Battle of Ourique
Part of the Reconquista
"The Miracle of Ourique" by Domingos Sequeira (1793)
Date July 25, 1139 Location Ourique in Alentejo (southern Portugal) Result Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Portuguese Christian Army	Andalusian Muslims of the Almoravids
Commanders
Afonso Henriques	Ali ibn Yusuf
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of Ourique (July 25, 1139, St. James day) saw the forces of Portuguese Prince Afonso Henriques (of the House of Burgundy) defeat the Almoravid Moors led by Ali ibn Yusuf. There is no certainty about its exact location, probably in the countryside between the town of Castro Verde and Ourique (Portuguese pronunciation: [oˈɾik(ɨ)]), present-day Baixo Alentejo (Lower Alentejo) region of southern Portugal.

Despite the fact that the Christian Portuguese forces were strongly outnumbered, the Muslim armies were weakened by internal leadership problems, and the victory for Afonso Henriques was such that he proclaimed himself King of the Portuguese as Afonso I with the overwhelming support of his troops, having vanquished and slain, so legend says, five Moorish kings.^{[citation needed]}

Immediately after the battle, King Afonso I of Portugal called for the first assembly of the estates-general of Portugal at Lamego, where he was given the Crown from the Bishop of Braga, to confirm the independence from the Kingdom of León and Castile.

Some years later, the idea of a miraculous intervention in the battle by Saint James the Great in favour of the Portuguese sprang up. St. James was widely venerated in Iberia (with a main center of veneration in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, where his tomb is supposed to be located), being generally seen as the Matamouros ("Moor-slayer"). In the process of Portuguese independence this legend changed with time, due to the need to make distance with Spanish devotional practices and beliefs. In a first stage St. James was replaced by Saint George, and, in a second stage, by Christ himself. The legend of the miracle of the Battle of Ourique served thus as a political instrument to defend Portuguese independence as divine will. Alexandre Herculano (19th century) demonstrated that the legend is linked to Santiago de Compostela (about Saint James of Compostela)^{[citation needed]}. In the 13th century two Spanish writers, Frei Lucas de Tui and the Archbishop of Toledo, recounted a similar miracle.

Primitive Portuguese Coat-of-Arms

It is said that, in commemoration of the Battle of Ourique, the Portuguese coat-of-arms bears five small shields (representing the five defeated Moorish kings), though this interpretation has been challenged by many authors.

[edit] See also

• Timeline of Portuguese history
  • Second County of Portugal (11th to 12th Century)
  • First Dynasty: Burgundy (12th to 14th Century)

[edit] References

• História e histórias-Castro Verde, Joaquim Boiça/Rui Mateus, Artinvento, Região de Turismo da Planicie Dourada/Câmara Municipal de Castro Verde; ISBN 978-972-97418-9-0

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