On 24 April 1281, King Denis granted Abrantes to his wife, Queen Elizabeth of Portugal.

In 1807, during the Napoleonic invasions of the peninsula, the fort and parish were a staging point for Marshall Jean-Andoche Junot's troops (23 November).

[5] The Church of Saint John the Baptist (Portuguese: Igreja de São João Baptista) was founded in 1300, by Queen Elizabeth of Portugal, and the settlement was elevated to parish rank shortly after (in 1326).

It was from this church that King John I departed for Aljubarrota, after Mass on 8 August 1385, vowing to return and offer thanksgiving for success in battle.

The parish is a circular administrative division located on the northern margin of the Tagus River, at the southern border of the city of Abrantes.