King Sebastian

King Sebastian was a renaissance king with a medieval spirit. He was a fan of medieval knights, old tales of chivalry and castles of bygone days. Therefore, he decided that the palace where he would live would not be the modern Riverside Palace, 

but the old Royal Palace right next to the castle. It was so old that it was almost in ruins, largely due to an earthquake that had taken place in 1531. Immediately after his coronation, he ordered several construction projects be undertaken at Castelo de São Jorge and the palace so he could live there. 

He hosted great receptions in the palace rooms, such as the one that took place in 1571 in honour Pope Pius V’s representative, Cardinal Alessandrino. Thanks to this visit, a document has come down to us describing the appearance of the palace: it was built all in stone, had many rooms and staircases, and was more comfortable than beautiful. Thanks to this visit, a document has come down to us describing the appearance of the palace: it was built all in stone, had many rooms and staircases, and was more comfortable than beautiful. It was decorated very elaborately, with paintings, colourful fabrics, tapestries and valuable and exotic pieces. 

King  Sebastian disappeared during the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir.  He became known as “The Desired” because it was believed that he would one day return to the kingdom. He never did. And no other king would ever live in the castle’s Royal Palace again. Without a crown prince, Portugal would eventually 

unite with Spain and the two kingdoms would be ruled by the same monarch: Philip I.