrota hills on a limestone ridge that provides a panoramic view. They were part of the second line of defence, about 30 km north of Lisbon and 10 km south of the first line. The first line proved adequate to deter the French from attempting further advances and so the Ajuda forts never saw battle, although they continued to be used militarily for some time.
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This fort, at 300 metres above sea level, is polygonal in shape and is surrounded by a moat partially dug out of the rocks. Its role was to support that of the Fort of Ajuda Grande in protecting the main north-south road. Unlike the Ajuda Grande it has not been restored but parts, such as the ditch,
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before being repulsed by
Portuguese-British troops and forced to withdraw. However, the threat of further invasions by the French led Wellington, on October 20, 1809, to order the construction of defensive lines to the north of the capital, between the Atlantic Ocean and the River
270:, where the French were repulsed, with Bucelas. It was built as an irregular polygon with eleven sides, with two connected bulwarks and with three access points, and is surrounded by a dry moat. Inside, there is a
235:. The Lines of Torres Vedras, consisting of 152 forts, redoubts and other military installations, were built rapidly and in conditions of great secrecy, under the overall supervision of
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embrasures and the magazine, can still be discerned. It was No. 19 on the list of military works, had a garrison of 200 men with three 9-pounder cannon.
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Built at an altitude of 311 metres, Ajuda Grande (also known as the Fort of Alrota) was planned to control the road that connected
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signed between France and Spain in
October 1807, which agreed on the invasion of Portugal, French troops under the command of
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The lines of Torres Vedras : the cornerstone of
Wellington's strategy in the Peninsular War, 1809-1812
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entered the country, which requested support from the
British. In July 1808 troops commanded by
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Lines of Torres Vedras interpretation centres at the
Bucelas Wine museum, close to the forts
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A 1ª E A 2ª LINHAS DE TORRES: A VALORIZAÇÃO DO PATRIMÓNIO E O TURISMO CULTURAL
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landed in
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led a new French expedition that advanced south to the city of
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The Forts of Ajuda were named after the nearby
Sanctuary of
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SIPA: Sistema de
Informação para o Património Arquitetónico
399:"Forte Grande da Senhora da Ajuda / Reduto da Ajuda Grande"
359:. Lisbon: British Historical Society, Portugal. p. 54.
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Noivo, Marco António do Carmo Gomes (February 2010).
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374:. Barnsley, UK: Frontline Books.
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427:"Ajuda Grande Redoubt"
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370:Grehan, John (2015).
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488:at Wikimedia Commons
262:Fort of Ajuda Grande
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58:Coordinates
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67:38°56′19″N
118:Condition
70:9°07′46″W
299:See also
272:magazine
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37:in
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194:History
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131:Built
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