Afonso II of Portugal

Afonso II
King Afonso in Compendio de crónicas de reyes del Antiguo Testamento, gentiles, cónsules y emperadores romanos, reyes godos y de los reinos de Castilla, Aragón, Navarra y Portugal (c. 1312–1325)
King of Portugal
Reign	26 March 1212 – 25 March 1223
Predecessor	Sancho I
Successor	Sancho II
Born	23 April 1185 Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	25 March 1223 (aged 37) Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal
Burial	Santa Cruz Monastery, Coimbra, District of Coimbra, Portugal
Consort	Urraca of Castile
Issue among others...	Sancho II Afonso III Leonor, Queen of Denmark Fernando, Lord of Serpa
House	Burgundy
Father	Sancho I
Mother	Dulce of Aragon
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Afonso II (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]; English: Alphonzo), or Affonso (Archaic Portuguese), Alfonso or Alphonso (Portuguese-Galician) or Alphonsus (Latin version), nicknamed "the Fat" (Portuguese o Gordo), 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. Afonso succeeded his father in 1212.

Reign

A 17th century depiction of Afonso.

As a king, Afonso II set a different approach of government. Hitherto, his father Sancho I and his grandfather Afonso I were mostly concerned with military issues either against the neighbouring Kingdom of Castile or against the Moorish lands in the south. Afonso did not pursue territory enlargement policies and managed to insure peace with Castile during his reign. Despite this, some towns, like Alcácer do Sal in 1217, were conquered from the Moors by the private initiative of noblemen. This does not mean that he was a weak or somehow cowardly man. The first years of his reign were marked instead by internal disturbances between Afonso and his brothers and sisters. The king managed to keep security within Portuguese borders only by outlawing and exiling his kin.

Since military issues were not a government priority, Afonso established the state's administration and centralized power on himself. He designed the first set of Portuguese written laws. These were mainly concerned with private property, civil justice, and minting. Afonso also sent ambassadors to European kingdoms outside the Iberian Peninsula and began amicable commercial relations with most of them.

Other reforms included the always delicate matters with the pope. In order to get the independence of Portugal recognized by Rome, his grandfather, Afonso I, had to legislate an enormous number of privileges to the Church. These eventually created a state within the state. With Portugal's position as a country firmly established, Afonso II endeavoured to weaken the power of the clergy and to apply a portion of the enormous revenues of the Roman Catholic Church to purposes of national utility. These actions led to a serious diplomatic conflict between the pope and Portugal. After being excommunicated for his audacities by Pope Honorius III, Afonso II promised to make amends to the church, but he died in 1223 before making any serious attempts to do so.^[1]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Afonso II of Portugal

16. Henry of Burgundy               8. Henry, Count of Portugal                       17. Sibila               4. Afonso I of Portugal                             18. Alfonso VI of León and Castile               9. Theresa, Countess of Portugal                       19. Jimena Muñoz               2. Sancho I of Portugal                                   20. Humbert II, Count of Savoy               10. Amadeus III, Count of Savoy                       21. Gisela of Burgundy               5. Maud of Savoy                             22. Guigues III of Albon               11. Mahaut of Albon                       23. Matilda               1. Afonso II of Portugal                                         24. Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona               12. Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona                       25. Maud of Apulia               6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona                             26. Gilbert I, Count of Gévaudan               13. Douce I, Countess of Provence                       27. Gerberga, Countess of Provence               3. Dulce of Aragon                                   28. Sancho Ramírez of Navarre and Aragon               14. Ramiro II of Aragon                       29. Felicia of Roucy               7. Petronila of Aragon                             30. William IX, Duke of Aquitaine               15. Agnes of Aquitaine                       31. Philippa, Countess of Toulouse

Marriage and descendants

In 1206, he married his fourth cousin Infanta Urraca of Castile, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, both being descendants of King Alfonso VI of León.^[2] The offspring of this marriage were:

• Infante Sancho (8 September 1207 – 4 January 1248), succeeded his father as Sancho II, 4th King of Portugal;^[3][4]
• Infante Afonso (5 May 1210 – 16 February 1279), succeeded his brother Sancho as Afonso III, 5th King of Portugal;^[3][5]
• Infanta Leonor (Eleanor) (1211–1231). Married Valdemar III of Denmark,^[6][4] son of Valdemar II of Denmark and Margaret of Bohemia, daughter of Ottokar I of Bohemia;
• Infante Fernando (1218–1246),^[7] Lord of Serpa and married to Sancha Fernández de Lara with whom he had no issue. He was the father of an illegitimate son, Sancho Fernandes, prior of Santo Estêvão of Alfama.^[4]

Out of wedlock, he had two illegitimate sons:

• João Afonso (d. 9 October 1234), buried in the Alcobaça monastery;^[8]
• Pedro Afonso (d. after 1249). Accompanied his brother King Afonso in the conquest of Faro in 1249. He had an illegitimate daughter named Constança Peres. ^[8]

References

1.  Hannay, David (1911). "Alphonso s.v. Alphonso II.". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 733.
2. Rodrigues Oliveira 2010, pp. 99 and 101.
3. Rodrigues Oliveira 2010, p. 102.
4. Sotto Mayor Pizarro 1997, p. 167.
5. Sotto Mayor Pizarro 1997, p. 167-168.
6. Rodrigues Oliveira 2010, pp. 102 and 210.
7. Rodrigues Oliveira 2010, pp. 102 and 110.
8. Sotto Mayor Pizarro 1997, p. 168.

Bibliography

• Rodrigues Oliveira, Ana (2010). Rainhas medievais de Portugal. Dezassete mulheres, duas dinastias, quatro séculos de História (in Portuguese). Lisbon: A esfera dos livros. ISBN 978-989-626-261-7.
• Sotto Mayor Pizarro, José Augusto (1997). Linhagens Medievais Portuguesas: Genealogias e Estratégias (1279-1325) (in Portuguese). Oporto: Doctorate thesis, author’s edition.

External links