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Afonso III
Effigy on a contemporary coin
King of Portugal
Reign	4 January 1248 – 16 February 1279
Predecessor	Sancho II
Successor	Denis
Count of Boulogne
Reign	1238–1248
Predecessor	Matilda II
Successor	Matilda II
Co-count	Matilda II
Born	5 May 1210 Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	16 February 1279 (aged 68) Alcobaça, Kingdom of Portugal
Burial	Monastery of Alcobaça, Alcobaça, Portugal
Spouses	Matilda II, Countess of Boulogne ​ ​(m. 1238; div. 1253)​ Beatrice of Castile ​(m. 1253)​
Issue	(ill.) Martim Afonso Chichorro (ill.) Urraca Afonso Branca, Lady of Las Huelgas Denis, King of Portugal Afonso, Lord of Portalegre Infanta Sancha
House	Burgundy
Father	Afonso II of Portugal
Mother	Urraca of Castile

Afonso III (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]; 5 May 1210 – 16 February 1279), called the Boulonnais (Port. o Bolonhês), was King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249. He was the second son of King Afonso II of Portugal and his wife, Urraca of Castile; he succeeded his brother, King Sancho II of Portugal, who died on 4 January 1248.

Early life

Afonso was born in Coimbra. As the second son of King Afonso II of Portugal, he was not expected to inherit the throne, which was destined to go to his elder brother Sancho.

He lived mostly in France, where he married Countess Matilda II of Boulogne in 1238, thereby becoming count of Boulogne, Mortain, Aumale and Dammartin-en-Goële jure uxoris.

Reign

In 1245, conflicts between his brother, the king, and the church became unbearable. Pope Innocent IV ordered Sancho II to be removed from the throne and to be replaced by the Count of Boulogne. Afonso did not refuse the papal order and consequently marched to Portugal. Since Sancho was not a popular king the order was not hard to enforce, and he fled into exile to Toledo, Castile, where he died on 4 January 1248. Until his brother's death and his own eventual coronation, Afonso retained and used the title of Visitador, Curador e Defensor do Reino (Overseer, Curator and Defender of the Kingdom).

In order to ascend the throne Afonso abdicated his rights to the county of Boulogne in 1248. In 1253, he divorced Matilda in order to marry Beatrice of Castile, illegitimate daughter of Alfonso X, King of Castile, and Mayor Guillén de Guzmán.

Determined not to make the same mistakes as his brother, Afonso III paid special attention to what the middle class, composed of merchants and small land owners, had to say. In 1254, in the city of Leiria, he held the first session of the Cortes, a general assembly comprising the nobility, the middle class and representatives of all municipalities. He also made laws intended to restrain the upper classes from abusing the least favored part of the population. Remembered as a notable administrator, Afonso III founded several towns, granted the title of city to many others and reorganized public administration.

Afonso showed extraordinary vision for the time. Progressive measures taken during his kingship include: representatives of the commons, besides the nobility and clergy, were involved in governance; the end of preventive arrests such that henceforward all arrests had to be first presented to a judge to determine the detention measure; and fiscal innovation, such as negotiating extraordinary taxes with the mercantile classes and direct taxation of the Church, rather than debasement of the coinage. These may have led to his excommunication by the Holy See and possibly precipitated his death, and his son Denis's premature rise to the throne at only 18 years old.

Secure on the throne, Afonso III then proceeded to make war with the Muslim communities that still thrived in the south. In his reign the Algarve became part of the kingdom, following the capture of Faro.

Final years and death

Following his success against the Moors, Afonso III had to deal with a political situation concerning the country's borders with Castile. The neighbouring kingdom considered that the newly acquired lands of the Algarve should be Castilian, not Portuguese, which led to a series of wars between the two kingdoms. Finally, in 1267, the Treaty of Badajoz was signed in Badajoz, determining that the southern border between Castile and Portugal should be the River Guadiana, as it is today.

Afonso died in Alcobaça, Coimbra or Lisbon, aged 68.

Marriages and descendants

Afonso's first wife was Matilda II, Countess of Boulogne, daughter of Renaud, Count of Dammartin, and Ida, Countess of Boulogne. They had no surviving children. He divorced Matilda in 1253 and, in the same year, married Beatrice of Castile, illegitimate daughter of Alfonso X, King of Castile, and Mayor Guillén de Guzmán.

Notes

1. rare English alternatives: Alphonzo or Alphonse, or Affonso (Archaic Portuguese), Alfonso or Alphonso (Portuguese-Galician) or Alphonsus (Latin).

See also

• Timeline of Portuguese history (First Dynasty)
• Portugal in the Middle Ages
  • Portugal in the Reconquista

References

1. Ennes, Antonio (1876). Historia de Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 17 April 2019.
2. España Sagrada. Tomo XVII (in Spanish). En la Oficina de Antonio Marin. 1763. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
3. Dinis (King of Portugal); Ferreira, Manuel Pedro (2005). Cantus Coronatus: 7 Cantigas d'El-Rei Dom Dinis: by King Dinis of Portugal. Edition Reichenberger. ISBN 9783937734095.
4. Varandas, José Manuel Henriques (2010). "Bonus Rex ou Rex Inutilis". University of Lisbon. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
5. Lumbreras, Joaquín (1841). Libertades de la Iglesia española vindicadas contra la alocución del beatísimo padre Gregorio XVI en el consistorio secreto de 1o de marzo de este año (in Spanish). Imprenta de la Viuda de Calero.
6. Catálogo histórico y bibliográfico de la Exposición Internacional de Barcelona (1929-1930) - VOLUMEN I (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia. 1931. ISBN 9788496849341.
7. Fernando de Olaguer-Feliú Alonso (27 January 1998). Arte medieval español hasta el año 1000 (in Spanish). Encuentro. ISBN 9788474904888.
8. Jiménez, Manuel González (1991). Diplomatario Andaluz de Alfonso X (in Spanish). El Monte, Caja de Huelva y Sevilla. ISBN 978-84-87062-05-6.
9. Wheeler, Douglas L.; Opello, Jr, Walter C. (10 May 2010). Historical Dictionary of Portugal. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810870758.
10. Pérez-Embid, Florentino (1975). La frontera entre los reinos de Sevilla y Portugal (in Spanish). University of Michigan: Ayuntamiento, Delegación de Cultura, Sección de Publicaciones. ISBN 9788450066029.
11. Rodrigues Oliveira, Ana (2010). Rainhas Medievais de Portugal. Lisbon: A Esfera dos Livros. pp. 138–148.
12. ^ Rodrigues Oliveira, Ana (2010). Rainhas Medievais de Portugal. Lisbon: A Esfera dos Livros. pp. 138–139.
13. Caetano de Sousa, António (1735). Historia genealogica da Casa Real Portuguesa (PDF). Lisbon: Lisboa Occidental, oficina de Joseph Antonio da Sylva. p. 180. OCLC 503932489.

v t e Monarchs of Portugal
House of Burgundy (1139–1383)	Afonso I Sancho I Afonso II Sancho II Afonso III Denis I Afonso IV Peter I Ferdinand I Beatrice I
House of Aviz (1385–1580)	John I Edward I Afonso V John II Manuel I John III Sebastian I Henry I Anthony I
House of Habsburg (1581–1640)	Philip I Philip II Philip III
House of Braganza (1640–1910)	John IV Afonso VI Peter II John V Joseph I Maria I with Peter III John VI Peter IV Maria II Miguel I Maria II with Ferdinand II Peter V Luís I Carlos I Manuel II
Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.

v t e Portuguese House of Burgundy
Henry, Count of Portugal Spouse(s) Theresa of León Children Urraca Henriques, wife of Bermudo Pérez de Traba Sancha Henriques, Lady of Braganza Teresa Henriques Henrique Henriques Afonso Henriques Grandchildren Infante Henrique Infanta Mafalda Urraca, Queen of Léon Infanta Sancha Sancho I Infante João Theresa, Countess of Flanders and Duchess of Burgundy
Afonso I of Portugal Spouse(s) Mafalda of Savoy, Queen of Portugal Children Infante Henrique Infanta Mafalda Urraca, Queen of Léon Infanta Sancha Sancho I Infante João Theresa, Countess of Flanders and Duchess of Burgundy Grandchildren Theresa, Queen of León Infanta Sancha, Lady of Alenquer Infante Raimundo Infanta Constance Afonso II of Portugal Peter I, Count of Urgell Ferdinand, Count of Flanders Infante Henrique Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara Berengaria, Queen of Denmark Mafalda, Queen of Castile
Sancho I of Portugal Spouse(s) Dulce of Aragon Children Theresa, Queen of León Infanta Sancha, Lady of Alenquer Infante Raimundo Infante Constance Afonso II of Portugal Peter I, Count of Urgell Ferdinand, Count of Flanders Infante Henrique Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara Berengaria, Queen of Denmark Mafalda, Queen of Castile Grandchildren Sancho II Afonso III Eleanor, junior Queen of Denmark Fernando, Lord of Serpa
Afonso II of Portugal Spouse(s) Urraca of Castile Children Sancho II Afonso III Eleanor, junior Queen of Denmark Fernando, Lord of Serpa Grandchildren Infanta Blanche, Lady of Las Huelgas Denis I of Portugal Afonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre Infanta Sancha Infanta Maria Infante Vicente Infante Fernando
Sancho II of Portugal Spouse(s) Mécia Lopes de Haro Notes Sancho had no children; he was deposed in 1247 and died the following year.
Afonso III of Portugal Spouse(s) Matilda II of Boulogne Beatrice of Castile Children Infanta Branca, Lady of Las Huelgas Denis I of Portugal Afonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre Infanta Sancha Infanta Maria Infante Vicente Infante Fernando Grandchildren Constance, Queen of Castile Afonso IV Infante Afonso, Lord of Leiria Infanta Maria, Lady of Meneses and Orduña Infanta Isabel, Lady of Penela Infanta Constança Infanta Beatriz, Lady of Lemos
Denis of Portugal Spouse(s) Saint Elizabeth of Portugal Children Constance, Queen of Castile Afonso IV Grandchildren Maria, Queen of Castile Infante Afonso Infante Denis Peter I Infanta Isabel Infante João Eleanor, Queen of Aragon
Afonso IV of Portugal Spouse(s) Beatrice of Castile Children Maria, Queen of Castile Infante Afonso Infante Denis Peter I Infanta Isabel Infante João Eleanor, Queen of Aragon Grandchildren Infante Luís Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa Ferdinand I Infante Afonso Infanta Beatrice, Countess of Alburquerque Infante John, Duke of Valencia de Campos Infante Denis, Lord of Cifuentes
Peter I of Portugal Spouse(s) Constanza Manuel Inês de Castro Children Infante Luís Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa Ferdinand I Infante Afonso Infanta Beatrice, Countess of Alburquerque Infante John, Duke of Valencia de Campos Infante Denis, Lord of Cifuentes Illegitimate children included John, Grand Master of the Order of Aviz (future John I) Grandchildren Beatrice, titular Queen of Portugal Infante Fernando, Lord of Eça Infanta Maria, Countess of Valencia de Campos Infanta Brites, Countess of Cigales and Buelna Infante Pedro, Lord of Colmenarejo Infanta Beatrice
Ferdinand I of Portugal Spouse(s) Leonor Teles Children Beatrice, titular Queen of Portugal
Notes the descendants of King Peter I and Inês de Castro's children were recognized as legitimate and were Infantes and Infantas also an Infante of Castile

• Portuguese Roman Catholics
• Portuguese infantes
• House of Burgundy-Portugal
• People of the Reconquista
• 1210 births
• 1279 deaths
• People from Coimbra
• 13th-century Portuguese monarchs
• Jure uxoris counts
• Counts of Mortain
• Counts of Aumale
• Counts of Dammartin
• Counts of Boulogne
• Remarried jure uxoris officeholders