Portuguese Conquest of the Algarve

Timeline

1. 1240–1245Northern Algarve · PortugalBuilding on gains left by Afonso III and his father Sancho II, Portugal continued southward, capturing castles and agricultural areas in the northern Algarve, squeezing Muslim taifa room for maneuver along the southwestern coast.
2. 1246–1249Faro · AlgarvePortuguese forces besieged and captured Faro and other core Algarve cities, controlling ports and salt resources; Muslim garrisons either surrendered or withdrew west, bringing the kingdom's power to the southern Atlantic shore.
3. 1249–1250Algarve · PortugalBy 1250 the entire Algarve was incorporated into Portugal's administrative and ecclesiastical systems, essentially fixing the kingdom's borders; subsequent negotiations with Castile over frontier and maritime interests completed the Reconquista in the peninsula's southwest.