Portugal, since 1128

The emergence of Portugal as an independent kingdom is a much-discussed topic in the history of the peninsula and has always given rise to divergent interpretations among historians. In this regard, we will briefly review the historiographical interpretations of the Battle of São Mamede, closely following the conference entitled “The First Portuguese Afternoon” , given by the illustrious and late Professor José Mattoso, in Guimarães, at the Sociedade Martins Sarmento, on 24 June 1978, on the occasion of the inauguration of the commemorations of the 850th anniversary of the Battle of São Mamede.

The General Chronicle of 1344 considered the Battle of Ourique to be the most significant historical event in the origins of Portugal, due to its association with the moment when D. Afonso Henriques assumed the title of king. However, the chronicle of 1419 officially consecrated the legend of the divine apparition to D. Afonso Henriques on the eve of the battle, and attributed to it the supernatural character that was perpetuated for centuries.

As José Mattoso said, “It is no surprise that, at a time when national consciousness became clearer, following the fight for independence in 1385, this event, rather than São Mamede, was chosen as the symbol of nationality. In fact, it was much more suitable for involving the supernatural, because it brought into play the fight between Christianity and Islam, and for investing the king with a sacred mission.”

In the 17th century, Frei António Brandão (part III of the Lusitanian Monarchy) addressed the issue carefully and raised Valdevez's hypothesis, but concluded, as José Mattoso said in the aforementioned conference, that: " the true cradle of nationality was in Ourique, where three significant events occurred: the victory against the true enemies of the Nation, divine intervention and the acclamation of the prince as king."

The First Portuguese Afternoon

Remaining faithful to tradition, this Cistercian scholar, with the authority for which he is recognised, gave it the strength to continue almost to the present day. And as José Mattoso stated: “It was only with Alexandre Herculano that São Mamede was considered, for the first time, as the dawn of the Fatherland. Unlike Brandão, he did not interpret the event as the simple replacement of the leader, but as the result of a collective action, and, therefore, the fact without which neither Valdevez nor Ourique would have been possible”.

Interestingly, in this conference dedicated specifically to the origins of Portugal, Professor José Mattoso made no reference to other historical facts that might have this potential, such as, for example, the Zamora Conference of 5 October 1143, or the Bull Manifestis Probatum of 23 May 1179. In our opinion, the Professor’s silence was due to the fact that he considered the key issue in Portuguese historiography, with regard to the origins of Portugal, to be “finding out whether our autonomy is due to the more or less arbitrary decision of a few individuals, or whether it is the irresistible blossoming of a force resulting from the social and cultural structure of a vast group of people, with roots in the geographical conditions themselves and in secular behaviour”.

“Battle of S. Mamede – First Portuguese Afternoon”, fresco painting by Acácio Lino, in the Palace of S. Bento – Assembly of the Republic.

This is probably why, when writing the pages of “A Primeira Tarde Portuguesa” , he focused on the origin of the Nation, and not on the search for the day when Afonso Henriques assumed the government of Portugal, as King in his own right, and without any kind of subordination, transforming it into a sovereign State. This intuition of ours is confirmed by the statement that the Professor made in that conference, that, “in São Mamede… the viability of the Nation is demonstrated” ; and reinforced, we add now, when in another passage he referred to the intervention, in the battle, of a cohesive social group that “demonstrated its strength against powerful adversaries” and “became more clearly aware of its capacity for autonomy”.

This approach to the origins of Portugal is interesting, and it may be the way to reach the deepest social, cultural and political roots that embody the country we are today. However, the Portuguese nation broke away from Galicia, while the kingdom of Portugal became independent from León! Therefore, searching for the date of Portugal's birth, as a nation, is like entering a labyrinth; getting in is easy, but finding the way out is very difficult!

Kingdom, State and Nation

In fact, although they are often confused in everyday communication, the concepts of Nation and State are distinct and not identical, since the creation of a kingdom is not comparable to the formation of a Nation. Contrary to what happens with nations, States today can be formed overnight, as a result of, or as a consequence of, an isolated act. And for a greater reason, this was the case in the Middle Ages, since, as José Mattoso says, “the monarchy was exercised as a personal property; therefore, the king could divide his States among his heirs”. For example, the Leonese king, Ferdinand I (1016-1065), grandfather of D. Teresa (c. 1080-1130), divided his kingdom upon his death, leaving the kingdom of Castile to his eldest son, Sancho II (1036-1072), the kingdom of León to Alfonso VI (1047-1109), and the kingdom of Galicia to Garcia II (1042-1090). As can be seen, from one kingdom three were born on a single day, on December 27, 1065 (the plausible date of his death). A similar division occurred at the behest of Alfonso VII, who, after his death in 1157, left the kingdom of Castile to his eldest son, Sancho III, and the kingdom of León to his son Ferdinand II, son-in-law of D. Afonso Henriques.

Portugal is probably one of the few countries in the world that does not celebrate its birth. I would even say, more directly, that a large proportion of Portuguese people do not know – nor do they make much effort to find out – on what day and under what circumstances Portugal emerged as a sovereign state. Therefore, research is needed focused on the origin of the state – and not of the nation –, based, for example, on the differences and similarities between Portuguese and Spanish historiography regarding the historical facts that led to Portugal’s independence. This doubt, which has embarrassed modern political agents when it comes to defining a specific and determined date for Portugal’s independence, is based on the fact that Portugal is a nation-state and that this symbiosis makes it difficult to understand and determine the moment in which each concept was born.

There is no doubt that the consequences of the independence of the County of Portucalense influenced the two peoples, the Portuguese and the Spanish, in different ways. We can say that, as far as Spanish historiography is concerned, its near silence on the independence of Portugal prevents it from being understood in a positive way. However, this silence, which also affects the political process that involved the dismemberment of the Kingdom of León at that historical period, creates the possibility of a broad reflection on these gaps.

Independence, when?

The independence of Portugal is treated “quite differently, or simply not at all” by Spanish authors, and not only in the past. Important authors today, and Spanish historiography in general, tend to avoid mentioning names from Portuguese society and politics of the time, and to gloss over the circumstances or simply ignore them, with minimal arguments and details. As Nelson Lombardi points out, what stands out in Spanish historiography is “the lack of attention, really consistent, to the events that involved the destiny of the County of Portucalense” , which does not go beyond mentioning the marriage of D. Teresa with D. Henrique de Borgonha, and, “sometimes, some of Afonso Henriques’ deeds.” Such silence “bothers Portuguese historiography”, but reveals, on the Spanish side, even greater inconveniences, perhaps because it involves “dismemberment of the territory” and affects “national pride” , especially “with regard to the imperial period” , given that Portugal became “an obstacle to the consolidation and affirmation of the effective power of Emperor Afonso VII”.

It seems to us, therefore, that it would be interesting to bring into the discussion the “voice of silence” of Spanish historians and to try to clarify the way in which they, in comparison with the Portuguese, approach the constitution of the Kingdom of Portugal. This should be one of the objectives to be pursued, within the scope of the commemorations of the 900th anniversary of the Battle of São Mamede.

As long as humanity is subject to the dictatorship of time, the dates of birth and death of any individual will always be part of their identity. Therefore, Portugal also needs to seek to end the existing controversy and do everything possible to establish a date that marks its day of birth as an independent State, thus standardizing national understanding on this matter.

[The articles in the Portugal 900 Years series are a weekly collaboration of the Historical Society of the Independence of Portugal. The opinions of the authors represent their own positions.]