Beira (European Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbɐjɾɐ]) was one of the six traditional provinces or comarcas of Portugal.
The territorial extension is different from that of the area called the Beiras, which refers to three provinces of 1936, Beira Alta, Beira Baixa and Beira Litoral.
___Beira_Baixa_Province_q.jpg)
The term "provinces" (Portuguese: províncias) has been used throughout history to identify regions of continental Portugal. Current legal subdivisions of Portugal do not coincide with the provinces, but several provinces, in their 19th- and 20th-century versions, still correspond to culturally relevant, strongly self-identifying categories. They include:
The islands of Azores and Madeira were never called "provinces".
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was a secret agreement signed on 27 October 1807 in Fontainebleau, France between King Charles IV of Spain and the French Emperor Napoleon. Under the treaty, the House of Braganza was to be driven from the Kingdom of Portugal with the country subsequently divided into three regions, the north and south to be ruled by Louis II, King of Etruria and Spanish minister Manuel Godoy respectively, while the provinces of Beira, Tras-os-Montes and Portuguese Estremadura would remain in abeyance until a later peace. Within seven months the government of Spain had collapsed and two Spanish kings abdicated. In August 1808 Napoleon imposed his brother Joseph as King of Spain.
Negotiated and agreed between Don Eugenio Izquierdo, plenipotentiary of Charles IV, and Marshal Géraud Duroc as the representative of Napoleon, the accord contained 14 articles along with supplementary provisions relating to troop allocations for the planned invasion of Portugal.
Licor Beirão, commonly simply known as Beirão, is a Portuguese liqueur from the Beira region of Portugal. Originating in the 19th century, it is the most consumed alcoholic spirit in Portugal.
Production began in the 19th century in Lousã, in the Beira region, from where it got its name (Beirão means "from Beira"). It is made from a double distillation of seeds and herbs, including mint, cinnamon, cardamom and lavender, from all over the world, including former Portuguese colonies of Brazil, Sri Lanka, and India.