Afonso Henriques: The First and The Perfect King of Portugal, Inception of Portugal, Part-4/4

Alfonso Enrique the perfect king of Portugal Alfonso Enrique the first king of Portugal and the most famous person in early Portuguese history was born in gimores in 1109 his mother infanta Dona Teresa was the illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile and was married to count Henry of burgundy who came to help him fight Moors with his father's restlessness and heroic courage along with his mother's political skill he was destined to complete his great parents hard work of building a distinct Portuguese identity and creating the first nation of a modern world not much is known about Alfonso's early life but it is thought that he was raised in burgundy at the court of his father's family he was trained in The Art of War and diplomacy from a young age and was known for his strong leadership and Military prowess the reign of Alfonso henriquez can be divided into four different periods 1. the Regency of infanta Teresa two early Wars of Detachment from Galicia 3. the acquisition war with Moors extending the frontier 4. the consolidation period and partial decline after the defeat in 1166 the first of these four periods was covered in my other video on infanta the racer but others are important in Portuguese history and need closer consideration afonso fought many wars and conflicts in Galicia with local Nobles and Alfonso VII the king of Leon and Castile until he was recognized as the ruler of Portugal and stopped meddling in Galicia after signing the piece of Tui on July 4. 1137 which was negotiated by clergy from both sides and saved afonso from going to war with his strong opponent Alfonso VII local magnets who helped to fonso gain control used to wield autonomy in his court therefore in a brilliant move in 1132 the youthful Prince moved his capital from gamorus to the Strategic city of coimbra in the South dimming the northern magnet's influence and giving fresh opportunities to less important Southern border Knights who subsequently became Assets in the balance of power after peace in Galicia and no territorial gains in the north afonso headed to the South to solve the persistent problem of the Moors who were in bad shape the almarvid monarchy in alandalus and Morocco had lost its Muslim fanaticism independent Muslim dynasties returned to andalus territories Abdel Newman who took over for the Mahdi was beating the almaravids in Africa with a new fanatical group called The amohad the Portuguese had to cope with the three autonomous Muslim Emirates of the Algarve badagios ivora and balata which covered Lisbon santarem and sintra north of the tagus river the emirs had many semi-independent walis chiefs of districts cities and castles who were always at war with one another initially the Knights Templar and knights hospitaler created by Alfonso's Mother infanta Teresa at Sawa and Omar harassed the Moors Alfonso busy with his own plans did nothing to Aid their nightly chivalry except to build a huge castle at lyria to protect his capital coimbra and launch Moore's expeditions this alarmed the Muslims of the batalha they set aside their quarrels and raised an army and in 1135 the very year in which the castle of lyria was built they stormed the castle killing 240 knights in Garrison and then defeated the Christian Army at DOMA Alfonso gathered all the chivalry of Portugal and led a heroic Expedition against the Moors the last almeravid caliph teshfan was trying very hard to keep control of the armor had while Alfonso's cousin Alfonso VII was going on his second mission in Andalusia in May 1139 afonso bravely crossed the tagus and took over the western part of the country that used to be under Muslim control Emir isma the governor of Cordoba for the AL maravids put together an army however Alfonso moved quickly and beat the combined Muslim Army on July 25 1139 aturiq which may be south of Baja the Portuguese Christian forces were strongly outnumbered but the Muslim armies were weaker because of problems with their own leaders this made it easier for Alfonso henriquez to win consequently Alfonso held the first estate's general assembly of Portugal in lamigo and proclaimed himself king of Portugal confirming Portuguese independence from the kingdom of Leon and Castile Alfonso finally realized that it was better to take over nearby cities than to go on Long raids in the Moore's Southern territory thus his first attack was on santaram which controlled the upper tagus and was one day's March from coimbra his capital Abu zakiria the santaram vaser was batalha's legendary Muslim Warrior afonso surprised santorum's defense on March 2nd 1147 by advancing quickly he laid siege for several days before its Visa could provision it on March 15 his men stormed the city walls and slew the Moorish centuries to unlock the entrance and Alfonso took santaram in a tough battle the next stop was the beautiful old city of Lisbon which was the natural capital of iberia's western coast earlier the Moors took it in 714 during their great March and made it the seat of their balata region for 400 years after Pope Eugene III called for the Second Crusade 167 ships carrying Flemish Frisian Norman English and Scottish Crusaders left Dartmouth England for Palestine in May 1147. on the way they stopped in Porto Portugal the bishop of Porto welcomed them and presented King afonso's invitation to join him in taking Lisbon from the Moors in exchange for pillaging the city's goods and ransoming more prisoners earlier King Alfonso reportedly left for Lisbon in anticipation of their help one of these Crusaders wrote about the Expedition and Siege which is known as the siege of Lisbon one of Portugal's most significant events the northern Crusaders sailed to Lisbon with the bishop of Porto they joined Alfonso and his Portuguese Knights near the tagus river mouth and The Siege began in July 1047 after conquering nearby areas after four months on October 21 1147 the Moorish rulers surrendered since the Crusaders Siege Tower reached their wall and the city was Sheltering santarem's displaced people and the leaders of sintra or Moda and Pamela on October 25th Christian Invaders stormed the city and Unleashed Terror on the populace violating the Moore's capitulation agreements the capture of Lisbon began an intimate and long relationship with England that continues today after the victory most Crusaders travel to the Holy Land but the Portuguese King's generous promises convinced a few to stay afonso's success was unsurprising in 1147 sintra Palmilla Mafra and almada gave up without a fight in 1148 alenka oberdos Torres novas and Porto de Moss also gave up without a fight and he took control of the Southern parts of Bera and estro Madura further due to Manpower shortages success made occupying settling and advancing harder afonso spent a decade fortifying and attracting settlers halting his conquests he also built the splendid Monastery of alcabaca in 1153 as a gift to the church after failing to take alcasa do Sal in 1152 and 1157 afonso eagerly waited for the chance to do so in 1158 Alfonso the Conqueror reached the height of his greatness and prosperity after his cousin Emperor Alfonso VII of Leon and Castile died in 1157. Alfonso was tempted to try to change things the emperor Alfonso VII gave Leon and Galicia to Ferdinand and Castile to Sancho at the time Alfonso was the most experienced Christian fighter in the peninsula so everyone wanted his help he married his eldest daughter Matilda to Raymond Behringer heir to the oregony's throne in 1160 and his second daughter urata to King Ferdinand a few years later he also signed the Treaty of cellanova which said that each king or queen would fight the Moors on their own and that the guadiana river would separate their lines of Conquest this treaty was caused by the fact that the Moors in Africa had again become United under the rule of the armor had caliph Abdel mumin and that a great invasion of Iberia was expected in 1161 Abdel Newman LED 18 000 amohad forces across the Strait of Gibraltar he beat the independent Muslim emirs and sent a fonso back to Lisbon and santaram however abdelmin's death in 1163 changed everything a disputed succession kept the armor had Warriors busy in Africa an independent groups of saltadors who were mostly just Bandits started to set up as small feudal princes in the cities and districts of valentejo The Province South of the tagus that became the Battleground between Christians and Moors Alfonso let them do as they pleased because he wanted to take badagos which was on the Eastern Bank of the guardiana and which he had promised to leave to Leon he took over bajir in 1162 ivora in 1165 and cosias in 1166 so he could reach badagos then Ferdinand was engaged in fighting with his nephew Alfonso IX of Castile Alfonso took advantage and reoccupied Tui and limia two Galician Frontier towns in 1167. but when he laid Siege to badagos in 1169 he broke the treaty this made King Ferdinand angry so he put together a huge Army and surrounded his father-in-law's camp the Portuguese were thoroughly defeated and their Warrior Monarch now in advanced years had his leg broken and was forced to capitulate he was never able to saddle a horse again after two months in captivity Ferdinand permitted the Portuguese Monarch to return to his Nation when he surrendered the cities in Galicia and the cities on the Left Bank of the guardiana that he had captured in breach of treaties but the old Warrior's Spirit had been broken and in 1172 he Associated his son Sancho in the government of Portugal to whom he gave the title of King and assigned all the duties of War and the leadership of the Portuguese armies sanctua was still a boy but he later became a worthy son Alfonso had to take further steps against the Moors now unified under the armor had calaf Yusuf insufficient night Templars defended elentejo but Yusuf quickly reclaimed the elentejo and besieged santaram however the city's well-stocked defenses and medieval military expertise prevented this and when Yusuf retired afonzo struck a seven-year ceasefire with the Muslims for the first time in his long career in 1174 Sancho married Donna Dulce who was the daughter of Raymond Behringer counter Barcelona and petronila queen of Aragon after years of being careful Sancho broke the piece with the Muslims he invaded Seville in 1176. the elentejo was again a Battleground after this Expedition the Moors were defeated in abrantis in 1179 karouche in 1180 and ivora in 1181. Pope Alexander III's famous papal bull proclaimed Portugal's Independence on record in 1179. however the hardest fight was ahead Yusuf crossed the Straits in May 1184 with the armor had's best-equipped Muslim Army he besieged santaram again in June pestilence protected the Portuguese City and on July 4 1184 Sancho overcame the fever-stricken Moors in a major fight in which Yusuf was Gravely wounded Alfonso died in coimbra on December 6 1185. he kept his mind but not his body during the battles with the Moors he was buried in Santa Cruz's Priory Church Alfonso's courage determination and shrewdness built the Portuguese monarchy he is a hero to the Portuguese for his character and for founding their Nation even during the Middle Ages it was uncommon for a small insignificant County to grow into a powerful compact Little Kingdom in one man's Reign and that the New Kingdom should be perpetuated into modern times is quite unprecedented in European history there was no reason why the part of the Iberian Peninsula known as Portugal should have formed an independent Kingdom more than Leon or Castile it was the greatness of one man that made it an independent country the story of Portugal shows that a country is not always defined by its natural Borders or by the races of its people

Channel: CRITICAL HISTORY TIMES

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Keywords: criticalhistorytimes, critical history times, history time, world history, portugal, portugal history, Hispanic Islam, Afonso Henriques, King of Portugal, Early Portuguese history, Guimaraes, Infanta Dona Teresa, Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile, Count Henry of Burgundy Moors, Regency of Infanta Theresa, Wars of detachment, siege of lisbon, galicia, Portuguese identity, Coimbra, almohad caliphate, almoravides, Abd-el-Mumin, Mahadi, Gameiro, santarem, Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller

Id: I4he7DZoXJU

Length: 13min 31sec (811 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 30 2023