Book of Fortresses

Southern view of the town and castle of Almeida, as seen in the Book of Fortresses.

The Book of Fortresses (Portuguese: Livro das Fortalezas) is a sixteenth-century manuscript written in 1509–1510 by the Royal Clerk Duarte de Armas at the behest King Manuel I of Portugal. The work contains drawings of all the 56 Portuguese border castles, all of which have been personally visited by the author. The book is considered to be a valuable source for the study of cartography and military architecture of the kingdom of Portugal.[1]

  1. ^ Livro das Fortalezas (Duarte de Armas, 1510). Fac-simile do Ms. da Casa Forte do Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo. 2.ª edição. Edições Inapa, 1997