CELEBRATIONS OF THE 650 YEARS OF THE TAGILDE TREATY
This year marks the 650th anniversary of the Treaty of Tagilde, on July 10, 2022, so the Vizela City Council and Portugal-UK 650 will promote the commemorations of the 650th anniversary of the Luso-British Alliance, which will be marked with a set of initiatives, with emphasis on the program of 8, 9 and 10 of July, which was presented yesterday by the Mayor of Vizela, Victor Hugo Salgado, and by the President of Portugal-UK 650, Maria João Araújo.
The 10th of July 2022 marks the 650th anniversary of the Luso-British Alliance, the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world between two countries in force, based on the perpetual friendship between the two countries, which took place with the signing of the Treaty of Tagilde on July 10, 1372, in Vizela, and its consolidation with the signing of the Treaty of London, on June 16, 1373.
Considered the prelude to the Luso-British Alliance, the Treaty of Tagilde signed on July 10, 1372, in the Church of São Salvador de Tagilde, seals one of the most important political friendships in Portugal and marks the beginning of the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world, which continues to this day.
In Tagilde, King Fernando I of Portugal signed with the Duke of Lancaster, son of King Edward III of England, a treaty of ‘forever lasting friendships and alliances’ in which they promised to be ‘good, loyal and true friends forever. and that they loved each other well and truly and that at no time were they against one another, nor against their kingdoms, successors or heirs’ (Treaty of Tagilde, Article I, 1372).
On the 10th of July 1953, a Pattern was implanted in this place, on top of which we find the stones with the symbols of the kingdoms of Portugal and England.
Thus, between the 6th and 10th of July, a series of initiatives will take place that are part of the program commemorating the 650th anniversary of the Luso-British Alliance.
Between the 6th and 9th of July, the Interdisciplinary Conference “The Luso-British Alliance: Review of the past and perspectives for the future” will take place at the University of Minho, in Braga.
On July 8, at 9.30 pm, Sofia Escobar’s concert with the Banda da Sociedade Filarmónica Vizelense will take place at Praça da República, in Vizela.
On July 9, the solidarity gala will be held at Teatro Circo in Braga, at 9.30 pm.
The 10th of July will begin with the Thanksgiving Eucharist I Cathedral of Braga, which will be celebrated by D. José Cordeiro, Archbishop Primate of Braga and Primate of Spain. At 11.30 am, the solemn session commemorating the 650th anniversary of the Treaty of Tagilde will take place with the recreation of the signature of the Treaty of Tagilde in Largo da Igreja de Tagilde. At 18:00, Praça da República in Vizela hosts the concert by the Queen’s College Choir of Oxford with the University of Minho Orchestra and the British Army Band of the Coldstream Guards.
The Vizela City Council considers this another initiative to enhance the enormous historical and cultural heritage that the Municipality has in its territory, fundamental for the transmission of Vizela’s memory and identity, thus constituting a resource that must be disseminated, valuing and projecting a common heritage that urgently needs to be transmitted.
The celebrations of the Tagilde Treaty will also contribute to the consolidation of the image and identity of the Municipality of Vizela as a privileged tourist destination, in terms of historical and cultural tourism.