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40-530: This town is traditionally considered the site of the famous Battle of Ourique in 1139, which saw the forces of Portuguese Prince Afonso Henriques defeat a Muslim Almoravid force. The present Mayor is Marcelo Guerreiro, elected by the Socialist Party , who became the youngest Mayor in Portugal, aged 25, in 2015. The municipal holiday is September 8. There is no certainty about the exact location of

80-543: A "pious fraud", in his investigation in the middle of the 19th century. Alfonso VII of Le%C3%B3n and Castile Alfonso VII (1 March 1105  – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor ( el Emperador ), became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso, born Alfonso Raimúndez , first used the title Emperor of All Spain , alongside his mother Urraca, once she vested him with

120-674: A militant attitude towards the Moors of Al-Andalus , especially the Almoravids . From 1138, when he besieged Coria , Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. After a seven-month siege , he took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris tells it: … early in the morning the castle was surrendered and the towers were filled with Christian knights, and

160-606: A protector, though not a supporter of, the Muslims, who were a minority of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohads. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the pass, while on his way back to Toledo , occurred in circumstances which showed that no man could be what he claimed to be – " king of the men of the two religions ." Furthermore, by dividing his realm between his sons, he ensured that Christendom would not present

200-517: Is Vila Chã de Ourique, some ten miles (16 km) from Santarém . However, incursions by Christian armies deep in Muslim territory were not unheard of. Alfonso VII had directed expeditions that had reached Cordoba and Seville , well beyond the limits of Castillian dominions, and in 1147 he managed to conquer the Mediterranean port of Almería , south of Granada. This was possible because

240-598: Is said to have called for the first assembly of the estates-general ( Portuguese : Cortes Gerais ) of Portugal at Lamego , where he was given the crown from the Primate Archbishop of Braga , to confirm the Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León . This was a patriotic falsification perpetuated by the clergy, nobility, and supporters who promoted the restoration of Portuguese sovereignty and

280-648: The Battle of Valdevez in 1141 thereby affirming Portugal's independence in the Treaty of Zamora (1143) . In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragon with Ramon Berenguer IV , a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon . Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Iberia by founding a monastery at Fitero . He adopted

320-579: The Pyrenees , who held lands as far as the River Rhône . In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona , in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica . A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho

360-560: The Second Crusade , Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks , with a Genoese – Pisan navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería , which was occupied in October 1147. A third of the city was granted to Genoa and subsequently leased out to Otto de Bonvillano , a Genoese citizen. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport. In 1151, Alfonso signed

400-584: The Treaty of Tudilén with Ramon Berenguer. The treaty defined the zones of conquest in Andalusia in order to prevent the two rulers from coming into conflict. Six years later, Almería entered into Almohad possession. Alfonso was returning from an expedition against them when he died on 21 August 1157 in Las Fresnedas, north of the Sierra Morena . Alfonso was at once a patron of the church and

440-429: The Treaty of Zamora and freeing Afonso Henriques's troops to deal with the Muslim attack. Historians are divided as to the location of this battle. At the time, the name "Ourique" designated a large area south of Beja . Since 12th-century chroniclers were unfamiliar with the region where the battle took place, they might have decided to call the location "field of Ourique" for lack of a more precise term. Nonetheless,

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480-469: The battle of Ourique , although it is typically said to have taken place in the countryside between the towns of Castro Verde and Ourique. Five Muslim kings allied their forces against the Portuguese army, but after a terrible and lengthy fight, the allied forces became scattered in the Alentejo plains. This would later be considered by the Portuguese to have been a divine miracle, forever forming part of

520-437: The troubadour Marcabru . In 1111, Diego Gelmírez , Bishop of Compostela and the count of Traba , crowned and anointed Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela . He was a child, but his mother had (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and wished to retain sole rulership of the kingdom. By 1119 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo , where he had become

560-629: The Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire . But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler ,

600-584: The Portuguese count. It is thus possible that the five kings were actually the leaders of the Almoravid garrisons of each of the Andalusi cities, under the overall command of the Almoravid governor of Cordoba, Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar. Further, the Portuguese forces were surrounded on the hilltop where they encamped, Ismar hosted knights, who were executed later by Henriques, and that the Muslim king escaped in defeat. Arabic and Spanish accounts do not clarify

640-524: The battles between John and the Kingdom of Castile. Some modern authors claim that it is a creation of the monks, or forged by these, while not presenting evidence to support their theory, being, according to others, a long popular and royal belief tradition. The legend first appeared in the Crónica de Portugal de 1419 and was accepted as fact until Alexandre Herculano reexamined the event, judging it

680-737: The chronicles of the battle. Saint James was widely venerated in Iberia (with a main centre of veneration in Santiago de Compostela , in Galicia , where his tomb was believed to be), being generally seen as the Matamouros , ' Moor -slayer'. As a consequence of Portuguese independence this legend was embellished with time to distance the Portuguese from Spanish devotional practices and beliefs. Later interpretations replaced Saint James with Saint George and, finally, with Jesus Christ . In

720-452: The circumstances, and they even confuse the issue, identifying the Ismar as, alternatively, Ismar Abuzicri or Ismar and Abuzicri, with later historians identifying Abu Zakariya , the governor of Santarém, as the protagonist. It is also likely that the numbers were inflated by the chroniclers from a large-scale raid to grand assault by Muslim forces. Shortly after the battle, Afonso Henriques

760-531: The claims of John IV , after the Iberian Union . The documents that refer to the estates-general were "deciphered" by Cistercian monks from the Monastery of Alcobaça to perpetuate the myth and justify the legitimacy of the Portuguese crown in the 17th century. The author of this falsification was Oliveira Marques, and even in 1632 there were misgivings about the validity of the chronicler's account or

800-559: The direct rule of Toledo in 1116. Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the imperial title. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy , the first of the House of Ivrea to rule in the Iberian Peninsula . Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Iberia over

840-400: The eastern ( Navarre and Aragón ) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler . Though he sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice to both Christian and Muslim populations, his hegemonic intentions never saw fruition. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent in 1128 and was recognized as independent de jure in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably,

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880-667: The existence of the Cortes of Lamego The account continued to support the notion that a meeting of the Cortes occurred in the Church of Santa Maria de Almacave, in Lamego, in 1143. During this meeting, after being acclaimed by estates-general, Afonso Henriques accepted a group of laws on royal succession and excluded the Castilian line of kings from the Portuguese throne, made provisions for

920-462: The existence of the Cortes of Lamego). In commemoration of the Battle of Ourique, the first Portuguese coat-of-arms appeared that included five small shields, to represent the five defeated Muslim kings (from one interpretation), which was later challenged by many authors. Some years later, the idea of a miraculous intervention in the battle by Saint James in favor of the Portuguese appeared in

960-612: The forces of Portuguese count Afonso Henriques (of the House of Burgundy ) defeated those led by the Almoravid governor of Córdoba , Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar, identified as "King Ismar" in Christian chronicles. Learning that during his Battle of Valdevez against Alfonso VII of León , Muslim forces had attacked and destroyed Leiria and Trancoso , Afonso Henriques's anxiety at this incursion at his southern frontier hastened his negotiations with Alfonso VII of León, leading to

1000-549: The great distance that separated Ourique from the Christian lines farther north has led some historians to suggest various localities in central Portugal, abandoning the traditional idea that the combat occurred in Ourique in the Alentejo . It would have been difficult for the then Count of Portugal, with a realm little beyond the Mondego River , to go all the way south to battle five Muslim kings. One plausible alternative

1040-462: The largest Almoravid armies were positioned at the frontier, while armies stationed in small towns would rather retreat into their castles than face a strong enemy force. It is feasible that Afonso led a raid into the Gharb , and then, while retreating, was intercepted by a sizable Almoravid force intending to crush his army and recover the spoils taken by the Portuguese. Before the battle, Count Afonso

1080-486: The legend of Castro Verde. According to most accounts of the legend, Afonso Henriques was visited before the battle by an old man who saw in a dream that Henriques would be victorious because God would intervene to help him. The old man advised the Henriques to leave the encampment alone when he heard the bell of the local chapel. Riding off, Henriques was surprised by a ray of light that showed him (in one interpretation)

1120-445: The legend, Henriques was visited before the battle by an old man who saw in a dream that Henriques would be victorious because God would intervene in his favour. He advised the nobleman to leave the encampment alone when he heard the bell of the local chapel. Riding off he was surprised by a ray of light that showed him (in one interpretation) the sign of the cross and Jesus Christ on a crucifix. Henriques knelt in its presence and heard

1160-545: The new Almohad threat with a united front. In November 1128, he married Berenguela , daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona . She died in 1149. Their children were: In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland , the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile . They had: Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Gontrodo Pérez , he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132–1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre ,

1200-427: The nobility on justice and the independence of Portugal. However, even as Spanish jurists and diplomats later demonstrated that the document was not creditable, the Portuguese defended the authenticity of the account. Alexandre Herculano later recounted the patriotic re-imagining in his História de Portugal , which caused its own controversy, and was later perpetuated by the writings of Alfredo Pimenta (who defended

1240-512: The outstanding victory, then-King D. Sebastião later ordered the construction of St. Peter of the Heads Chapel. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ( freguesias ): This Beja location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Battle of Ourique [REDACTED] Afonso Henriques The Battle of Ourique ( Arabic : معركة أوريكه ) took place on 25 July 1139, in which

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1280-536: The protégé of its Cluniac archbishop, Bernard of Sédirac . On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León and immediately began the recovery of the Kingdom of Castile , which was then under the domination of Alfonso the Battler. By the Peace of Támara of 1127, the Battler recognised Alfonso VII of Castile. The territory in the far east of his dominion, however, had gained much independence during

1320-601: The royal standards were raised above a high tower. Those who held the standards shouted out loud and proclaimed "Long live Alfonso, emperor of León and Toledo!" In 1142, Alfonso besieged Coria a second time and took it. In 1144, he advanced as far as Córdoba . Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached

1360-591: The rule of his mother and experienced many rebellions. After his recognition in Castile, Alfonso fought to curb the autonomy of the local barons. When Alfonso the Battler, King of Navarre and Aragón , died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller . The aristocracy of both kingdoms rejected this. García Ramírez , Count of Monzón

1400-476: The sign of the cross and Jesus Christ on a crucifix. He knelt in its presence and heard the voice of Jesus Christ telling him he would defeat the Moors. The following day, he succeeded in routing the Moors (through his own courage and faith, as the stories go) and was almost immediately declared the king of Portugal . He would include five shields in his coat of arms, representing the five defeated kingdoms. To honor

1440-566: The support from his troops, vanquishing and slaying, so legend says, five Muslim kings. The earliest accounts provide little detail. In one account the Muslim forces are led by five kings ( Life of St. Theotonius ), while in another, they are under the command of one king, Ismar ( Chronicles ). In the more detailed Chronicle of the Goths , Ismar waited until Henriques penetrated into Muslim territory, then systematically sent his troops from Seville , Badajoz , Elvas , Évora , and Beja against

1480-741: The title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric. On 26 May 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of Spain" in the Cathedral of León . By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista . He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. After Afonso Henriques recognised him as liege in 1137, Alfonso VII lost

1520-422: The voice of Christ, who told him he would defeat the Almoravids, which he, through courage and his faith, succeeded the following day. The legend of the miracle of the Battle of Ourique served thus as a political instrument to defend Portuguese independence as divine will. Yet, the legend, possibly earlier, knows its first known record in the early 15th century by the monks of the Monastery of Santa Cruz , during

1560-414: Was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II . Alfonso responded by reclaiming La Rioja and "attempted to annex the district around Zaragoza and Tarazona". In several skirmishes, he defeated the joint Navarro-Aragonese army and put the kingdoms to vassalage. He had the strong support of the lords north of

1600-583: Was hailed as rex (king) by his men in the Germanic fashion, by being lifted atop his shield by the leading nobles of Portugal. Despite the fact that the Christian Portuguese forces were strongly outnumbered, the Muslim armies were weakened by internal leadership problems, which led to Afonso Henriques's victory and subsequently his proclamation as King of the Portuguese , as Afonso I , with

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