NicholasHis name is also spelled Nicolaus (), in Portuguese ''Nicolau'' (). In contemporary

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

documents, it is spelled ''Niculaus'' (), ''Nicolaus'' or ''Nicholaus'' (). (died 1213) was the bishop of Silves (1189–1191) and

bishop of Viseu The Portuguese Catholic diocese of Viseu ( la, Dioecesis Visensis) is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Braga. Its see at Viseu is in the Centro Region. The current bishop is António Luciano dos Santos Costa. History The see at Viseu dates f ...

(1192–1213) during the Portuguese ''

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

''. A native of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

and a clergyman, Nicholas joined an international maritime expedition intending to take part in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. His fleet assisted King

Sancho I of Portugal Sancho I of Portugal (), nicknamed "the Populator" ( pt, "o Povoador"), King of Portugal (Coimbra, 11 November 115426 March 1211) was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fifth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. ...

in besieging Silves from 21 July to 3 September 1189. After the fall of Silves, according to an eyewitness account, the ''

De itinere navali ''De itinere navali'' ('Of the Seaborne Journey') is an anonymous Latin account of the siege and capture of Silves in 1189, one of the expeditions of the Third Crusade. It was written by an eyewitness shortly after the events it records. It is kn ...

'', the newly appointed Portuguese governor named Nicholas bishop. Some of his fellow Flemings opted to remain in Silves with him while the rest of the crusaders continued on to the Holy Land. The governor, however, asked Nicholas to intercede and convince the crusaders to help him take Faro. He was unable to secure general agreement and the attack did not take place. According to

Ralph of Diceto Ralph de Diceto (or Ralph of Diss; c. 1120c. 1202) was archdeacon of Middlesex, dean of St Paul's Cathedral (from c. 1180), and author of two chronicles, the ''Abbreviationes chronicorum'' and the ''Ymagines historiarum''. Early career Ralph is ...

, only five days after the city fell, on the

Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bir ...

(8 September), Nicholas dedicated the mosque as the cathedral of the Blessed Virgin. The names of three members of his chapter are known: William the dean, Peter the treasurer and Lambert the archdeacon. They may have been among those Flemings who chose to stay with him in Silves. William was sent to Flanders to recruit settlers for the new diocese. Before the end of the year 1189, Nicholas had received several privileges from King Sancho and a villa at

Mafra Mafra is a Czech media group that publishes printed and internet media, headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It is a subsidiary of Agrofert holding conglomerate owned by trust of Andrej Babiš, the former Prime Minister of the Czech Repu ...

. In December, he witnessed the king's donation of the castle of Alvor to the monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra. In March 1190, at Sancho's request, he granted canonical jurisdiction over the

castle of Lagos The Castle of Lagos is a medieval castle located in the municipality of Lagos, Portugal. Its walls surrounded the entire city of Lagos, providing the town its main means of defence. History Early History Due to its strategic location, this ...

to the

monastery of São Vicente de Fora The Church and Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, meaning "Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls", is a 17th-century church and monastery in the city of Lisbon, Portugal. It is one of the most important monasteries and mannerist buildings in ...

, the king having already granted the castle to the monastery. That summer, the Almohads besieged Silves. According to

Roger of Howden Roger of Howden or Hoveden (died 1202) was a 12th-century English chronicler, diplomat and head of the minster of Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Roger and Howden minster Roger was born to a clerical family linked to the ancient minste ...

, when a ship bearing English crusaders arrived, Nicholas begged them to take part in the city's defence. The citizens went further and scuttled their ship. After they were promised a replacement ship, they agreed to join the defence. The Almohads ultimately lifted the siege. In February 1191, Nicholas witnessed a royal donation to the

monastery of Alcobaça A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. That summer, the Almohads returned and once again besieged Silves, which surrendered on 25 July. A year later, on 7 July 1192, Bishop João Peres of Viseu died. Before the month was out, Nicholas had been appointed his replacement. His activities at Viseu can be traced in six documents between February 1196 and December 1210. Nicholas died on 25 October 1213 or possibly 1214.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{refend 12th-century births 1213 deaths 12th-century people from the county of Flanders Christians of the Third Crusade People of the Reconquista People from Silves, Portugal Bishops of Viseu