| After winning his battles against his mother and Castile, he turned his
attention to the Moslems who held the lands to the south of the Tagus. He won a
great battle against five Moslem kings, and in commemoration of this he took the
device of Portugal - five shields representing the Moslem kings surrounding a
cross made of five shields, showing the 30 pieces of silver for which Christ was
betrayed.
|
Lusiads
|
| He then proceeded to take Leira, Santarem, Mafra and Cintra, moving in on
Lisbon. He was aided in the taking of Lisbon by a crusader fleet from the
north. |
Lusiads
p. 87
|
| In 1147, the Second Crusade was proclaimed and preached by Bernard de
Clairvaux. Early that spring, Afonso took Santarem with the help of the
Templars. He then went on to take Lisbon, with the help of a crusading fleet
enroute from Dartmouth in Cornwall to the Holy Land. The Crusaders included
English, Norman, Flemish and German men-at-arms. |
TPS p. 22
|
| The Templars aided Afonso against the Moors, helping with the conquest of
Santarem in 1147 and conquering lands south of the Tagus. They were granted
lands, castles and ecclesiastical authority over the moors. The castle at Tomar,
which was to become their headquarters, was granted to the Templars at this
time.
|
Templars
under Afonso
|
| In 1160 Afonso Henriques’ daughter was betrothed to Count Ramon
Berenguer of Provence, son of Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona, but the count
died before the marriage. His son, Sancho, married Dulce, daughter of Ramon
Berenguer IV, in 1174. |
FPE p.15 |
| After taking Lisbon, Afonso proceded to take all of Extremadura, and then
press down into the south of the country. As Afonso grew older, he handed his
mission on to his son, Sancho. Eventually the Moslems attacked back, sending
armies from Africa to beseige Sancho in Santarem, but Afonso came out of
retirement at Coimbra to relieve his son, and together they won the day.
|
Lusiads
p.90
|
