History of Portugal

This episode we’re going to dive deeper into the aftermath of the misfortune of Badajoz, and as we shall see, it wasn’t all gloom and doom. The young prince Sancho is knighted and ascends to the throne as a co-regent with his father. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the free tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at histor...

This episode we will discuss the aftermath of the Afonso Henriques defeat at Badajoz and his two months of captivity by his then son in law, the King of Leon, Fernando II. Because the consequences of that defeat for the royal court and the fledgling kingdom were quite significant.  Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have...

This is the last of our three episode tour of the twelfth century. This one is the eastern Mediterranean. The world that crusading built, the institutions that sustained it for a century, and the collisions that finally brought it down. And at the end, the image we're building toward all episode: Constantinople in flames, sacked by Christians under a crusading banner, in the year 1204. Join me on...

This episode we examine the moves of the Templar Master in Portugal, as he directed the construction of an innovative defensive line in the recently conquered territories in Alentejo, thanks to the newly resurgent al-Andalus of the Almohads.  Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach...

Last episode, we examined the political and military maneuvers undertaken by the various sovereigns of the peninsula as they sought to exploit the power vacuum left by the death of the emperor. In this episode, we'll see which of those maneuvers paid off and which did not. Along the way, we'll encounter an intriguing outlaw who served Afonso Henriques, though he was never one to neglect his own in...

This episode, we examine the consequences of the death of the emperor and the typical game of musical chairs that begins whenever a vacuum of power presents itself.  Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Visit the website: www.historyofportuga...

This episode we examine the little we know about an attempt to launch an official crusade in the Peninsula and why that idea was doomed to fail. As well as the decade long mission by Afonso Henriques to conquer the strategically critical city of Alcácer do Sal. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments,...

This episode we are examining the early Templars in Portugal. What part if any, did they play in the frontier defenses? Where were they located and how were they funded? We’ll take a closer look at these questions and more, see how this new partnership began to be expressed.  Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any qu...

Last time, we surveyed the Atlantic west, covering England, France in the 1100's This episode, we move east and south, into the heart of the continent and down into the Italian peninsula. And what we find there is a story about empire. What it means to claim one, what it costs to try to hold one, and what happens when the people being governed decide they'd rather not be. Join me on Patreon! patre...

This episode we examine what happened after the conquest of Lisboa. How was this new territory organized and incorporated into the Portuguese project? We’ll also try to understand the larger social and political context that created the conditions for this conquest to happen in the first place. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If y...

One of the things that I have wanted to do for a while now was to provide a wider context of the world we have been exploring on this show. So, I teamed up with my friend James Cassese who has researched and written these episodes to help us understand what was happening in the broader European and Mediterranean world while Portugal was emerging as an independent kingdom. So, over the next few epi...

This bonus episode is the continuation of the reading of our main source for the conquest of Lisboa in 1147. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Visit the website: www.historyofportugalpodcast.com Credits: Flag Image by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pi...

This bonus episode is the first part of a reading of our main source for the conquest of Lisboa in 1147. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Visit the website: www.historyofportugalpodcast.com Credits: Flag Image by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pixaba...

This episode we will cover what is arguably on of the most important milestone of Afonso Henriques reign, the conquest of Lisboa.  Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Visit the website: www.historyofportugalpodcast.com Credits: Flag Image by...

This episode we explore one of the missing critical pieces of Afonso's puzzle, which was a was a royal marriage. We see how his marriage to Matilda of Savoy and the subsequent birth of his legitimate children reshaped his royal court and his long-standing alliances. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join the conversation! If you have any questions or comm...

In this episode, we will be doing a deep dive into some we touched only lightly in a previous episode, the rather significant act of Afonso Henriques declaring his vassalage to the Pope. We’ll explore how Afonso navigated the complex interplay of papal authority, Leonese overlordship, and local power. As well as how despite Roman hesitation, Afonso’s de facto authority as king was firmly establish...

In this episode, we explore how the collapse of Almoravid power plunged the western lands of Al-Andalus into chaos. Rival Muslim leaders like Ibn Qasi and Ibn Wasir fought for control, while Afonso Henriques seized the opportunity to expand his realm. But this wasn’t just a clash of swords, it was a game of diplomacy and deception. We’ll uncover how Portugal’s first king forged truces, traded trib...

In this episode, we rewind the clock back a little and trace the dramatic unraveling of Almoravid power across al-Andalus and Morocco. From the loss of Zaragoza in 1118 to the revolt of Córdoba, we see how Yusuf ibn Tashfin’s dying warnings were ignored by his son ‘Ali—triggering disaster on both sides of the straits Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Check out the fee tier and join...

In this episode, we follow Afonso Henriques as he works to secure Portugal’s fragile frontier. We’ll look at how the destruction and rebuilding of Leiria shaped the kingdom’s defenses, the role of new castles and charters in pushing settlement southward, and how the Knights Templar began to take an active hand in the border wars. Along the way, we’ll encounter stories of courage and tragedy, like...

In this episode, we’re looking beyond the battlefield to the network of advisors who helped Afonso Henriques turn a fledgling county into a kingdom. We’ll explore the spiritual influence of Saint Teotónio, the political brilliance of Dom João Peculiar, and the often-overlooked world of church diplomacy in 12th-century Portugal. From monastic reform to papal negotiations, from court intrigue to the...

This episode, we're diving into the controversial acclamation of Afonso Henriques as king before the Battle of Ourique. Did it really happen, or is it just legend? We'll explore conflicting historical accounts, the symbolism of his shield, and the Church's complicated role in legitimizing his kingship, uncovering how a potential battlefield tradition transformed into a powerful national myth. Join...

This episode, we follow the pivotal shift in strategy as Afonso Henriques and the Portuguese forces move from a defensive posture to full-scale offensive operations. From the construction of the Castle of Leiria to deep raids into Muslim-held territory, we’ll explore how Portugal carved out its place on the frontier. We will also unpack the legendary Battle of Ourique, what likely happened, what w...

In this episode, we dive deep into the murky political landscape of the 1130s, focusing on Afonso Henriques’s ambiguous status between 1128 and 1137 as he maneuvered between independence and vassalage to Alfonso VII. The episode unpacks Afonso’s calculated incursions into Galician territory, including the provocative construction of the Castle of Celmes, the backlash from Alfonso VII, and the pivo...

This time, we return our focus to Afonso Henriques and the evolving dynamics between Portugal, Galicia, and the Kingdom of León-Castile in the aftermath of his rise to power. As well as the move of the royal court from Guimaraes to Coimbra. Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Visit the...

This episode we focus on the lager cultural movement that swept Europe, known as the crusades and the effect this movement had in the County of Portugal. Join us on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/historyofportugal If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at historyofportugalpod@gmail.com Join me on Patreon! patreon.com/historyofportugal Visit the website: ww...