Battle of Ourique
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ourique (25 July 1139: St. James Day) saw the forces of Portuguese Prince Afonso Henriques (of the House of Burgundy
) defeat the Almoravid Moors
led by Ali ibn Yusuf
.
against Alfonso VII of León
that Muslim forces attacked and destroyed Leiria
and Trancoso. Afonso Henrique's anxiety at this incursion at his southern frontier hastened his negotiations with Alfonso VII of León after the Valdevez, leading to the Treaty of Zamora
and freeing Afonso Henrique's troops to deal with the Muslim attack.
(Lower Alentejo) region of southern Portugal
. Historians are divided as to the place of this battle, suggesting various localities in central Portugal, abandoning the traditional idea that the combat occurred in Ourique in the Alentejo, owing to the great distance that separated Ourique from the Christian lines farther north, during the era. It would have been very difficult for the then Count of Portugal, with a realm little beyond the Mondego River, to go all the way south to battle five Moorish Kings. One plausible alternative is Vila Chã de Ourique, located some ten miles from Santarém
, rather than the town in the Alentejo.
Despite the fact that the Christian
Portuguese forces were strongly outnumbered, the Muslim
armies were weakened by internal leadership problems, which led to Afonso Henrique's victory and subsequently his proclamation as King of the Portuguese, as Afonso I
with the support from his troops, vanquishing and slaying, so legend says, five Moorish kings.
The earliest accounts provide little detail. In one account the Moorish forces are led by five Kings (Life of St. Theotonius), while in another, the Muslim forces are under the command of one King, Ismar (Chronciles). In the more detailed Chronicle of the Goths, Ismar waited until Henriques penetrated into Moslem territory, then systematically sent his troops from Seville
, Badajoz
, Elvas, Évora
and Beja
against the Portuguese count. Further, the Portuguese forces were surrounded on the hilltop where they encamped, Ismar hosted knights, who were executed later by Henriques, and that the Moorish king escaped in defeat. Arab and Spanish accounts do not clarify the circumstances, and 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. Further, the defeat of Moorish forces is disproved the following year, when Ismar returned to attack Leiria
with troops from Santarém, Évora and Badajoz.
It was presumed that after his victory over the five Moorish kings, the nobles acclaimed Afonso Henriques as king. In reality, documents after his victory continued to refer to Henriques as Prince or Infante.
Immediately after the battle, Afonso Henriques is said to have called for the first assembly of the estates-general of Portugal
at Lamego
, where he was given the Crown
from the Bishop
of Braga
, to confirm the Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León
. This was, although patriotic, a "falsification" perpetuated by the clergy, nobility and supporters who promoted the Restoration of Portuguese sovereignty
and the claims of the Master of Avis
, 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 account continued to support the notion that in the 12th century 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 the nobility, on justice and the independence of Portugal. But, even as Spanish jurists and diplomats later demonstrated that the document was uncreditable, 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 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 Moorish kings (from one interpretation), which was later challenged by many authors.
intervention in the battle by Saint James
in favor of the Portuguese appeared in the chronicles of the battle. Saint James was widely venerated in Iberia
(with a main center of veneration in Santiago de Compostela
, in Galicia, where his tomb was believed to be located), being generally seen as the Matamouros (Moor
-slayer). As a consequence of Portuguese independence this legend was embellished with time, in order to distance the Portuguese from Spanish
devotional practices and beliefs. Later interpretations replaced Saint James with Saint George
and, finally, with Jesus Christ.
In the legend, Afonso Henriques is 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. Afonso Henriques knelt in its presence and heard the voice of Christ who told him he would defeat the Moors, 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 first appeared in the 15th century and was forged by the monks of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, during their battles between John
and the Kingdom of Castile. It was in 1419 that the legend first appeared in the Crónica de Portugal, and was accepted as fact, until Alexandre Herculano
first reexamined the event, judging it a "pious fraud", in his investigation in the middle of the 19th century.
House of Burgundy
The House of Burgundy was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of Robert II of France....
) defeat the Almoravid Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
led by Ali ibn Yusuf
Ali ibn Yusuf
Ali ibn Yusuf was the 5th Almoravid king he reigned 1106–1143.-Biography:Ali was recognized as the heir of his father Yusuf ibn Tashfin in 1102. He succeeded his father upon his death in 1106. Ali ruled from Morocco and appointed his brother Tamin ibn Yusuf as governor of Al-Andalus...
.
Background
It was during the Battle of ValdevezBattle of Valdevez
The Battle of Valdevez took place at Arcos de Valdevez on the banks of the river Vez between the Kingdom of León and the Kingdom of Portugal in the summer of 1140 or 1141. It is one of only two pitched battles that Alfonso VII of León is known to have fought, and the only of the two not coincident...
against Alfonso VII of León
Alfonso VII of León
Alfonso VII , born Alfonso Raimúndez, called the Emperor , became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso first used the title Emperor of All Spain, alongside his mother Urraca, once his mother vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116...
that Muslim forces attacked and destroyed Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
and Trancoso. Afonso Henrique's anxiety at this incursion at his southern frontier hastened his negotiations with Alfonso VII of León after the Valdevez, leading to the Treaty of Zamora
Treaty of Zamora
The Treaty of Zamora recognized Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León. Based on the terms of the accord, King Alfonso VII of León and Castille recognized the Kingdom of Portugal in the presence of King Afonso I of Portugal, witnessed by the papal representative, Cardinal Guido de Vico,...
and freeing Afonso Henrique's troops to deal with the Muslim attack.
Battle
There is no certainty about the exact location of the battle, although it is typically pronounced that the event occurred in the countryside between the town of Castro Verde and Ourique (oˈɾik(ɨ)), present-day Baixo AlentejoBaixo Alentejo Subregion
Baixo Alentejo is a NUTS3 subregion of Alentejo Region, in Portugal. It consists of 13 concelhos. It has a total area of 8,505 km² and a population of 135,105 ; thus 15.8 people/km².The chief city is Beja....
(Lower Alentejo) region of southern Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Historians are divided as to the place of this battle, suggesting various localities in central Portugal, abandoning the traditional idea that the combat occurred in Ourique in the Alentejo, owing to the great distance that separated Ourique from the Christian lines farther north, during the era. It would have been very difficult for the then Count of Portugal, with a realm little beyond the Mondego River, to go all the way south to battle five Moorish Kings. One plausible alternative is Vila Chã de Ourique, located some ten miles from Santarém
Santarém Municipality
Santarém Municipality is located in Santarém District and contains the city of Santarém.-Parishes:* Abitureiras* Abrã* Achete* Alcanede* Alcanhões* Almoster* Amiais de Baixo* Arneiro das Milhariças* Azoia de Baixo* Azoia de Cima* Casével...
, rather than the town in the Alentejo.
Despite the fact that the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Portuguese forces were strongly outnumbered, the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
armies were weakened by internal leadership problems, which led to Afonso Henrique's victory and subsequently his proclamation as King of the Portuguese, as Afonso I
Afonso I of Portugal
Afonso I or Dom Afonso Henriques , more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed "the Conqueror" , "the Founder" or "the Great" by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrik by the Moors whom he fought, was the first King of Portugal...
with the support from his troops, vanquishing and slaying, so legend says, five Moorish kings.
The earliest accounts provide little detail. In one account the Moorish forces are led by five Kings (Life of St. Theotonius), while in another, the Muslim forces are under the command of one King, Ismar (Chronciles). In the more detailed Chronicle of the Goths, Ismar waited until Henriques penetrated into Moslem territory, then systematically sent his troops from Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, Elvas, Évora
Évora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
and Beja
Beja Municipality
Beja Municipality is located Beja District. The city of Beja is located in the municipality.-Parishes:* Albernoa* Baleizão* Salvador* Santa Maria da Feira* Beja Santiago Maio* São João Baptista* Beringel* Cabeça Gorda* Mombeja...
against the Portuguese count. Further, the Portuguese forces were surrounded on the hilltop where they encamped, Ismar hosted knights, who were executed later by Henriques, and that the Moorish king escaped in defeat. Arab and Spanish accounts do not clarify the circumstances, and confuse the issue, identifying the Ismar as, alternatively, Ismar Abuzicri or Ismar and Abuzicri, with later historians identifying Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya Yahya was the founder and first ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya.He was the Almohad governor of Gabès and then of Tunis by 1229. He seized the opportunity offered by disturbances in the Almohad Empire to declare himself independent late in 1229...
, 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. Further, the defeat of Moorish forces is disproved the following year, when Ismar returned to attack Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
with troops from Santarém, Évora and Badajoz.
Aftermath
Immediately after the battle, Afonso Henriques is said to have called for the first assembly of the estates-general of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
at Lamego
Lamego
Lamego is a municipality in northern Portugal, with a population of 27,054 inhabitants Lamego is a municipality in northern Portugal, with a population of 27,054 inhabitants Lamego is a municipality in northern Portugal, with a population of 27,054 inhabitants (the catchment of the city of...
, where he was given the Crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
from the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, to confirm the Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
. This was, although patriotic, a "falsification" perpetuated by the clergy, nobility and supporters who promoted the Restoration of Portuguese sovereignty
Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
and the claims of the Master of Avis
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
, after the Iberian Union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
. The documents that refer to the estates-general were "deciphered" by Cistercian monks from the Monastery of Alcobaça
Monastery of Alcobaça
The Alcobaça Monastery is a Mediaeval Roman Catholic Monastery located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.The church and monastery...
to perpetuate the myth and justify the legitimacy of the Portuguese crown in the 17th century. The account continued to support the notion that in the 12th century 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 the nobility, on justice and the independence of Portugal. But, even as Spanish jurists and diplomats later demonstrated that the document was uncreditable, the Portuguese defended the authenticity of the account. Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araújo , was a Portuguese novelist and historian.-Early life:...
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
Alfredo Pimenta
Alfredo Augusto Lopes Pimenta was a Portuguese historian, poet and writer.-Biography:Alfredo Pimenta, son of José Manuel Lopes Pimenta and Silvina Rosa, was born at Penouços in São Mamede de Alda, Guimarães. In 1890, living at Braga with his parents, he attended the Colégio Académico de Guadalupe...
(who defended the existence of the Cortes of Lamego).
In commemoration of the Battle of Ourique, the first Portuguese coat-of-arms
Coat of arms of Portugal
The coat of arms of Portugal was officially adopted on 30 June 1911, along with the republican flag of Portugal. It is based on the coat of arms used by the Portuguese Kingdom since the Middle Ages.-History and meaning:...
appeared that included five small shields, to represent the five defeated Moorish kings (from one interpretation), which was later challenged by many authors.
Legend
Some years later, the idea of a miraculousMiracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
intervention in the battle by Saint James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
in favor of the Portuguese appeared in the chronicles of the battle. Saint James was widely venerated in Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
(with a main center of veneration in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, in Galicia, where his tomb was believed to be located), being generally seen as the Matamouros (Moor
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
-slayer). As a consequence of Portuguese independence this legend was embellished with time, in order to distance the Portuguese from Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
devotional practices and beliefs. Later interpretations replaced Saint James with Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
and, finally, with Jesus Christ.
In the legend, Afonso Henriques is 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. Afonso Henriques knelt in its presence and heard the voice of Christ who told him he would defeat the Moors, 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 first appeared in the 15th century and was forged by the monks of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, during their battles between John
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
and the Kingdom of Castile. It was in 1419 that the legend first appeared in the Crónica de Portugal, and was accepted as fact, until Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araújo , was a Portuguese novelist and historian.-Early life:...
first reexamined the event, judging it a "pious fraud", in his investigation in the middle of the 19th century.
See also
- Timeline of Portuguese historyTimeline of Portuguese historyThis is a historical timeline of Portugal.*Timeline of Iberian prehistory*Pre-Roman Iberia *Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia *Germanic Kingdoms...
- Second County of Portugal (11th to 12th Century)Timeline of Portuguese history (Second County)This is a historical timeline of Portugal.-11th century:*1077 - Alfonso VI of Castile and León proclaimes himself Emperor of all Spains.*1080**Coimbra is again a Diocese.**Count Sisnando Davides of Coimbra takes part in the invasion of Granada....
- First Dynasty: Burgundy (12th to 14th Century)Timeline of Portuguese history (First Dynasty)This is a historical timeline of Portugal.-12th century:*1128, July 24 – Count Afonso Henriques defeats his mother, Theresa, Countess of Portugal, in the Battle of São Mamede and becomes sole ruler after demands for independence from the county's people, church and nobles.*1129 - April 6, Afonso...
- Second County of Portugal (11th to 12th Century)