Afonso_I_of_Portugal

{{Infobox Monarch
| name =Afonso I
| title =King of Portugal
| image =[[Image:AfonsoI-P.jpg|200px|Afonso I of Portugal]]
| caption =17th century painting of Afonso Henriques.
| reign =[[April 24]], [[1112]] (succeeds his father) [[June 24]], [[1128]] (defeats his mother) [[July 26]], [[1139]] (proclaims himself King) [[October 5]], [[1143]] (recognized by [[León]]) [[May 1]], [[1144]] (recognized as a vassal of the [[Holy See]] by the [[Pope]]) [[1179]] (recognized as King by the [[Pope]] — [[6 December]], [[1185]]
| coronation =[[July 26]], [[1139]]
| othertitles =Count of Portugal, Dux of Portugal, Prince of Portugal
| full name =Afonso Henriques of Burgundy
| predecessor =[[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal]] (''de jure'') [[Theresa, Countess of Portugal|Teresa of León, Countess of Portugal]] (''de facto'')
| successor =[[Sancho I of Portugal]]
| suc-type =Heirs sister son sister daughter son
| heir = [[Infanta Urraca Henriques of Portugal|Urraca Henriques]] (1139–[[1147]]) [[Infante Henrique of Portugal (1147)|Infante Henrique]] (1147) Urraca Henriques (1147–[[1148]]) [[Infanta Mafalda of Portugal (1148)|Infanta Mafalda]] (1148–[[1154]]) [[Sancho I of Portugal|Infante Sancho (future Sancho I)]] (1154–1185)
| queen =[[Maud of Savoy]]
| consort =Queen
| issue =[[Infante Henrique of Portugal (1147)|Infante Henrique]] (1147) [[Infanta Mafalda of Portugal (1148)|Infanta Mafalda]] (1148–c. [[1160]]) [[Urraca of Portugal|Infanta Urraca, Queen of León]] (c. [[1151]]–[[1188]]) [[Sancho I of Portugal|Infante Sancho (future Sancho I)]] (1154–[[1212]]) [[Infanta Teresa, Countess of Flanders]] ([[1157]]–[[1218]]) [[Infante João of Portugal (1160)|Infante João]] ([[1160]]) [[Infanta Sancha of Portugal (1160)|Infanta Sancha]] (1160)
| royal house =[[House of Capet|Capetian]] [[House of Burgundy]]
| dynasty =[[House of Burgundy|Affonsine Dynasty]]
| father =[[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal]]
| mother =[[Theresa, Countess of Portugal|Teresa of León, Countess of Portugal]]
| date of birth =[[July 25]], [[1109]]
| place of birth =[[Castle of Guimarães]], [[Guimarães]], [[Second County of Portugal|County of Portugal]], [[Kingdom of León]]
| date of death ={{Death date and age|1185|12|6|1109|07|25}}
| place of death =[[Coimbra]], [[Kingdom of Portugal]]
| place of burial =[[Santa Cruz Monastery]], [[Coimbra]], [[Coimbra (district)|District of Coimbra]], [[Portugal]]
|}}

'''Afonso I''' ([[English language|English]] ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), more commonly known as '''Afonso Henriques''' (pronunciation [[Help:IPA|IPA]] {{IPA|/ɐˈfõsu ẽˈʁikɨʃ/}}), or also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' ([[Portuguese-Galician languages|Portuguese-Galician]]) or ''Alphonsus'' ([[Latin]] version), ([[Viseu]], [[1109]], traditionally [[July 25]] – [[Coimbra]], [[1185]], [[December 6]]), also known as ''the Conqueror'' ([[Portuguese language|Port.]] ''o Conquistador''), was the first [[List of Portuguese monarchs|King of Portugal]], declaring his independence from [[Kingdom of León|León]].

==Life==
Afonso I was the son of [[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal]] and [[Teresa of León]], the illegitimate daughter of King [[Alfonso VI of Castile|Alfonso VI of Castile and León]]. He was proclaimed King on [[July 26]] [[1139]], immediately after the [[Battle of Ourique]], and died on [[December 6]] [[1185]] in [[Coimbra]].

At the end of the [[11th century]], the [[Iberian Peninsula]] [[Politics|political]] agenda was mostly concerned with the ''[[Reconquista]]'', the driving out of the [[Muslim]] successor-states to the [[Caliph of Córdoba|Caliphate of Cordoba]] after its collapse. With European [[military]] [[Aristocracy|aristocracies]] focused on the [[Crusades]], Alfonso VI called for the help of the [[France|French]] [[nobility]] to deal with the [[Moors]]. In exchange, he was to give the hands of his daughters in wedlock to the leaders of the expedition and bestow royal privileges to the others. Thus, the royal heiress [[Urraca of Castile]] wedded [[Raymond of Burgundy]], younger son of the [[County of Burgundy|Count of Burgundy]], and her half-sister, princess [[Teresa of León]], wedded his cousin, another French crusader, [[Henry of Burgundy]], younger brother of the [[Duchy of Burgundy|Duke of Burgundy]], whose mother was daughter of the [[Count of Barcelona]]. Henry was made Count of Portugal, a burdensome [[earldom]] south of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], where Moorish incursions and attacks were to be expected. With his wife Teresa as co-ruler of Portugal, Henry withstood the ordeal and held the lands for his father-in-law.

[[Image:AfonsoHenriques-Tomb.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Tomb of Afonso Henriques in the [[Santa Cruz Monastery]] in [[Coimbra]].]]
From this wedlock several sons were born, but only one, '''Afonso Henriques''' (meaning "Afonso son of Henry") thrived. The boy, probably born around 1109, followed his father as '''Count of Portugal''' in [[1112]], under the tutelage of his mother. The relations between Teresa and her son Afonso proved difficult. Only eleven years old, Afonso already had his own political ideas, greatly different from his mother's. In [[1120]], the young [[prince]] took the side of the [[archbishop]] of [[Braga]], a political foe of Teresa, and both were exiled by her orders. Afonso spent the next years away from his own [[county]], under the watch of the bishop. In [[1122]] Afonso became fourteen, the adult age in the [[12th century]]. He made himself a [[knight]] on his own account in the [[Cathedral]] of [[Zamora (Spain)|Zamora]], raised an [[army]], and proceeded to take control of his lands. Near [[Guimarães]], at the [[Battle of São Mamede]] ([[1128]]) he overcame the troops under his mother's lover and ally Count [[Fernando Peres de Trava]] of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], making her his [[prison]]er and exiling her forever to a [[monastery]] in [[León, León|León]]. Thus the possibility of incorporating Portugal into a Kingdom of Galicia was eliminated and Afonso become sole ruler ('''Duke of Portugal''') after demands for independence from the county's people, church and nobles. He also vanquished [[Alfonso VII of Castile|Alfonso VII of Castile and León]], another of his mother's allies, and thus freed the county from political dependence on the crown of [[Kingdom of León|León]] and [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]. On [[April 6]], [[1129]], Afonso Henriques dictated the writ in which he proclaimed himself '''Prince of Portugal'''.

{{House of Burgundy}}
Afonso then turned his arms against the persistent problem of the [[Moors]] in the south. His campaigns were successful and, on [[July 26]] [[1139]], he obtained an overwhelming victory in the [[Battle of Ourique]], and straight after was unanimously proclaimed '''King of Portugal''' by his [[soldier]]s. This meant that Portugal was no longer a vassal county of León-Castile, but an independent kingdom in its own right. That he then convened the first assembly of the estates-general at [[Lamego]] (wherein he would have been given the [[Crown (headgear)|crown]] from the Archbishop of [[Braga]], to confirm the independence) is likely to be a 17th century embellishment of Portuguese history.

Independence, however, was not a thing a land could choose on its own. Portugal still had to be acknowledged by the neighbouring lands and, most importantly, by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and the [[Pope]]. Afonso wed [[Maud of Savoy|Mafalda of Savoy]], daughter of Count [[Amadeo III of Savoy]], and sent [[Ambassador]]s to [[Rome]] to negotiate with the [[Pope]]. In Portugal, he built several monasteries and [[convent]]s and bestowed important privileges to [[religious order]]s. In [[1143]], he wrote to [[Pope Innocent II]] to declare himself and the kingdom servants of the Church, swearing to pursue driving the Moors out of the [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] peninsula. Bypassing any king of Castile or León, Afonso declared himself the direct [[wikt:liege|liegeman]] of the [[Papacy]]. Thus, Afonso continued to distinguish himself by his exploits against the Moors, from whom he wrested [[Santarém, Portugal|Santarém]] and [[Lisbon]] in [[1147]] (see [[Siege of Lisbon]]). He also conquered an important part of the land south of the [[Tagus]] River, although this was lost again to the Moors in the following years.

Meanwhile, King Alfonso VII of Castile (Afonso's cousin) regarded the independent ruler of Portugal as nothing but a rebel. Conflict between the two was constant and bitter in the following years. Afonso became involved in a [[war]], taking the side of the [[Aragon]]ese king, an enemy of Castile. To ensure the alliance, his son [[Sancho I of Portugal|Sancho]] was engaged to [[Dulce Berenguer]], sister of the [[Kings of Aragon|Count of Barcelona]], and princess of Aragon. Finally, in [[1143]], the [[Treaty of Zamora]] established peace between the cousins and the recognition by the Kingdom of Castile and León that Portugal was an independent kingdom.

In [[1169]], Afonso was disabled in an engagement near [[Badajoz]] by a fall from his [[horse]], and made prisoner by the soldiers of the king of León. Portugal was obliged to surrender as his [[ransom]] almost all the conquests Afonso had made in Galicia in the previous years.

In [[1179]] the privileges and favours given to the Roman Catholic Church were compensated. In the [[papal bull]] '' [[Manifestis Probatum]]'', [[Pope Alexander III]] acknowledged Afonso as King and Portugal as an independent land with the right to conquer lands from the Moors. With this papal blessing, Portugal was at last secured as a country and safe from any Castilian attempts at annexation.

In [[1184]], in spite of his great age, he still had sufficient energy to relieve his son Sancho, who was besieged in [[Santarém, Portugal|Santarém]] by the Moors. He died shortly after, on [[December 6]], [[1185]].

The Portuguese revere him as a hero, both on account of his personal character and as the founder of their [[nation]]. There are stories that it would take 10 men to carry his sword, and that Afonso would want to engage other monarchs in personal combat, but no one would dare accept his challenge.

==Scientific research==
In July 2006, the tomb of the King (which is located in the [[Santa Cruz Monastery]] in [[Coimbra]]) was opened for scientific purposes by researchers from the [[University of Coimbra]] (Portugal), and the [[University of Granada]] (Spain). The opening of the tomb provoked considerable concern among some sectors of Portuguese society and [[IPPAR]]- ''Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico'' (Portuguese State Agency for Architectural Patrimony). The government halted the opening requesting more protocols from the scientific team because of the importance of the king in the nation's formation.<ref>[http://dossiers.publico.pt/shownews.asp?id=1263265&idCanal=1806 ''IPPAR: direcção nacional diz que não foi consultada sobre abertura do túmulo de D. Afonso Henriques''], [[Público]], 6 July 2006, accessed December 2006 '''(in Portuguese)'''</ref><ref>[http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Portuguese_Culture_Ministry_suspends_opening_of_Afonso_I's_tomb]</ref>

==Ancestors==
<center>{{ahnentafel-compact5
|style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%;
|border=1
|boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0;
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #fcb;
|1= 1. '''Afonso I of Portugal'''
|2= 2. [[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry of Bugundy, Count of Portugal]]
|3= 3. [[Theresa, Countess of Portugal|Teresa of León, Countess of Portugal]]
|4= 4. [[Henry of Burgundy]]
|5= 5. [[Sibyl of Barcelona|Sibyl (Beatrice) of Barcelona]]
|6= 6. [[Alfonso VI of Castile]]
|7= 7. [[Ximena Moniz]]
|8= 8. [[Robert I, Duke of Burgundy]]
|9= 9. [[Helie of Semur]]
|10= 10. [[Berenguer Ramon I, Count of Barcelona]]
|11= 11. [[Guisla of Llucá]]
|12= 12. [[Ferdinand I of León]]
|13= 13. [[Sancha of León]]
|14= 14. [[Munio Moniz, Count of Bierzo]]
|15= 15. [[Muniadona Moniz]]
|16= 16. [[Robert II of France]]
|17= 17. [[Constance of Arles]]
|18= 18. [[Dalmace, seigneur de Semur]]
|19= 19. [[Aremburge of Burgundy]]
|20= 20. [[Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona]]
|21= 21. [[Ermesinde of Carcassonne]]
|22= 22. [[Sunifred II, Lord of Llucá]]
|23= 23. [[Ermesinde of Balsareny]]
|24= 24. [[Sancho III of Navarre]]
|25= 25. [[Mayor of Castile]]
|26= 26. [[Alfonso V of León]]
|27= 27. [[Elvira Mendes]]
|28= 28. [[Munio Rodríguez, Count of Bierzo]]
|29= 29. [[Ximena Ordoñez]]
|30= 30. [[Munio Moniz, Count of Cea]]
|31= 31. N/A
}}</center>

==Descendants==
Afonso married in 1146 Mafalda or [[Maud of Savoy]] ([[1125]]-[[1158]]), daughter of Amadeo III, Count of Savoy, and [[Mafalda of Albon]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|colspan=4|'''By [[Maud of Savoy]]''' ([[1125]]-[[1158]]; married in [[1146]])
|-
|Infante Henrique (Henry)||[[March 5]], [[1147]]||[[1147]]|| 
|-
|[[Infanta Mafalda of Portugal|Infanta Mafalda]]||[[1148]]||c. [[1160]]|| 
|-
|[[Urraca of Portugal|Infanta Urraca]]||c. [[1151]]||[[1188]]||Queen of León by marriage to King [[Ferdinand II of León]] (ancestor to the American presidents [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] and [[George Walker Bush]], and to [[Celine Dion]].)
|-
|[[Sancho I of Portugal|Infante Sancho]]||[[1154]]||[[March 26]], [[1212]]||Succeeded him as Sancho I, 2nd [[List of Portuguese monarchs|King of Portugal]]
|-
|[[Infanta Teresa, Countess of Flanders|Infanta Teresa]] (Theresa)||[[1157]]||[[1218]]||Countess consort of Flanders by marriage to [[Philip I of Flanders]]. Duchess consort of Burgundy by marriage to [[Eudes III of Burgundy]].
|-
|Infante João (John)||[[1160]]||[[1160]]|| 
|-
|Infanta Sancha||[[1160]]||[[1160]]|| 
|-
|colspan=4|'''By [[Elvira Gálter]]'''
|-
|[[Urraca Afonso, Lady of Aveiro|Urraca Afonso]]||c. [[1130]]||?||Natural daughter. Married Pedro Afonso Viegas. Lady of [[Aveiro]].
|-
|colspan=4|'''Other natural offspring'''
|-
|[[Fernando Afonso, Constable of Portugal|Fernando Afonso]]||c. [[1166 is an erroneous date]]||c. [[1172]]||High-General of the Kingdom ([[Constable of Portugal]])
|-
|[[Pedro Afonso, Master of Aviz|Pedro Afonso]]||c [[1130]]||[[1169]]||A.k.a. Pedro Henriques. 1st Grand-Master of the [[Order of Aviz]].
|-
|[[Afonso of Portugal, Master of the Order of Saint John of Rhodes|Afonso]]||c. [[1135]]||[[1207]]||12th Grand Master of the [[Order of Saint John of Rhodes]].
|-
|[[Teresa Afonso]]||c. [[1135]]||?||Married Fernando Martins Bravo or [[Martim Moniz]].
|}

==See also==
{{Commons|Afonso Henriques}}
*[[Portugal]]
*[[History of Portugal]]
*[[Timeline of Portuguese history]]
**[[Timeline of Portuguese history (Second County)|Second County of Portugal (11th to 12th Century)]]
**[[Timeline of Portuguese history (First Dynasty)|First Dynasty: Burgundy (12th to 14th Century)]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Burgundy]]|25 July|1109|6 December|1185|[[Capetian dynasty]]}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-new|reason=Independence from [[Kingdom of León|León]]–[[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Portuguese monarchs|King of Portugal]]|years=1139 – 1185}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sancho I of Portugal|Sancho I]]}}
{{s-reg|other}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henrique]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Portuguese monarchs|Count of Portugal]]|years=1112 – 1139|regent1=[[Theresa, Countess of Portugal|Theresa]]|years1=1112 – 1126}}
{{s-non|reason=Independence from [[Kingdom of León|León]]–[[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]}}
{{end}}

{{Monarchs of Portugal}}

==Bibliography==

[[Diogo Freitas do Amaral]], ''D. Afonso Henriques''. Lisboa: Bertrand, 2000. ISBN 972-25-1157-2.

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{1911}}



{{Persondata
|NAME=Afonso I
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Afonso Henriques
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=King of Portugal
|DATE OF BIRTH={{birth date|1109|7|25|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Coimbra]], [[Second County of Portugal]], [[Kingdom of León]]
|DATE OF DEATH={{death date|1185|12|6|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Coimbra]], [[Portugal]]
}}
[[Category:Portuguese monarchs]]
[[Category:House of Burgundy-Portugal]]
[[Category:Reconquista]]
[[Category:1109 births]]
[[Category:1185 deaths]]

[[bg:Афонсу I]]
[[ca:Alfons I de Portugal]]
[[de:Alfons I. (Portugal)]]
[[es:Alfonso I de Portugal]]
[[eo:Afonso Henriques]]
[[fr:Alphonse Ier de Portugal]]
[[gl:Afonso I de Portugal]]
[[id:Afonso I dari Portugal]]
[[ia:Afonso Henriques]]
[[it:Alfonso I del Portogallo]]
[[hu:I. Alfonz portugál király]]
[[nl:Alfons I van Portugal]]
[[ja:アフォンソ1世 (ポルトガル王)]]
[[pl:Alfons I Zdobywca]]
[[pt:Afonso I de Portugal]]
[[ro:Afonso I al Portugaliei]]
[[ru:Афонсу I Великий]]
[[fi:Alfonso I]]
[[uk:Афонсо I (король Португалії)]]
[[zh:阿方索一世 (葡萄牙)]]