Sancho I of Portugal
Encyclopedia
Sancho I (ˈsɐʃu), nicknamed the Populator (Portuguese
o Povoador), second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra
and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal
by his wife, Maud of Savoy
. Sancho succeeded his father in 1185. He used the title King of the Algarve and/or King of Silves between 1189 and 1191.
and Castile
were trying to re-annex the country and the Roman Catholic Church
was late in giving its blessing and approval. Due to this situation Afonso I had to search for allies within the Iberian Peninsula
. Portugal made an alliance with the Crown of Aragon
and together they fought Castile and León. To secure the agreement, Infante Sancho of Portugal married, in 1174, Infanta Dulce of Aragon, younger sister of King Alfonso II of Aragon
. Aragon was thus the first Iberian kingdom to recognize the independence of Portugal.
With the death of Afonso I in 1185, Sancho I became the second king of Portugal. Coimbra
was the centre of his kingdom; Sancho terminated the exhausting and generally pointless wars against his neighbours for control of the Galician borderlands. Instead, he turned all his attentions to the south, towards the Moorish
small kingdoms (called taifa
s) that still thrived. With Crusader help he took Silves in 1191. Silves was an important city of the South, an administrative and commercial town with population estimates around 20,000 people. Sancho ordered the fortification of the city and built a castle which is today an important monument of Portuguese heritage. However, military attention soon had to be turned again to the North, where León and Castile threatened again the Portuguese borders. Silves was again lost to the Moors.
Sancho I dedicated much of his reign to political and administrative organization of the new kingdom. He accumulated a national treasure, supported new industries and the middle class of merchants. Moreover, he created several new towns and villages (like Guarda
in 1199) and took great care in populating remote areas in the northern Christian regions of Portugal, notably with Flemings and Burgundians
– hence the nickname "the Populator". The king was also known for his love of knowledge and literature. Sancho I wrote several books of poems and used the royal treasure to send Portuguese students to European universities.
, Count of Barcelona, and Petronilla, Queen of Aragon.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
o Povoador), second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal
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...
by his wife, Maud of Savoy
Maud of Savoy
Maud of Savoy was the first Queen of Portugal. She was Queen consort through her marriage, in 1146, to King Afonso I, the first ruler of Portugal as an independent kingdom....
. Sancho succeeded his father in 1185. He used the title King of the Algarve and/or King of Silves between 1189 and 1191.
Biography
In 1170, Sancho was knighted by his father, King Afonso I, and from then on he became his second in command, both administratively and militarily. At this time, the independence of Portugal (declared in 1139) was not firmly established. The kings of LeónKingdom 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...
and Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
were trying to re-annex the country and the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
was late in giving its blessing and approval. Due to this situation Afonso I had to search for allies within the Iberian Peninsula
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...
. Portugal made an alliance with the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
and together they fought Castile and León. To secure the agreement, Infante Sancho of Portugal married, in 1174, Infanta Dulce of Aragon, younger sister of King Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
. Aragon was thus the first Iberian kingdom to recognize the independence of Portugal.
With the death of Afonso I in 1185, Sancho I became the second king of Portugal. Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
was the centre of his kingdom; Sancho terminated the exhausting and generally pointless wars against his neighbours for control of the Galician borderlands. Instead, he turned all his attentions to the south, towards the Moorish
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...
small kingdoms (called taifa
Taifa
In the history of the Iberian Peninsula, a taifa was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.-Rise:The origins of...
s) that still thrived. With Crusader help he took Silves in 1191. Silves was an important city of the South, an administrative and commercial town with population estimates around 20,000 people. Sancho ordered the fortification of the city and built a castle which is today an important monument of Portuguese heritage. However, military attention soon had to be turned again to the North, where León and Castile threatened again the Portuguese borders. Silves was again lost to the Moors.
Sancho I dedicated much of his reign to political and administrative organization of the new kingdom. He accumulated a national treasure, supported new industries and the middle class of merchants. Moreover, he created several new towns and villages (like Guarda
Guarda, Portugal
Guarda is a city in Guarda Municipality, Portugal. The city has a population of 32 111Guarda was founded in 1199 by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I....
in 1199) and took great care in populating remote areas in the northern Christian regions of Portugal, notably with Flemings and Burgundians
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
– hence the nickname "the Populator". The king was also known for his love of knowledge and literature. Sancho I wrote several books of poems and used the royal treasure to send Portuguese students to European universities.
Ancestors
Marriage and descendants
Sancho married Dulce of Aragon, daughter of Raymond Berengar IVRamon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV , sometimes called the Holy, was the Count of Barcelona who effected the union between the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon....
, Count of Barcelona, and Petronilla, Queen of Aragon.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Dulce of Aragon (1152–1198; married in 1175) | |||
| Teresa Teresa of Portugal Theresa of Portugal was Queen of Léon as the first wife of King Alfonso IX of Léon... (Theresa) |
1181 | 1250 | Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King Alfonso IX of Castile. |
| Raimundo (Raymond) | c. 1180 | 1189 | |
| Sancha Infanta Sancha of Portugal (nun) Infanta Sancha of Portugal , was a Portuguese infanta , second daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon.She was born on an unknown date, prior to 1182 and died in the Monastery of Celas, Celas on March 13, 1229. Her body was moved to Lorvão Abbey, which she had founded and became... |
a. 1182 | 13 March 1229 | Abbess of Lorvão. |
| Constança (Constance) | c. 1182 | 3 August 1202 | |
| Afonso Afonso II of Portugal Afonso II , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , nicknamed "the Fat" , third king of Portugal, was born in Coimbra on 23 April 1185 and died on 25 March 1223 in the same city. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal by his wife, Dulce, Infanta of Aragon... |
23 April 1185 | 25 March 1223 | Succeeded him as Afonso II, 3rd King of Portugal. |
| Pedro (Peter) | 23 February 1187 | 2 June 1258 | Consort Count of Urgell, and later titular Count of Urgell and Lord of the Balearic Islands Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital... . He lived in 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... and married Arembiaux Armengel, Countess of Urgell. |
| Fernando (Ferdinand) | 24 March 1188 | 4 March 1233 | Consort Count of Flanders. Lived in France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... and married Jeanne of Flanders. |
| Henrique (Henry) | 1189 | 1189 | |
| Branca Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara Infanta Branca of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , eighth child of Portuguese King Sancho I and Dulce of Aragon. She was the feudal Lady of Guadalajara. Branca was co-founder of, and a nun at, the Dominican convent at Coimbra. She is buried in Santa Cruz de Coimbra.-Ancestry:... (Blanche) |
c. 1192 | 1240 | Lady of Guadalajara. |
| Berengária Berengária of Portugal Berengaria of Portugal , was a Portuguese infanta, later Queen consort of Denmark. She was the fifth daughter of Portuguese King Sancho I and Dulce of Aragon. She married Danish King Valdemar II and was the mother of Danish kings Eric IV, Abel and Christopher I.-Background:Berengaria was the... |
c. 1195 | 1221 | Queen consort of Denmark by marriage to King Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime... . |
| Mafalda Mafalda of Portugal Infanta Mafalda of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , later Queen consort of Castile for a brief period. She was the second youngest daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon.... |
c. 1200 | 1256 | Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King Henry I of Castile Henry I of Castile Henry I of Castile was king of Castile. He was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor Plantagenet, .... . |
| By Maria Aires (c. 1180-?) | |||
| Martim Sanches or Henrique Sanches |
c. 1200 | 1229 | Natural son and Count of Trastamara Count of Trastámara The Count of Trastámara is a noble title granted by Juan II of Castile and Pedro Álvarez Osorio on February 4, 1445 in San Martín de Valdeiglesias. Its name comes from the Latin Tras Tamaris, referring to the Tambre, a river which runs through Galicia... . |
| Urraca Sanches | c. 1200 | 1256 | Natural daughter. |
| By Maria Pais Ribeira (Ribeirinha) (c. 1170-b. 1258) | |||
| Rodrigo Sanches | c. 1200 | 1245 | Natural son. |
| Gil Sanches | c. 1200 | 1236 | Natural son. |
| Nuno Sanches | c. 1200 | ? | Natural son. |
| Teresa Sanches | 1205 | 1230 | Natural daughter. |
| Constança Sanches | 1210 | 1269 | Natural daughter. |
| Maior Sanches | ? | ? | Natural daughter. |