In or about 1142 according to a brief reference in the Anglo-Norman text known as ''

De expugnatione Lyxbonensi ''De expugnatione Lyxbonensi'' ('On the Conquest of Lisbon') is an eyewitness account of the Siege of Lisbon at the start of the Second Crusade, and covers the expedition from the departure of the English contingent on 23 May 1147 until the fall ...

'' and the Portuguese text known as the '' Chronica Gothorum'', a group of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

crusaders on their way to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

were invited by King

Afonso I Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

to participate in an attempt to capture the

Almoravid The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...

-controlled city of Lisbon. The Anglo-Norman forces might have been led by the brothers William and Ralph Vitalus as it is implied by the ''De expugnatione Lyxbonensi''. According to the sources the crusaders and the Portuguese monarch agreed to capture the city but they were too few in number to be able to sustain a long siege of the city which according to sources was very populous and well supplied. Alternatively, the Christian forces resorted to destroying the outskirts of the city before departing. According to the ''Chronica Gothorum'' the

Crusaders continued on their way to the Holy Land, while the Portuguese returned to their territory. It seems that the inability of the Christian forces to capture Lisbon left some of the Anglo-Norman Crusaders dissatisfied with their Portuguese allies resolve. This would later hinder the negotiations between Afonso Henriques and the Crusader forces that ultimately helped him in the

Siege of Lisbon The siege of Lisbon, from 1 July to 25 October 1147, was the military action that brought the city of Lisbon under definitive Portuguese control and expelled its Moorish overlords. The siege of Lisbon was one of the few Christian victories of ...

in 1147 as part of the Second Crusade. Ultimately, however, despite the failure to capture Lisbon, the campaign did provide the Portuguese monarch with a precedent for the later cooperation with Northern Crusaders in the capture of the city in 1147. On the other hand, this fiasco probably convinced the Portuguese monarch of the need to close the river supply lines of the city by capturing Santarem.Wilson, Jonathan
''The Conquest of Santarém and Goswin’s Song of the Conquest of Alcácer do Sal''
(London, 2021).

References

{{Sieges involving Portugal Conflicts in 1142 1142 in Europe 12th century in al-Andalus History of Lisbon 12th century in Portugal Lisbon (1142) Lisbon Lisbon (1142) Lisbon Lisbon (1142) Lisbon