D. Gualdim Pais is the most relevant personality in the history of Tomar and one of the inevitable protagonists of the foundation of our nationality.
Born in the region of Braga, probably in Terra de Faria, and coming from a family of the small nobility of Minho, he was the second son of Paio Ramires and Gontrode Soares, brother of Gomes Pais de Priscos, Estevaínha Pais and Sancha Pais, and was born between 1118 and 1120.
Tradition has it that King Afonso Henriques knighted him at the battle of Ourique in 1139. He joined the Order of the Temple in 1144 and spent five years in Palestine, where he took part in several military campaigns against the Muslims, including Sidon, Antioch and the famous siege of Ashkelon.
On his return to Portugal, he was appointed Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal, a position he held between 1156 and 1195, and he played an important role in the history of the Knights Templar in Portugal. He ordered the construction of the castles of Pombal, Tomar, Almourol, Idanha-a-Velha, and Monsanto, built according to the architectural innovations for military structures that he had brought back from his stay in Palestine.
In 1156, he ordered the construction of Pombal Castle, which played a vital role in the consolidation of the positions reached, integrating the network of fortresses of the Mondego defensive line.
After donating Ceras Castle and its surrounding area to the Order of the Temple in 1159, he ordered Tomar Castle to be built, restoring its settlement and setting up the order’s headquarters and the knights’ oratory there.
In 1159, he granted a charter to Redinha and Ferreira do Zêzere, in 1161 to Tomar, and in 1174 to the town of Pombal.
A fundamental ally of Afonso Henriques in conquering territory from the Muslims, he considerably extended the domain of the Knights Templar in Portugal, who controlled thirteen castles along the border, playing a key role in the kingdom’s defence and repopulation.
He died on 13th October 1195, and was buried in the Santa Maria do Olival Church in Tomar.