The Treaty of Zamora — Portugal Recognised as a Kingdom
The Treaty of Zamora, concluded in October 1143, recognised Afonso Henriques as King of Portugal and is treated as the birth of the Portuguese state. The County of Portugal was a frontier territory of the Kingdom of León, granted to Henry of Burgundy around 1096 as a dowry. His son Afonso Henriques inherited it as a child under the regency of his mother Teresa, who leaned towards Galicia and León, and who was defeated by her own son at São Mamede in 1128 when he was about eighteen. He then spent fifteen years asserting independence from his cousin Alfonso VII of León and Castile, who had himself taken the title Emperor of All Spain. The turning point was the battle of Ourique in July 1139 against a Almoravid force. Afonso won, and the legend that Christ appeared to him before it and that he was acclaimed king on the battlefield by his troops was elaborated later; what is certain is that he began styling himself king in documents shortly afterwards. The Treaty of Zamora, mediated by a papal legate, secured Alfonso VII's recognition. Afonso then went over his cousin's head. He declared himself a vassal of the Holy See, paying an annual tribute directly to Rome, which made the kingdom answerable to the pope rather than to any Iberian ruler. Papal recognition of the royal title followed in 1179 under Alexander III. He took Lisbon in 1147 with the help of a passing crusader fleet, and reigned until 1185. The borders he and his son established are close to those of Portugal today, and are among the oldest continuous frontiers in Europe.
- Year: 1143 CE
- Category: Political
