The Twelve of England
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The Twelve of England (in Portuguese: ''Os Doze de Inglaterra'') is a
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
chivalric Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by ...
legend of 15th-century origin, famously related by the poet
Luís de Camões Luís Vaz de Camões (; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns, ; c. 1524 or 1525 – 10 June 1580) is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespear ...
in his 1572 ''
Os Lusíadas ''Os Lusíadas'' (), usually translated as ''The Lusiads'', is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões ( – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese-language literature an ...
'' (Canto VI). It tells the story of twelve Portuguese knights who travelled to England at the request of twelve English ladies to avenge their insult by a group of English knights.


Legend

According to the legend, in the 1390s, twelve
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
knights insulted twelve
ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
of the household of the Duchess of Lancaster. The ladies appealed to their master,
John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
,
Duke of Lancaster The Dukedom of Lancaster is an English peerage merged into the crown. It was created three times in the Middle Ages, but finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title h ...
, but he was unable to find any English champions to defend the honor of the ladies. The twelve offending knights, renowned for their martial prowess, were too widely feared. Recalling his Iberian campaigns of the 1370s and 1380s, and the bravery of the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
knights he encountered there, Lancaster recommended that they search for a champion among them. In one version of the legend, John of Gaunt wrote down the names of twelve Portuguese knights from memory, had the ladies draw lots to be matched with a knight, and then had each of the ladies write a letter of appeal to their champion. John of Gaunt wrote a separate letter himself to his son-in-law,
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
, asking him to grant the Portuguese knights permission to travel to England for this noble endeavor. (In another version, related in
Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second elect ...
's poem, John the Gaunt made an open request to John I, and scores of Portuguese knights applied, from which twelve were selected from an urn by Queen
Philippa of Lancaster Philippa of Lancaster ( pt, Filipa ; 31 March 1360 – 19 July 1415) was Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415 by marriage to King John I. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor and produced severa ...
in
Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...
. Their exact match with an English lady was sorted later - John of Gaunt shuffled the anonymous chivalric mottoes of the twelve knights, and had each of the twelve ladies select one, only learning the exact identify of their champion afterwards.) The twelve were scheduled to set out by ship from
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, but one of them, Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, nicknamed ''o Magriço'' told the others to go ahead without him, that he would make his way overland via Spain and France. The eleven knights set sail from Porto and landed in England, where they were well received in London by the Duke of Lancaster and the ladies, but there was great nervousness about whether Magriço would arrive on time. Magriço travelled overland at a languid pace, taking time to meander on the route, and visit various curious locations along the way. When the day of the
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
arrived, legendarily held at
Smithfield, London Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England. Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Barth ...
, there was still no news of Magriço, leaving the damsel destined to be defended by him (named 'Ethwalda' in one version) quite distraught. But just as the fight was about to be enjoined, Magriço arrived on the scene with great fanfare, just in time to take his position alongside his compatriots, heartening the distressed lady. The twelve Portuguese champions successfully dispatched the offending English knights that day, in what was characterized as an unusually hard and brutal fight. The ladies' honor was successfully defended. But a few of the English knights had been killed in the tournament field, and in the aftermath, the Portuguese were threatened with revenge by the friends of the fallen. Fearful of being betrayed if they lingered in England, the Portuguese knights applied to John of Gaunt to secure them passage back to Portugal quickly. However, Magriço, still possessed by a spirit of adventure, decided to linger on in northern Europe, and eventually entered the service of the
Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...
for some time.
Álvaro Vaz de Almada Álvaro (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname (see Spanish naming customs) of Visigothic origin. Some claim it may be related to the Old Norse name Alfarr, formed of the elements ''alf'' "elf" and ''arr'' "warrior ...
also went on adventures in continental Europe (legendarily engaging in a duel with a German knight in
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
).


Origins

The legend of the "Twelve of England" was famously related by Portuguese poet
Luís de Camões Luís Vaz de Camões (; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns, ; c. 1524 or 1525 – 10 June 1580) is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespear ...
in his 1572 epic poem ''
Os Lusíadas ''Os Lusíadas'' (), usually translated as ''The Lusiads'', is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões ( – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese-language literature an ...
''. In Canto VI, Stanzas 40-69, while
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
's
fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles *Fishing fleet *Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles *Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada *Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach, ...
was crossing the Indian Ocean, a soldier named Fernão Veloso regales his fellow Portuguese sailors with the story of the "Twelve of England" to pass the time and inspire their bravery. Historians have found some versions of the legend prior to Camões's telling, notably a mid-15th-century manuscript known as ''Cavalarias de Alguns Fidalgos Portugueses''.
Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...
's 1567 ''Memorial das Proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda'' (which precedes Camões by a few years) briefly mentions that 'thirteen' (not twelve) Portuguese knights were dispatched to England "to defend the ladies of the Duke of Lancaster". The summaries by
Pedro de Mariz Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
(1598) and Manuel Correia (1613), although published after Camões, seem to rest on pre-Camões sources. The legend was retold in various versions after Camões, with occasional embellishments and variations.


The twelve

The identities of the twelve of the legend have been subject to speculation. An early 17th-century commentator Manuel Correia names five (Coutinho, Almada, Agostim, Lopo Pacheco, and Pedro Homem) while the remaining seven were identified in a 1732 tract by Védouro. Although many Portuguese noble families would later claim an ancestor of theirs was among the twelve, expanding the list enormously, the following is most generally accepted list of the twelve: Named by Correia: * Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, nicknamed ''o grão Magriço'', son of the
Marshal of Portugal {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012 __NOTOC__ The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (''Marechal do Reino de Portugal'', sometimes ''Mariscal'') was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the h ...
Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name. People with the name include: * Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer *Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast *Gonçalo For ...
, and brother of
Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1st Count of Marialva Vasco Fernades Coutinho ( 1385 – 1450) was a distinguished Portuguese nobleman, the 3rd Marshal of Portugal and 1st Count of Marialva (from 1440/41). Personal life Fernandes Coutinho was the son of Gonçalo Vasques Coutinho, Lord of Couto d ...
*
Álvaro Vaz de Almada Álvaro (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname (see Spanish naming customs) of Visigothic origin. Some claim it may be related to the Old Norse name Alfarr, formed of the elements ''alf'' "elf" and ''arr'' "warrior ...
, future
Count of Avranches This is a list of the counts of Avranches, a French fief in the Middle Ages. House of Almada *1445–1449 Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches, Order of the Garter, KG (created by Henry VI of England); Avranches was lost to France s ...
. Would have been a child at the time. *
João Pereira da Cunha Agostim João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * ...
, second son of Gil Vasques da Cunha (''alferes mór'', of
John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...
), and thus nephew of the
Constable of Portugal {{Short description, Defunct office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal Constable of Portugal ( pt, Condestável de Portugal) was an office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, to substitute the High Standard-bearer ('' Alferes-Mor' ...
Nuno Álvares Pereira D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. (; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic ...
, nicknamed 'Agostim' for having killed an English knight of that name in a duel.José Soares da Silva ''Memórias para a Historia de Portugal'' (1732
p.1368
. (Musgrave 1826 trans.
p.495
*
Lopo Fernandes Pacheco Lopo Fernandes Pacheco (died 22 December 1349), was the first of his lineage to accede to the highest ranks of the nobility, that of a ''rico-homem'', in the Kingdom of Portugal. He lived during the reign of King Afonso IV of Portugal of whom he ...
* Pedro Homem da Costa Added by Védouro (and Soares da Silva) * Álvaro Mendes Cerveira * Rui Mendes Cerveira, brother of the above * Soeiro da Costa, alcaide-mor of
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
,
Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...
, future captain of Prince
Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...
. Improbably young at this time. * Luís Gonçalves Malafaia, future ambassador of
John II of Portugal John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...
to the court of Castile; also improbably young. * Martim Lopes de Azevedo *
Rui Gomes da Silva Rui or RUI may refer to: Names * Rui (surname) (芮), a Chinese surname * Rui (given name), a given name Places * Rui (state) (芮), a Chinese state during the Zhou Dynasty * Rui (village), a census town in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, ...
, possibly the future alcaide of Campo Maior, son of Aires Gomes da Silva, father of St. Beatrix da Silva * Álvaro de Almada, nicknamed the ''Justador'', - according to Silva, a nephew of the Count of Avranches, but some other authors assume it is just a confused repetition of Avranches himself. Common alternates to the above list are: * João Fernandes Pacheco, lord of Ferreira de Aves, brother of
Lopo Fernandes Pacheco Lopo Fernandes Pacheco (died 22 December 1349), was the first of his lineage to accede to the highest ranks of the nobility, that of a ''rico-homem'', in the Kingdom of Portugal. He lived during the reign of King Afonso IV of Portugal of whom he ...
, progenitor of the
Dukes of Escalona Duke of Escalona ( es, Duque de Escalona) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1472 by Henry IV to Juan Pacheco, 1st Marquess of Villena. The title refers to the village Escalona ...
in Castile - commonly substituted in place of Almada 'o Justador'. * Vasco Annes da Costa, the first named " Corte-Real", ''fronteiro-mor'' of
Tavira Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilão ...
in the
Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...
, ancestor of the Corte-Real explorers and captains of
Terceira Island Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...
of the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
- to bring the number up to 'thirteen', as originally stated by Vasconcelos. In
Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second elect ...
's 1902 poem, the twelve English knights are named as Austin (killed in the opening fight by Álvaro Vaz de Almada), Athelard, Blundell, Loveday, Argenton, Clarency, Corleville, Otenel, Turneville, Morley, Glaston and Reginald (who fought Magriço in the last fight). The twelve English ladies are also named: Adhelm, Egberte, Oswalda, Jorceline, Luce, Florence, Egwin, Gotslina, Gerlanda, Ailmer, Tatwine and Ethwalda (Magriço's lady). These names are purely literary fiction by Braga, with no known historical counterparts.


History

While the particulars of the legend are doubtlessly fanciful, there may be some (slim) historical basis for such an encounter If such an event happened, it would have to be sometime after 1387 (when the
Anglo-Portuguese alliance The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance (or , "Luso-English Alliance") is the oldest alliance based on known history in the world that is still in force by politics. It was established by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, between the Kingdom of England ( ...
was sealed by the marriage of
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
and
Philippa of Lancaster Philippa of Lancaster ( pt, Filipa ; 31 March 1360 – 19 July 1415) was Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415 by marriage to King John I. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor and produced severa ...
, daughter of
John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
) and before the death of John the Gaunt in 1399. Narrowing the window further, it was probably sometime after 1389, when John of Gaunt returned to England from his failed Iberian campaign, and before the death of John of Gaunt's wife, the Duchess of Lancaster,
Constance of Castile Constance of Castile (1136 or 1140 – 4 October 1160) was Queen of France as the second wife of Louis VII, who married her following the annulment of his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was a daughter of Alfonso VII of León and Berengari ...
in 1394. The common date frequently cited is 1390. The Duchess's Castilian nationality may lend credence to such an event, and her twelve ladies-in-waiting were also, likely, Castilian rather than English, which may explain John of Gaunt's difficulty in finding English champions to pick up arms against their English brethren in their defense.Hutchinson, 2007 The early 1390s also marks a difficult period in John of Gaunt's political life, at a low point in his fortunes, trying to navigate an England riven with great tension between King
Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
and the English nobility. With the humiliating failure in Iberia still stinging, it was not unlikely disgruntled English knights might have taken to poking at the Duke of Lancaster and his household, in particular the Castilian Duchess who could be blamed for the hare-brained Iberian adventure to begin with. Finally, it is possible that if the event happened as early as 1389-1390, Lancaster may not have had to send to Portugal for knights, but may have had a few already in his entourage - Portuguese knights who served with him in the Castilian campaign and accompanied him to England, possibly as a bodyguard when John of Gaunt was still uncertain as to what kind of reception he might receive at home. Add a few others from his son-in-law's embassy, and there might have been enough Portuguese knights in England at the time to engage in some sort of tournament over some offense against Lancaster's household. Setting the event in the early 1390s, however, eliminates many of the identified twelve, who were merely children at the time, if born at all. But it is probably safe to assume that the list is largely fanciful and anachronistic anyway. Most of the named knights were known to have gone abroad at some point - e.g.
Álvaro Vaz de Almada Álvaro (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname (see Spanish naming customs) of Visigothic origin. Some claim it may be related to the Old Norse name Alfarr, formed of the elements ''alf'' "elf" and ''arr'' "warrior ...
served for a long time in England and was made a
Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...
and
Count of Avranches This is a list of the counts of Avranches, a French fief in the Middle Ages. House of Almada *1445–1449 Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches, Order of the Garter, KG (created by Henry VI of England); Avranches was lost to France s ...
in 1445; Soeiro da Costa fought in Aragon and Italy in the early 15th century, and was at the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
in 1415; Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, the ''Magriço'' himself, is reported to have fought in tournaments in France. The French chronicle of
Enguerrand de Monstrelet Enguerrand de Monstrelet (c. 140020 July 1453) was a French chronicler. He was born in Picardy, most likely into a family of the minor nobility. Life In 1436 and later he held the office of lieutenant of the ''gavenier'' (i.e. receiver of the ' ...
records a chivalric fight (over women) in Saint-Ouen in 1414 between three Portuguese knights (named simply D. Álvares, D. João and D. Pedro Gonçalves) and three Gascon knights (François de Grignols, Archambaud de la Roque and Maurignon). News of the feats of various Portuguese knights abroad in different countries - filtered back home in the early 15th century and somehow, inchoatly and anachronistically, congealed in popular memory into a single English tournament set around 1390. Another influence in this story is the rise of the
Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...
, probably brought to the Portuguese court by Philippa of Lancaster. The story of the "Twelve of England" evokes the image of John I of Portugal, as some sort of Portuguese King Arthur, sending out his knights of the
Round Table The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
in feats of chivalry, saving distant damsels in distress (a marked change from the old
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 ...
tales of battling Moors.) The number - twelve - is also not accidental. As pointed out by Camões himself, it happens to match the
Twelve Peers The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...
of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
, that other great source of
chivalric Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by ...
literature, re-popularized in the 16th century by Boiardo and
Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...
("For the Twelve Peers, I put forth the Twelve of England, and their ''Magriço''", Camões ''Lusiadas'', Canto I, Stanza 12).


Cultural references

In the 1820s, Portuguese Romantic poet
Almeida Garrett João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, 1st Viscount of Almeida Garrett (; 4 February 1799 – 9 December 1854) was a Portuguese poet, orator, playwright, novelist, journalist, politician, and a peer of the realm. A major promoter of ...
worked for many years on an extended poem, ''Magriço ou Os Doze de Inglaterra'', which used the story of the twelve as a device for wider philosophical meanderings, which was never completed.See Braga (1902: p.299-300). After nine long years, Garrett abandoned the poem in 1832. The fragments were published in a posthumous volume of his collected works in 1914. Many decades later, in 1902,
Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second elect ...
composed his own more straightforward poetic version of the story of the twelve, with a more
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
tone, apparently inspired by his research into Camões and Garrett, but also possibly motivated by the
1890 British Ultimatum The 1890 British Ultimatum was an ultimatum by the British government delivered on 11 January 1890 to the Kingdom of Portugal. The ultimatum forced the retreat of Portuguese military forces from areas which had been claimed by Portugal on the bas ...
, which had provoked a strong anti-British feeling in republican-nationalist circles in Portugal at that time. The legend took a new life when the
Portugal national football team The Portugal national football team ( pt, Seleção Portuguesa de Futebol) has represented Portugal in international men's Association football, football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federat ...
made their debut at the
1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. The England national football team defeated West Germany 4-2 in the ...
hosted in England. Led by eventual top-scorer
Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the greatest players of ...
, they reached third place in the tournament. The Portuguese newspaper press gave the fabled team the nickname ''Os Magriços'', in reference to the "Twelve of England". Although the legend was familiar to the Portuguese public, it became even more prominent in the aftermath of the World Cup campaign.


References

;Notes ;Sources *
Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second elect ...
(1874) ''Historia de Camões, Volume 1'', Porto: Imprensa Portuguesa *
Teófilo Braga Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga (; 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the overthrow of King Manuel II, as well as the second elect ...
(1902) ''Os Doze de Inglaterra - Poema'', Porto: Chardron
online
* Manuel Correia (1613) ''Lusiadas de Luiz de Camões, comèntados pelo licenciado Manuel Correia. Lisbon: P. Crasbeek
online
* Costa, Joaquim (1935) ''Os Doze de Inglaterra: O célebre episódio de «Os Lusíadas» na história e na lenda.''Porto: Imprensa Portugesa *
Almeida Garrett João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, 1st Viscount of Almeida Garrett (; 4 February 1799 – 9 December 1854) was a Portuguese poet, orator, playwright, novelist, journalist, politician, and a peer of the realm. A major promoter of ...
(1832) ''Magriço ou Os Doze de Inglaterra'', first published 1914, in ''Obras completas de Almeida Garrett'', Volume 30, Lisbon: Livraria Moderna
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* Hutchinson, A.P. (1988) "Anglo-Portuguese Relations and Arthurian Revival in Portugal", in M. Gomes da Torre, editor, ''Actas to Coloquio to VI centenario do Tratado de Windsor, 1986'' Porto.
Hutchinson, A.P. (2007) "'Os Doze de Inglaterra': A Romance of Anglo-Portuguese Relations in the Later Middle. Ages?", in M. Bullón-Fernández, editor, ''England and Iberia in the Middle Ages, 12th-15th century: cultural, literary, and political exchanges'', London: Mamillan. p.166-188
* Magalhães Basto, Artur de (1935) ''Relação ou Crónica Breve das cavalarias dos Doze de Inglaterra (Manuscrito quinhetista da Biblioteca Publica do Porto'' Porto: Impresa Portuguesa. *
Pedro de Mariz Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
(1598) ''Dialogos de Varia Historia: em que sumariamente se referem muytas cousas de Hespanha'' Coimbra: A. Mariz
online
* Pimentel, A. (1891) ''Um Contemporaneo do Infante D. Henrique'' Porto: Lugan
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* José Soares da Silva (1732) ''Memórias para a Historia de Portugal que comprehendem o governo del rey D. Joäo I: do anno 1383 até o anno de 1433'', Volume 3, Lisbon: Occidenta
Ch. 281, p.1364
* Santos, J.J. Moreira dos (1985) "O Medievalismo em Camões. Os Doze de Inglaterra", ''Revista da Universidade de Coimbra'', Vol. 33, p.209-20
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* Francisco Soares Toscano (1623) ''Parallelos de Principes e Varoens Illustres, antigos a que muitos da nossa Nação Portugueza se a semelharão em suas obras, ditos e feitos; com a origem das armas de algumas familias deste Reyno'' 1733 edition, Lisbon: Ferreirian
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*
Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...
(1567) ''Memorial das proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda'', 1867 edition, Lisbon: Panoram
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* Védouro, Ignacio Rodrigues (1732) ''Desafio dos doze de Inglaterra: que na corte de Londres se combateram em desaggravo das damas inglezas'', Ferreirana. {{DEFAULTSORT:Twelve Of England Medieval knights Medieval legends Portuguese legends Portuguese literature