The Battle of São Mamede (, ) took place on 24 June 1128 near
Guimarães and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...
and the battle that ensured
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
's
independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
. Portuguese forces led by
Afonso Henriques defeated forces led by his mother
Teresa of Portugal and her lover
Fernão Peres de Trava. Following São Mamede, the future king styled himself "Prince of Portugal". He would be called "King of Portugal" starting in 1139 and was recognised as such by neighbouring kingdoms in 1143.
Background
In late 11th century,
Henry of Portugal, a
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
and brother of the
Duke of Burgundy, went to support the
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
of
Hispania
Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...
. He fought the
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
along with
Alfonso VI of León
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century ( Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. ...
. In honour of his fights in
Hispania
Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...
, the King gave him the
County of Portugal. This gift came with a reinstated title; because of attempts by the previous holder some years earlier to assert independence, it had been suppressed. Henry became count of Portugal and Theresa, one of Alfonso's daughters, his wife.
In 1095, the county was a dependency of the
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 10th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was formed following the div ...
, itself a dependency of the
Kingdom of León. In 1097 Portugal became a direct dependency of León. However, from the early years of his rule, Henry became influenced by the desire of the lords of the county for independence which made him desire the independence of the county.
Henry died in 1112, and his wife Queen Theresa (''Regina Tarasia'', as she addressed herself) became the countess of Portugal. Her sister
Queen Urraca became Queen of León after her father's, Alfonso VI of Leon, death. Like her husband, Theresa was also ambitious and wished for independence from Leon, and particularly her sister. In an attempt to maintain the autonomy of her county, at different times she allied herself to her sister's enemies or with her sister, whichever was most propitious at the time.
In 1116, the Portuguese took two Galician cities,
Tui and
Ourense. In reply, Queen Urraca attacked Theresa's dominions. Bishop
Diego Gelmírez, a friend of a Galician noble that was in the service of Theresa, led a revolt in the camp of Queen Urraca, and Urraca was obliged to make peace with her sister Theresa.
Urraca died in 1126. Urraca's son,
Alfonso VII, became king of León and Castile and demanded that Theresa become his vassal, which she refused to do. In response, Alfonso attacked Portugal in the spring of 1127. This increased the power of Theresa's son,
Afonso Henriques, because she had lost the trust of the Leonese king, and Afonso became the count of Portugal. Subsequently, Theresa became a puppet of the Galician Ferdinand Perez de Trava. Theresa and Prince Afonso therefore became enemies as both wanted to take control of the county, but only the supporters of Prince Afonso were really interested in full independence.
Battle
Afonso Henriques was not alone in the battle. In fact, he was pressured by the lords of the main Portuguese cities, by the local church, and by its people to achieve the country's independence.
Nobles participating in the battle with Afonso Henriques:
* Afonso Nunes de Barbosa (1131)
* D.
Paio Mendes da Maia (
Archbishop of Braga)
*
Egas Moniz de Cresconhe
*
Egas Moniz de Ribadouro (1108–1146)
*
Ermígio Moniz de Ribadouro (1128–1135)
*
Fernão Captivo (
Alferes-Mor)
*
Garcia Soares
*
Godinho Fafes de Lanhoso
*
Gonçalo Mendes da Maia (''O Lidador'')
*
Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa (1154–1167)
*
Nuno Soares Velho (1117–1162)
*
Paio Ramires Ramirão
*
Sancho Nunes de Barbosa (1114–1169)
*
Soeiro Mendes de Sousa (1121–1137)
The counts that dominated the
counties of Portugal and
Coimbra
Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of .
The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
kept the idea of independence, and their merger strengthened their positions.
Alfonso VI of León
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century ( Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. ...
, knowing the wishes of the Portuguese, united all
Galicia under a single rule of one lord, which he chose from one of his close relatives. Teresa, mother of Afonso Henriques, came to Guimarães to govern the
Portuguese county. The Portuguese did not accept this, and the battle started. Afonso won the battle and Portugal started its journey towards independence.
Aftermath
In 1129, Henriques declared himself ''Prince of Portugal'' and in 1139 as ''King of Portugal''. León finally recognized Portugal's independence in 1143 in the
Treaty of Zamora. In 1179, the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
declared him King,
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...
.
See also
*
Battle of Cerneja
*
Fernando Pérez de Traba
*
Alfonso VII of León and Castile
*
Treaty of Zamora
Further reading
* Anderson, James Maxwell (2000). ''The History of Portugal'
online
* Birmingham, David. ''A Concise History of Portugal'' (Cambridge, 1993)
* Grissom, James. (2012) ''Portugal – A Brief History'
excerpt and text search* Oliveira Marques, A. H. de. ''History of Portugal: Vol. 1: from Lusitania to empire; Vol. 2: from empire to corporate state'' (1972).
* Nowell, Charles E. ''A History of Portugal'' (1952
online
* Payne, Stanley G. ''A History of Spain and Portugal'' (2 vol 1973
standard scholarly history; chapter 23
Historiography
* Campos Matos, Sérgio. "History of Historiography and National Memory in Portugal," ''History Compass'' (Oct 2012) 10#10 pp 765–777.
* de Carvalho Homem, Armando Luís. "A. H. de Oliveira Marques (1933–2007): Historiography and Citizenship," ''E-Journal of Portuguese History'' (Winter 2007) 5#2 pp 1–9.
References
External links
*
History of Portugal: Primary documents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Mamede
1128 in Europe
12th century in Portugal
São Mamede
Battles involving Portugal
County of Portugal