Alphonse III of Portugal

Alphonse III of Portugal (Coimbra, May 5th 1210 - idem , February 16th 1279)

Genealogy

He is the son of Alphonse II and Urraque de Castille.

He is the father inter alia:

  • White of Portugal
  • Denis of Portugal
  • Alphonse of Portugal
  • Marie of Portugal
  • Constancy, infante of Portugal

Biography

Alphonse III of Portugal , called Bolted it , born the May 5th 1210 with Coimbra, died the February 16th 1279 with the same place, was the fifth king de Portugal (and the fourth of the Algarves). He was the second wire of the king Alphonse II and his wife Urraque de Castille and succeeded his brother Sanche II in 1247.

In so much second wire, Alphonse was initially not intended to inherit the throne of Portugal, reserved for his Sanche older brother. For this reason, it left to be established in France where it Maria with Mathilde of Boulogne in 1238 becoming thus count de Boulogne. However, in 1246, the conflicts between Sanche II and the Church worsened and the pope Innocent IV gave the order to replace the king by the count of Boulogne. Alphonse accepted the order of the pope and turned over to the Portugal where it was crowned king in 1247, after Sanche II had left in exile to Tolède in Spain.

To reach the throne, Alphonse had to give up the Comté of Boulogne and to make cancel his marriage with Mathilde to marry with the infante Béatrice de Castille (1242-1303).

Not to have the same problems as his brother, the new king was interested especially in the middle-class of the tradesmen and the small holders and took account of their complaints. In 1254, it convened with Leira, the first meeting of the the Cortes, the general meeting of the kingdom with representatives of all the company. Alphonse III proposed a legislation which limited the possibility to the privileged classes of benefitting from the least favoured and granted many privileges to the Church. Recognized like excellent administrator, Alphonse III organized the public administration, and supported the urban development.

Having taken well in hand the kingdom, and the internal situation being pacified, the king took again the Reconquista South of the Iberian peninsula against the Muslim communities. During its reign, the city of Faro was reconquered in 1257 and the province of the Algarve was incorporated in the kingdom of Portugal. After this victorious countryside, was born a conflict with the Castille which claimed that the Algarve belonged to him, but after one period of war between the two countries, a treaty was signed with Badajoz, in 1267, which defines the border on the Guadiana.

Alphonse III Maria twice:

  • First wife Mathilde de Dammartin, countess of Boulogne from which it had:

    • Robert, born in 1239 and dead young person.
    • a son, born in 1240 and dead very young.

  • Deuxième marries the infante Béatrice de Castille (1242 - 1303) which gave him seven children:
    • White of Portugal, infante of Portugal (1259 - 1321), abbess of the convent of Huelgas close to Burgos.
    • Ferdinand (1260-1262)
    • Denis of Portugal (1261 - 1325), the future king.
    • Alphonse of Portugal, infant of Portugal (1263 - 1312), married the infante Yolande de Castille
    • Sanche, infante of Portugal (1264 + 1279)
    • Marie of Portugal (1264 + 1284)
    • Constance, infante of Portugal (1266 + 1271)
    • Vincent, infant of Portugal (1268-1271)

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