On 5 October 1143, the Treaty of Zamora established the independence of Portugal from the Kingdom of León. Afonso Henriques, the Conqueror, became the first King of Portugal.
Afonso I of Portugal
Born in 1109, Afonso followed his father, Henry I, as Count of Portugal in 1112, under the tutelage of his mother, Teresa of León. At eleven years old, Afonso already had his own political ideas, greatly different from his mother's and in 1122, when he became fourteen, the adult age in the 12th century, he made himself a knight, raised an army, and proceeded to take control of his lands from his mother. Near Guimarães, at the Battle of São Mamede (1128) he overcame his mother troops making her his prisoner and exiling her forever to a monastery.
Battle of São Mamede - 1128
On 6 April 1129, Afonso Henriques dictated the writ in which he proclaimed himself Prince of Portugal. Afonso then turned his arms against the persistent problem of the Moors in the south. His campaigns were successful and, on 25 July 1139, he obtained an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Ourique, and straight after was unanimously proclaimed King of Portugal by his soldiers.
Battle of Ourique - 1139Portugal was no longer a vassal county of León, but an independent kingdom in its own right. Meanwhile, King Alfonso VII of León (Afonso's cousin) regarded the independent ruler of Portugal as nothing but a rebel. Conflict between the two was constant and bitter in the following years. Finally, on 5 October 1143, the Treaty of Zamora established peace between the cousins and the recognition by the Kingdom of León that Portugal was an independent kingdom.
The first heraldic symbol that can be associated with Portugal consists of a blue cross over a white field. This was the flag of the territory under Henry I, Count of Portugal.
Henry's son Afonso Henriques succeeded him in the county and took on the same shield. After proclaimed himself as Afonso I, King of Portugal, Afonso changed his shield in order to reflect his new political status. He charged the cross with five sets of eleven silver bezants symbolizing his newly-gained right to issue currency.
Happy Birthday Portugal!
