Portuguese House of Burgundy

Summary

The Portuguese House of Burgundy (Portuguese: Casa de Borgonha) or the Afonsine dynasty (Dinastia Afonsina) was a Portuguese dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Portugal from its founding until the 1383–85 Portuguese Interregnum.

Portuguese House of Burgundy
Caſa d' Borgonna
Last coat of arms of the Portuguese House of Burgundy.
Parent houseCapetian dynasty
by way of House of Burgundy
CountryPortugal
Founded1093
FounderHenry, Count of Portugal
Current headExtinct
Final rulerJoam I
Titles
Deposition1385
Cadet branches

The house was founded by Henry of Burgundy, who became Count of Portugal in 1096. His son, Afonso Henriques, was proclaimed King of Portugal following his victory at the Battle of Ourique in 1139. Burgundian monarchs would rule Portugal through much of its early formation, including the formalization of the Portuguese language under King Dinis I, the first Portuguese parliament, under King Afonso II, and the conquest of the Kingdom of the Algarve, under King Afonso III. Numerous princes of the house took up thrones across Europe, such as Ferdinand I, Count of Flanders and Peter I, Count of Urgell. Similarly, many princesses became royal consorts, including Berengaria, Queen of Denmark, Leonor, Queen of Aragon, and Teresa, Duchess of Burgundy, among others.

History edit

 
King Afonso I, first Burgundy King of Portugal.

Origins edit

Henry, Count of Portugal, a grandson in the senior line of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, had joined the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula in the late 11th century. After conquering parts of Galicia and northern Portugal on behalf of Alfonso VI of León, he married Alfonso's illegitimate daughter, Teresa, and was given the County of Portugal as a fief under the Kingdom of León.

His son, Afonso Henriques, became King of Portugal after defeating his mother in the Battle of São Mamede in 1128. It was only in 1179 that Pope Alexander III recognized Portugal as an independent state,[1] recognition, at the time, needed for total acceptance of the kingdom in the Christian world.

On his mother's side, Afonso I of Portugal is connected to the Jiménez dynasty, and through Sancha of León, to the Astur-Leonese dynasty, making him a descendant of Pelagius of Asturias. As the Chronicle of Alfonso III identifies Pelagius as a grandson of Chindasuinth, this would make Afonso I the descendant of Liuvigild. Liuvigild was King of the Visigoths in the 6th century a.C. (see Visigothic dynasty), who conquered the Suebi Kingdom, thus controlling most of the Iberian Peninsula (and all of what would be Portugal, - see Visigothic Kingdom). On his father's side, Afonso I of Portugal is connected to the Capetian dynasty, a branch of the Frankish Robertians that goes back to Robert II, Count of Hesbaye in the 9th a.C.

Kings of Portugal edit

 
Afonso III, King of Portugal and Count of Boulogne.

The kings that succeeded Afonso I continued the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula against the Moors. Afonso III conquered the Algarve and adopted the title of King of Portugal and the Algarve.

The borders of Portugal were defined in the Treaty of Alcanizes (1297) when king Dinis I, son of Afonso III, started developing the kingdom's land.

Demise edit

In 1383 Beatrice, princess of Portugal and heir to the throne married John I of Castile. When Ferdinand I (her father) died during the same year the kingdom entered a period of anarchy called the 1383-1385 Crisis, threatened with a possible annexation by Castile.

This period ended in 1385 with the victory of the Portuguese in the Battle of Aljubarrota and a new dynasty began with John I, Master of Aviz (illegitimate son of Peter I), thus called the House of Aviz.

Burgundian monarchs edit

 
King Fernando I, last Burgundy King of Portugal.
Name Reign Notes
Afonso I of Portugal 1139–1185 First King of Portugal
Sancho I of Portugal 1185–1211 King of Silves
Afonso II of Portugal 1211–1223
Sancho II of Portugal 1223–1248
Afonso III of Portugal 1248–1279 First King of the Algarve
Formerly Count of Boulogne
Dinis I of Portugal 1279–1325
Afonso IV of Portugal 1325–1357
Pedro I of Portugal 1357–1367
Fernando I of Portugal 1367–1383 Death triggered the 1383-85 Portuguese Interregnum

Symbols edit

Coats of arms edit

Coat of arms Title Tenure Coat of arms Title Tenure Coat of arms Title Tenure
 
1139–1248
 
1249-1383
 
1463–1466
 
1248–1383
 
1212-1233
 
1463–1466

Family tree of the Portuguese House of Burgundy edit

Robert I
duke of Burgundy
HOUSE OF BURGUNDY
Henry
heir apparent
Hugh I
duke of Burgundy
Odo I
duke of Burgundy
Robert
bishop of Langres
Henry
PORTUGUESE HOUSE OF BURGUNDY
Teresa
countess of Portugal
HOUSE OF JIMENEZ
Hugh II
duke of Burgundy
Afonso I
king of Portugal
Odo II
duke of Burgundy
(illeg.) Fernando
gr. master of Knights Hospitalier
Sancho I
king of Portugal
Hugh III
duke of Burgundy
Afonso II
king of Portugal
Peter I
count of Urgell
Ferdinand
count of Flanders
Odo III
duke of Burgundy
Guigues VI
count of Viennois
Sancho II
king of Portugal
Afonso III
king of Portugal
Fernando
lord of Serpa
Hugh IV
duke of Burgundy
Guigues VII
count of Viennois
Denis
king of Portugal
Afonso
lord of Portalegre
(illeg.) Martim Afonso Chichorro I
Odo
count of Never
John
count of Charolais
Robert II
duke of Burgundy
John I
count of Viennois
Afonso IV
king of Portugal
(illeg.) Pedro Afonso
count of Barcelos
(illeg.) Afonso Sanches
lord of Albuquerque
Afonso
lord of Leiria
Martim Afonso Chichorro II
Hugh V
duke of Burgundy
Odo IV
duke of Burgundy
Odo IV
duke of Burgundy
Peter I
king of Portugal
João Afonso
lord of Albuquerque
Philip I
count of Auvergne
Ferdinand I
king of Portugal
(illeg.) John Castro
duke of Valencia de Campos
(illeg.) Denis
lord of Cifuentes
(illeg.) John I
king of Portugal
HOUSE OF AVIZ
Philip I
duke of Burgundy
Ferdinand
lord of Eça

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ António Henrique R. de Oliveira Marques, History of Portugal: From Lusitania to Empire, (Columbia University Press, 1972), 43.

External links edit

  • (Portuguese) The Portuguese monarchs of Burgundy and their history
Portuguese House of Burgundy
Cadet branch of the House of Burgundy
New title
Founding of Kingdom
Ruling House of the Kingdom of Portugal
1139 – 1383
Succeeded by