toponymic names from this period, including Reimoira, Mourinha, Pala da Moura and Mourãozinho. It was the arrival of the Moors that drove many Christians, who did not wish to be ruled by Muslim tribes, to take refuge in Asturias, pushing there, for the Reconquista of Christian Iberia. It was at this time that the town of Ansiães began to take on a strategic role. The town was a walled outpost that defended Christian territory, and for that role Ferdinand I of León and Castile issued a foral in the 11th century (1055/1065) in order to fix the frontier. This foral, which pre-dated the Portuguese Kingdom, was the first to be issued for lands that today pertain to Portugal. Ansiães importance maintained itself, successively, resulting in various confirmations: by Afonso Henriques, Sancho I, Afonso II and a final foral, promulgated in 1510 by Manuel I. In addition to administrative and strategic roles, Ansiães controlled aspects of the regional economy; Ansiães, due its location and access to communication channels (relics of its Roman history), which rapidly transformed it into a "dry port" that served commercial interests in the area. Because of this, on 16 April 1277, it received a Market Charter (), signed by King Afonso III, that stipulated the towns right to have a monthly fair, at the end of every month, which lasted a day. It also guaranteed that those who attended the fair were secure (either coming or going to the event) three days before and after the fair. These privileges were granted by the monarchy in order to promote internal commerce, interpersonal relations, and enrich the kingdom's coffers. For this reason, the King suspended debts of those that attended the fairs, as well as imposing fines for those who swindled participants. Ansiães was encircled by a double-wall: the interior wall protected the administrative and military facilities, while the outer wall secured the local populous. There were four main gates. Of these, the Gate of São Francisco (to the northeast), which served as the entranceway for horsemen and carts, while the Gate of São Salvador linked the areas within the walls. During this epoch, the principal settlements were Ansiães, Vilarinho da Castanheira and Linhares, that included the ecclesiastical parishes of São Salvador, São João, Santa Maria and São Miguel. On 23 May 1320, a Bull by Pope John XXII, conceded to King Denis of Portugal a three-year war subsidy,