Alburquerque was conquered from Moors by Ferdinand II of León in 1166. It changed hands couple of times before was finally in the hands of Christians in 1217. The castle was built in the late 13th century.
In the mid-15th century Álvaro de Luna, Master of the Order of St. James, built the famous keep. But that is not the only identifying mark on this castle as it has several palace-style out buildings, some outer defence resources in the barbican and a curious pentagonal tower, crowned battlements with sharp points ending in balls. Furthermore, the fortress is protected by three levels of walls scattered with small towers and several doors.
In the early 18th century the city was in the hands of Portuguese and several Vauban-style bastions were added to the complex.
References:Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).