Wellington Defensive Lines in Portugal

In 1807 Napoleon sent his armies to invade Portugal as punishment for the country not having joined his Continental Blockade. With the English help, a joint force of British and Portuguese commanded by the future Duke of Wellington was created to tackle the situation. Anticipating the third and last invasion the duke built two impregnable defensive lines north of Lisbon, fortifying all the surrounding hills. In this tour we will visit three of the main forts of the Torres Vedras Defensive Lines which connect the Tagus to the Atlantic: the Alhandra Memorial Fort, the Zambujal Fort in Mafra and the Torres Vedras Fort. In Mafra we'll visit the magnificent baroque complex Palace/Convent/Basilica, built with the large amounts of gold brought from Brazil. On this trip we will talk about the history of this period and the importance of the influence of French revolutionary ideas on the future of Portugal. A highlight of the tour is the beautiful scenery of the places we will visit.