In 1187, King Sancho I granted the first charter to the inhabitants of the town of Bragança. The monarch exchanged the estate of Benquerença with the Monastery of Castro de Avelãs, with the intention of founding a new town there and shortly after, in March 1188, he granted a sum of money for the construction of its first walls. The king intended to ensure more effective control of the Trás-os-Montes border. Perhaps because he understood the strategic importance of the fortification, King Dinis (1279 – 1325) greatly increased the fortification works of the castle (another “new castle” among the many built during his time), endowing it with a second perimeter wall, of barbican style, of which we can still see vestiges on the north side of the watchtower. This castle, or from it, was built what we can see today. Later, under the reign of King Fernando I (1367 – 1383), the fortress underwent improvement works. The fortification we see today was ordered to be built by King João I, in the year 1409, and the works continued for a few decades, spanning the reigns of King Duarte (1433 – 1438) and King Afonso V (1438 – 1481). It was only completed in 1449. From 1855, the facilities were used to house the Battalion of Hunters No. 3 and later, between 1901 and 1937, the Infantry Regiment No. 10, with the Battalion of Hunters No. 3 reoccupying it until 1960. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, the castle that stands before us today occupies an area of 3.2 hectares and has an approximate perimeter of 670 meters. Its walled area, of irregular oval layout, is cut by pyramidal-shaped battlements and marked by 23 towers, of which 10 are cubic, 2 hexagonal, and 11 quadrangular.