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The Battle of São Mamede ( pt, Batalha de São Mamede, ) took place on 24 June 1128 near
Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and ...
and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the
Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a 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 kn ...
and the battle that ensured
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 th ...
's
Independence Independence is a condition of a person, 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 stat ...
. Portuguese forces led by
Afonso 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 in ...
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 knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
and brother of the
Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
, went to support the
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
of
Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hi ...
. He fought the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...
along with Alfonso VI of León. In honour of his fights in
Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hi ...
, 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 ( gl, Reino de Galicia, or ''Galiza''; es, Reino de Galicia; pt, Reino da Galiza; la, Galliciense Regnum) was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire north ...
, itself a dependency of the
Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León; es, Reino de León; gl, Reino de León; pt, Reino de Leão; la, Regnum Legionense; mwl, Reino de Lhion was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when t ...
. 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 Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
became Queen of León after her father's, Alfonso VI of Leon, death. Like her husband, Theresa was also ambitious 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 Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...
. In reply, Queen Urraca attacked Theresa's dominions. Bishop
Diego Gelmírez Diego Gelmírez or Xelmírez ( la, Didacus Gelmirici; c. 1069 – c. 1140) was the second bishop (from 1100) and first archbishop (from 1120) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, modern Spain. He is a prominent figu ...
, 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 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. ...
, 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 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 in ...
, 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.


The 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 Paio Mendes ( la, Pelagius, es, Pelayo; died 1137) was the Archbishop of Braga from 1118 until his death. He was an adherent of the cause of Afonso Henriques, Count of Portugal. In 1136 Paio attended the council of Burgos presided over by the le ...
da Maia ( Archbishop of Braga) * Egas Moniz de Cresconhe * Egas Moniz de Ribadouro (1108–1146) * Ermígio Moniz de Ribadouro (1128–1135) *
Fernão Captivo Fernão is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 1,727 (2020 est.) in an area of 101 km². The elevation is 558 m. References Municipalities in São Paulo (state) {{SaoPauloState-geo-stub ...
( Alferes-Mor) * Garcia Soares * Godinho Fafes de Lanhoso * Gonçalo Mendes da Maia (''O Lidador'') *
Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa {{Infobox noble, type , name = Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa , title = Rico-Homen , image = Armas sousa arronches.png , caption = arms of Sousa , alt = , CoA = , more ...
(1154–1167) * Nuno Soares Velho (1117–1162) * Paio Ramires Ramirão *
Sancho Nunes de Barbosa {{Infobox noble, type , name = Sancho Nunes de Barbosa , title = Lord of Celanova , image = File:Barbosa.png , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = , s ...
(1114–1169) * Soeiro Mendes de Sousa (1121–1137) The counts that dominated the counties of Portugal and
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
kept the idea of independence, and their merger strengthened their positions. Alfonso VI of León, knowing the wishes of the Portuguese, united all
Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...
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.


Post battle

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 ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
declared him King,
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legall ...
.


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.


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