LISBON
King Afonso Henriques of Portugal

A romantic eighteenth-century engraving of King Afonso Henriques at the siege of Lisbon, 1147
Afonso Henriques (c. 1107-1185), first king of Portugal, was the son of Henry of Burgundy and Teresa, the illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VI of León-Castile (1065-1109). Henry had close family ties to the Castilian royal house: His aunt, Constance, was married to Alfonso VI, and his cousin, Raymond, was married the Spanish ruler's daughter, Urraca. Henry himself journeyed south into Spain around the year 1095, marrying Teresa two years later. Possibly as part of her dowry, Henry was given authority over the county of Portugal.

When Henry died in 1112, his infant son, Afonso, was around five years old. Teresa, Afonso's mother, assumed authority in Portugal, involving herself in a number of disputes with Alfonso VII of León-Castille (1109-1157). Apparently, many of the local Portuguese nobles looked unfavorably upon her machinations and were eager for the young Afonso to assume control. By the year 1127, Afonso was beginning to exercise authority without his mother, who confronted her son with an armed group of supporters in July, 1128. Teresa was captured and expelled to Galicia, leaving Afonso as ruler of Portugal.

Afonso's Charters
Until the year 1139, Afonso Henriques presented himself in his charters as the count (comes) or prince (princeps) of Portugal. During that same, he began to style himself "king (rex) of Portugal by the grace of God." In the year 1143, endeavoring to further legitimate his authority, Afonso declared himself a liegeman of St. Peter and Roman popes (although the papacy did not officially recognize his title as king until the year 1179). Working closely with his supporter, John, archbishop of Braga, Afonso strengthened the independence and privileges of the Portuguese church.

While the earlier period of his rule were involved with internal disputes, after he year 1139 Afonso Henriques began to expand south into the Muslim-held regions of south-western Iberian. As part of his efforts, the Portuguese ruler sought the assistance of one of the new crusading Military Orders, the Templars. The king first attacked Lisbon around 1142, with the assistance of English ships and warriors. The attack failed, however, with help of the Templars, Afonso captured nearby town of Santar»m in the spring of 1147, in preparation for another assault on Lisbon shortly after.

It is not clear exactly when Afonso became aware of the fleet of northern crusaders departing for the Holy Land from the port of Dartmouth in May, 1147. Earlier that year, Afonso had been in touch with Cistercian preacher Bernard of Claivaux, a crucial figure in rallying support for the Second Crusade. It is speculated that Bernard raised awareness of the Portuguese ruler's efforts against the Muslims during the previous year. Regardless, when the crusaders reached the north-west coast of Iberia, Afonso was expecting them and made arrangements for a meeting with the fleet's representatives. Following negotiations and some debate, he convinced the northerners to assist in an assault Lisbon. After months of siege, on October 24, 1147, Afonso and the crusaders captured the city from its Muslim inhabitants, an event memorialized in a contemporary, eye-witness account of the siege, The Conquest of Lisbon.

Further Reading: M. Barber, The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple (Cambridge, 1994), 32-34; H. V. Livermore, A New History of Portugal (Cambridge, 1966), 40-67.