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Portugal Afonso Henriques Becomes King
After the peace of Tuy, Afonso Henriques temporarily
turned
his attention to the Muslim threat in the south. In 1139
he
struck deep into the heart of Al Andalus and defeated a
Muslim
army at
Ourique, a place in the Alentejo. After this battle,
Afonso
Henriques began to be referred to in documents as king. In
1140
he renewed his claim on southern Galicia, which he
invaded. This
again sparked a reaction by Alfonso VII who, in return,
marched
on Portugal. The two armies met at Arcos de Valdevez and
engaged
in a joust won by the Portuguese knights. Afonso
Henriques's
self-proclamation as king was finally recognized in 1143
at the
Conference of Samora when Alfonso VII recognized him as
such,
although, because he was an emperor, Alfonso VII still
considered
Afonso Henriques his vassal.
Data as of January 1993
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