at the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir. Without a successor, the Cortes of Almeirim was opened by Cardinal Henry on 11 January 1580, to decide on the problem of succession. During the Cortes, Febo Moniz, as magistrate of Lisbon, directed his response to the Cardinal, stating "Give this your Highness to a Portuguese prince and all will kiss his hand". But, little was resolved, and the Kingdom eventually began to be governed by Philip II of Spain, beginning the reign of Phillipian Dynastic Union, until 1 December 1640. At the time Almeirim was visited as a winter resort, where many passed through the roads of the burgh and stayed at the Royal Palace. Gil Vicente, the father of Portuguese theatre, presented many of his farses, comedies and plays, for example "Auto da Fé" in 1510; "Barca da Glória" in 1519; tragic-comedy "Dom Dardos" at the marriage of Infanta D. Isabel with Charles V, in 1525; and in 1526 he presented the farse "O Juiz da Beira", the tragic-comedy "Templo de Apolo", "Breve Sumário da História de Deus" and "Diálogo sobre a Ressurreição". It was also in the palace the Garcia de Resende began printing his Cancioneiro Geral.In the Memórias Paroquiais (1758) the resident population was just over 302 neighbours. With the inauguration of the D. Luís bridge in 1881, the connection between Almeirim and Santarém, allowed a significant change in the economy. In 1935, the Casa do Povo, health centre and dispensary were inaugurated. By the middle of the century (1953), the bullring, a social centre of annual activities was also open to the public. On 20 June 1991, the settlement was elevated to the status of city. The municipal assembly approved ARU02, designating the Área de Reabilitação Urbana (Urban Rehabilitation Area'') for Almeirim (8902/2014, Diário da República, 147, Série 1) in order to modernize and recuperate many of the historic buildings in the town. Geography Almeirim is situated from Lisbon, and in Santarém; its neighbours include Alpiarça (to the north), Chamusca (in the east and northeast), Salvaterra da Magos, Coruche (both in the south), Santarém (in the northwest) and Cartaxo (in the south). The municipality is situated on a plain along the Tagus Valley and Lezíria, approximately along the left bank of the Tagus River. The morphology of the terrain is marked by a planar relief with little forests, with cultivation interspersed between pastures and vineyards. The municipality of Almeirim is