County of Portugal
Portugal, 868 CE–1143. Draft, not yet reviewed
The County of Portugal refers to two successive medieval counties in the region around Guimarães and Porto, today corresponding to litoral northern Portugal, within which the identity of the Portuguese people formed. The history of the county is traditionally dated from the reconquest of Portus Cale (Porto) by Vímara Peres in 868. A larger entity under the same name was then reestablished in the late 11th century and subsequently elevated by its count in the mid-12th century into an independent Kingdom of Portugal.
Seat of power: Guimarães
Rulers
Vímara Peres
Count of Portugal, 868 CE–873 CE
He was a ninth-century nobleman who served as the first Count of Portugal. He was named a count and given control of the frontier region between the Limia and Douro rivers by Alfonso III of Asturias.
Portrait of Vímara Peres: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Lucídio Vimaranes
Count of Portugal, 873 CE–922 CE
Upon the death of his father, King Alfonso III of Asturias entrusted him with the government of the County of Portugal jointly with Count Hermenegildo Gutiérrez. Lucídio was a member of the Curia Regis and as such, confirmed several royal charters between 887 and 917.
Portrait of Lucídio Vimaranes: Elryck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Hermenegildo Gutiérrez
Count of Portugal, 895 CE–920 CE
As the Mayordomo mayor of King Alfonso III, he was an active member of the curia regia. He was one of the most loyal vassals of King Alfonso III, who named him his mayordomo mayor and compensated his efforts and services to the crown with many properties and tenencias.
Portrait of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez: ALAIN XD, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Hermenegildo González
Count of Portugal, 922 CE–943 CE
He was a Galician count in the 10th century Kingdom of León, tenente in Deza, and the ancestor of one of the most relevant Galaico-Portuguese lineages of the Early Middle Ages. He begins to appear in medieval charters in 926.
Portrait of Hermenegildo González: Deza_County_in_Pontevedra_Province-gl.svg: *Vigo_-_Mapa_municipal.svg: Emilio Gómez Fernández Pontevedra_regional_map..., CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Muniadona Díaz
Count of Portugal, 943 CE–950 CE
She ruled the county jointly with her husband from about 920 and then on her own after her husband's death around 950 until her death in 968. Celebrated, rich and the most powerful woman in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, she has been commemorated by several Portuguese cities. The Castle of Guimarães was built under her orders in the 10th century to defend the monastery from attacks by Moors and Norsemen.
Portrait of Muniadona Díaz: Tm; estátua por Álvaro Brée, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Gonzalo Menéndez
Count of Portugal, 950 CE–997 CE
He regularly carries the title count (comes), the highest in the kingdom, in surviving documents. He may have used the title magnus dux portucalensium ("great duke of the Portuguese").
Portrait of Gonzalo Menéndez: Elryck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Mendo Gonçalves
Count of Portugal, 997 CE–1008
He was the royal alférez, the king's armour-bearer and commander of the royal armies, under Vermudo II, and he continued to hold the position until his death. He maintained peaceful diplomatic relations with the Caliphate of Córdoba until 1004, after which there was a state of war.
Alvito Nunes
Count of Portugal, 1008–1015
Following the death of Menendo González in 1008, he governed the county jointly with Toda, count Menendo's widow. He was killed by Vikings during a bloody assault on Vermoim Castle, located around Vila Nova de Famalicão.
Portrait of Alvito Nunes: Elryck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Ilduara Mendes
Count of Portugal, 1015–1043
She governed the county jointly with her husband Count Nuno Alvites. Since their son Mendo Nunes was a minor in 1028 when his father died, he governed the county under the tutelage of his mother Ilduara.
Nuno Alvites
Count of Portugal, 1015–1028
He ruled the county with his spouse Ilduara Mendes, daughter of earlier count Menendo González, until he was assassinated in 1028, the same year as the death of King Alfonso V.
Mendo Nunes
Count of Portugal, 1043–1054
Mendo succeeded his father, who died in 1028, in the governance of the County of Portugal, most probably as a minor under the tutorship of his mother Ilduara.
Portrait of Mendo Nunes: Elryck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Nuno Mendes
Count of Portugal, 1054–1071
His pursuit of greater autonomy for Portugal brought him into conflict with King García II of Galicia. His opposition to García II culminated in the Battle of Pedroso on 18 February 1071, where Nuno Mendes was defeated and killed.
Portrait of Nuno Mendes: Elryck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Theresa of León
Count of Portugal, 1096–1128
She rebelled against her half-sister Queen Urraca of León. She was recognised as Queen by Pope Paschal II in 1116, but was captured and forced to accept Portugal's vassalage to León in 1121, being allowed to keep her royal title. Her son Afonso Henriques defeated her at the Battle of São Mamede in 1128.
Portrait of Theresa of León: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Henry of Burgundy
Count of Portugal, 1096–1112
He was the first member of the Capetian House of Burgundy to rule Portugal and the father of the country's first king, Afonso Henriques. Alfonso VI had entrusted Theresa and Henry with the county of Portugal in 1096.
Portrait of Henry of Burgundy: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
Afonso I of Portugal
Count of Portugal, 1112–1139
The Portuguese nobility rallied around Afonso, who revolted and defeated his mother at the Battle of São Mamede in 1128 and became sole Count of Portugal soon afterwards. In 1139, Afonso renounced the suzerainty of the Kingdom of León and established the independent Kingdom of Portugal.
Portrait of Afonso I of Portugal: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Culture
- The leaders of the first county of Portugal reached the height of their power in the late 10th century, when Count Gonzalo Menéndez may have used the title magnus dux portucalensium ("grand duke of Portugal") and his son Menendo used the title dux magnus (grand duke).
- Emblematic of the medieval Portuguese castle, Guimarães is associated with the origins of the Portuguese nation.
- In 1071, Count Nuno Mendes, desiring greater autonomy for Portugal, was defeated and killed in the Battle of Pedroso by King García II of Galicia, who then proclaimed himself the King of Galicia and Portugal, the first time a royal title was used in reference to Portugal.
Picture
The Castle of Guimarães is the principal medieval castle in the municipality of Guimarães, in the northern region of Portugal.
Image: Hugo Ferreira, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.