Studying the history of the Cape Verde Islands since the first mention of them in the famous diaries of the Arab geographer and traveler Muhammad al-Idrisi of the 12th century, it can be evident that the main problem of the islands has always been volcanoes. The destruction of the island caused by the volcanoes did cause a lot of trouble to the locals, but it was not the main problem of the islanders. Since the first Portuguese colonialists landed upon the coast, these lands were regularly attacked by sea pirates.

The most famous events in the history of the African state is considered to be the capture of the largest island of Santiago by the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake. It happened in 1585 during the Anglo-Spanish War. His people sieged the island that belonged to the crown of Spain at that time, by the order of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I. Both large cities and small settlements were looted and destroyed. But Cidade Velha, the most ancient city and the former capital of Cape Verde, affected the most.

As soon as the English ships left the coastal waters of Santiago, King Philip II of Spain ordered to build a defensive fortress in Cidade Velha. Its construction started in 1587 and lasted six years. It was part of a powerful defense system, including six old forts and a defensive wall surrounding the entire port. Some remains of medieval fortifications have been preserved to this day. This stone fortress was designed by the Italian architect and engineer Filippo Terzi and named São Filipe. It consists of three military bastions, located on a steep rock. There, you can see the residence of the governor, a chapel, a prison, a garrison, military warehouses, various storages, and utility rooms.

The historical events of the next years and the strong salty winds of the ocean diligently destroyed the ancient stones of the fortress, but its walls managed to survive. And restoration works of 1999-2001 made it look better.