The name Estremadura comes from the Latin Extrema Durii, “beyond the Douro”. This was once the border of the Christian kingdoms in the north. As Portugal expanded southwards in the 12th century, land taken from the Moors was given to the religious orders. The Cistercian abbey at Alcobaça celebrates Afonso Henriques’ capture of the town of Santarém in 1147, after which the Knights Templar began constructing their citadel at Tomar. Overthrowing the Moors did not signal lasting peace in the region, however, as Spanish claims to the Portuguese throne brought more fighting. João I was victorious over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, and he built Batalha’s magnificent abbey near the site to celebrate Portuguese independence.

In 1808–10, Napoleonic forces sacked many towns in the region, but were stopped by Wellington’s formidable defences, the Lines of Torres Vedras. Christianity remains as important here as it was in the Middle Ages and, in the 20th century, Fátima became an important pilgrimage destination following celebrated visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. The region is not out of touch with the modern world, however, and the building of the dam at Castelo de Bode in the 1940s heralded a new era of hydroelectric power.