Individual Details
Sancho I King of Portugal
(11 Nov 1154 - 26 Mar 1211)
Sancho I of Portugal, nicknamed 'o Povoador' ('the Populator'), second king of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra, the third but only surviving son of Afonso I 'o Conquistador', king of Portugal, and Matilde de Savoie. Sancho succeeded his father in 1185. He used the title King of Algarve and/or Silves between 1189 and 1191.
In 1170 Sancho was knighted by his father, and from that time he became his second in command, in both administrative and military capacities. At this time the independence of Portugal (declared in 1139) was not firmly established. The kings of León and Castile were trying to annex the country and the Church was late in giving its blessing and approval. Due to this Alfonso I had to search for allies within the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal made an alliance with the kingdom of Aragón, and together they fought Castile and León. To secure the agreement, in 1174 Sancho married Dulce of Barcelona, younger sister of King Alfonso II of Aragón. Aragón was thus the first Iberian kingdom to recognise the independence of Portugal. Sancho and Dulce had eight children, of whom four would have progeny: his heir Alfonso II, Teresa, Ferrante and Berengaria.
With the death of Afonso I in 1185, Sancho I became the second king of Portugal. Coimbra was the centre of his kingdom; Sancho terminated the exhausting and generally pointless wars against his neighbours for control of the Galician borderlands. Instead, he turned all his attentions to the South, against the Moorish communities that still thrived. With Crusader help, in 1191 he took Silves, an important city of the South, an administrative and commercial centre with a population of around 20,000. Sancho ordered the fortification of the city and built a castle that is today an important monument to Portuguese heritage. However military attention soon had to be turned again to the North, where León and Castile again threatened the Portuguese borders. Silves was again lost to the Moors.
Sancho I founded the city of Guarda in 1199. He dedicated much of his reign to political and administrative organisation of the new kingdom. He accumulated a national treasure, and supported new industries and the middle class of merchants. Moreover, he created several new towns and villages, and took great care in populating remote areas in the northern Christian regions of Portugal, notably with Flemings and Burgundians - hence the nickname 'the Populator'. The king was also known for his love of knowledge and literature. Sancho I wrote several books of poems, and used the royal treasure to send Portuguese boys to study in European universities.
The latter part of his reign was taken up with ecclesiastical disputes with the Portuguese bishops supported by Pope Innocent III. The disagreements were mainly over church revenues but he was also accused by the bishop of Coimbra of giving refuge to a witch in his palace. The king then imprisoned the bishop of Oporto, but he escaped five months later and fled to Rome. Portugal was placed under a papal interdict, which was lifted in 1210 when Sancho submitted, allowing the bishop of Oporto to return. Sancho also paid the pope one hundred marks in gold.
Sancho died on 26 March 1211 in Coimbra, and was succeeded by Afonso II.
Source: Leo van de Pas
In 1170 Sancho was knighted by his father, and from that time he became his second in command, in both administrative and military capacities. At this time the independence of Portugal (declared in 1139) was not firmly established. The kings of León and Castile were trying to annex the country and the Church was late in giving its blessing and approval. Due to this Alfonso I had to search for allies within the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal made an alliance with the kingdom of Aragón, and together they fought Castile and León. To secure the agreement, in 1174 Sancho married Dulce of Barcelona, younger sister of King Alfonso II of Aragón. Aragón was thus the first Iberian kingdom to recognise the independence of Portugal. Sancho and Dulce had eight children, of whom four would have progeny: his heir Alfonso II, Teresa, Ferrante and Berengaria.
With the death of Afonso I in 1185, Sancho I became the second king of Portugal. Coimbra was the centre of his kingdom; Sancho terminated the exhausting and generally pointless wars against his neighbours for control of the Galician borderlands. Instead, he turned all his attentions to the South, against the Moorish communities that still thrived. With Crusader help, in 1191 he took Silves, an important city of the South, an administrative and commercial centre with a population of around 20,000. Sancho ordered the fortification of the city and built a castle that is today an important monument to Portuguese heritage. However military attention soon had to be turned again to the North, where León and Castile again threatened the Portuguese borders. Silves was again lost to the Moors.
Sancho I founded the city of Guarda in 1199. He dedicated much of his reign to political and administrative organisation of the new kingdom. He accumulated a national treasure, and supported new industries and the middle class of merchants. Moreover, he created several new towns and villages, and took great care in populating remote areas in the northern Christian regions of Portugal, notably with Flemings and Burgundians - hence the nickname 'the Populator'. The king was also known for his love of knowledge and literature. Sancho I wrote several books of poems, and used the royal treasure to send Portuguese boys to study in European universities.
The latter part of his reign was taken up with ecclesiastical disputes with the Portuguese bishops supported by Pope Innocent III. The disagreements were mainly over church revenues but he was also accused by the bishop of Coimbra of giving refuge to a witch in his palace. The king then imprisoned the bishop of Oporto, but he escaped five months later and fled to Rome. Portugal was placed under a papal interdict, which was lifted in 1210 when Sancho submitted, allowing the bishop of Oporto to return. Sancho also paid the pope one hundred marks in gold.
Sancho died on 26 March 1211 in Coimbra, and was succeeded by Afonso II.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 11 Nov 1154 | Coimbra, Portugal | |||
| Marriage | 1174 | Dulce of Barcelona de Aragón | |||
| Death | 26 Mar 1211 | Coimbra, Portugal | |||
| Burial | Santa Cruz de Coimbra |
Families
| Spouse | Dulce of Barcelona de Aragón (1159 - 1198) |
| Child | Alfonso II "o Gordo" King of Portugal (1185 - 1223) |
| Father | Alfonso I (Henriques) King of Portugal (1109 - 1185) |
| Mother | Mahaut (Matilde) de Savoia (1125 - 1157) |
| Sibling | Urraca Infanta of Portugal (1151 - 1188) |