County of Portugal

On the territory of the later Portugal, the "first" county Portucale ( Condado Portucalense ) developed from 868 on behalf and in the name of the King of Asturias and Leon with the Presúria of Portucale by Vimara Peres in the area around Porto in the existence of the kingdom of Asturias - Leon. Is crucial at this Presúria that of Portucale ran out of political and administrative reorganization of the entire territory Entre- Douro -e- Minho. In this sense, the county Portucale an important center for the re-colonization or Repovoamento the north of the later kingdom of Portugal was.

Initial conditions

Already under Alfonso I of Asturias Christian troops were able to occupy south of the River Minho located in several field or raids and ruled by the Moors cities like Braga, Porto or Chaves briefly and plunder. They made ​​their way to Viseu. Since the Asturian king had not enough military power to defend and economic power to the settlement and development of these territories, he ordered that the region north of the Douro to devastate and to resettle the Christian or Mozarabic population. To what extent him completely succeeded is controversial in historical research. Certainly, however, he left behind a very insecure, quite dysfunctional border region with semi-abandoned and half-burnt towns, populated impoverished and thin, from which all the bishops (that is, most of the authorities ) had fled. Although the Moors withdrew from Galicia in 740 years, they had several massive retaliatory strikes that brought the 793-795 Asturian kingdom to the brink of destruction. This permanent military up and down marked the situation until the takeover by Alfonso III. in Asturias. In the first half of the 9th century, the Portuguese region today between the rivers Minho and Douro was partially depopulated. Only small Christian groups trying to survive here. In the interior and in the northwest of Portugal today, it was with the exception of the sparsely populated Chaves to an almost complete depopulation. South of the Douro, especially in regions of Coimbra and Santarém lived alongside Muslims also Mozarabic Christians. This was the starting point and Alfonso III. of Asturias during the Reconquista a new offensive against the Muslim rulers began.

Formation and development of the County of Portucale

"Era DCCCCVI ª Prenditus est Portucale ad Vimara of Peter. " ( Chronicon Laurbanense ) This short text from the archives of the monastery Lorvão is the only reference to the Presúria Porto by Vimara Peres in the year 868, however, was not the only measure to the development of this region. 872 was the Presúria of Chaves and the territory of Alto Lima by the Conde Odoário. Thus began the repopulation of the northern zone of Trás -os- Montes.

After taking Portucale the reorganization of power in the territory of Entre- Douro -e- Minho continued. After 870 recolonization of Braga began, was the foundation of the castle of Vimaranis ( Guimarães ) in 879, but it also came to Presúrias smaller places such as the Presúria of Negrelos by the ( probable ) son of Vimara Peres, Lucidio Vimaranes, or Presúria of Lardosa by the two Mozarabs Muzara and Zamora. Soon the Douro was exceeded in the south. On behalf and in the name of the King of Asturias and Leon was in the year 878 the Presúria of Coimbra by D. Hermenegildo Guterres. Guterres was as Conde Coimbra: south, one of the most powerful men of the Douro ( Chronicon Laurbanense "Era DCCCCXVI ª prendita est Conimbria ad Ermenegildo Comite "). He held important offices at the court of Alfonso III. of Asturias and Leon, and was named 898 as Conde ( Count ) of Tui and Portucale. This was followed by the conquests of Viseu, Lamego and Idanha. By the end of the 9th century the dioceses of Coimbra, Porto, Viseu and Lamego were rebuilt. Up to this point, all bishops were south of the Minho than those returned by Braga and Idanha in their dioceses.

It was shown that it was possible under the political and administrative leadership of appointed by the King family in order to secure military conquests, gradually populate and to develop economically and to build a religious care of the population. During the reign of Alfonso III. established in the immediate vicinity of the Douro, but also in the Coimbra region of a high nobility, who made ​​affinity with both the royal family and with each other and whose leaders were the main initiators of the Repovoamento. With Gonçalo Mendes, son of Mumadona slides and Mendo Gonçalves, begins 950 (will Conde Portucale ) the line of the famous dukes. According to him, made ​​a dynasty of five to six governors that the area remained united as a real feud until the mid- 11th century in the same family. A kind of rudimentary central government ( a yard of " Dukes " ) developed north of the Douro in Portucale, Vimaranis ( Guimarães ) and Braga.

At the beginning of the 10th century the border between Christians and Muslims followed the valley of the Rio Mondego river upstream from the coast, remained on the left side of the Rio Côa up to its confluence with the Douro, which then flow upwards in the interior and in the direction Asturias and Leon was the border.

But the Moors were far from beaten. In February 977, Muhammad began ibn Abi Amir, called Almansor, a more than two decade-long successful offensive against his Christian enemies in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. After the city was attacked 986, succeeded Almansor after only two days of siege 987 Coimbra to conquer. Whether this urban center was actually completely devastated and for seven years remained uninhabited, as it notes the Chronica Gothorum, is doubtful. Even the heavily fortified Montemor -o -Velho got 990 again under the rule of the Muslims. Based on the military capacity to permanently secure the border made ​​Almansor the Douro back to the boundary line between Muslims and Christians, although he pushed forward with his famous 997 wide campaign against the pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela over the Douro addition to Galicia into it. Must be supplemented here is that parts of the region south of Porto and thus south of the Douro, today's tourist region Rota da Luz, about to the river Vouga also remained under Christian administration. The policy of securing the conquests between Mondego and Douro also served to 994/95 beginning reconstruction of Coimbra by Almansor with Muslim and Mozarabic settlers. The secured by a significant garrison Coimbra was again the most important urban center of the Moors on their northern border. In his campaigns, as well as in ensuring the achievements Almansor also had the support of Christians who, in order to protect their property, either converted to Islam or supported due to economic constraints and political enmities, the Moors openly as allies. Ibn Idhari, who also wrote a treatise on Almansor campaign of 997, reported that Almansor in Viseu met on the road to Santiago de Compostela with a large number Condes, which recognized its sovereignty. An important role is originally from the family of Hermenegildo Guterres Christian Lord, Froila Gonçalves, who was involved as an ally by Almanzor in the destruction of Santiago de Compostela and then as Lord of Montemor -o -Velho was played by his power to 1017 under Muslim suzerainty was maintained.

With Ferdinand the Great, the Christians arose in the Kingdom of León again a ruler who made ​​the conquest of Muslim dominated areas has become an essential part of its foreign policy actions. He used sent from the disintegration of the Caliphate of Cordoba in a number of independent Taifa kingdoms for his interests and put the Muslim rulers before the election: tribute or war. If subjugated Muslim rulers, they remained, as in some areas of the Beira, even in possession of their castles.

One of his biggest successes was after six months of siege, the final re-conquest of Coimbra on 25 July 1064th Part of the Muslims was captured and enslaved. All other forced the winner to cross the Mondego and to leave the Christian area. The Mozarabic leader of the besiegers, Sesnando Davide, was immediately appointed Governador the county Coimbra, which encompassed all areas between Douro and Mondego and the city of Coimbra itself. On behalf of the king and under the leadership of S. Davide managed a faster reconstruction of the city and its environs with the help of settlers from the North ( Entre- Douro -e- Minho and Beira ) and a considerable number Mozarabic Christians.

The end of the "first" County of Portucale

This was the "first" county Portucale " to end. It had, however, been made ​​with a Infanções between Minho and Mondego regionally entrenched new nobility, with the aid of about 35 years later, a "second" County Portucale arose that led directly to the creation of the independent Kingdom of Portugal.

The economic and social bases of the county Portucale

To get an overview of the socio -economic development, it is necessary to refer to the different meanings of Latin terms in contemporary sources and chronicles. So the Roman commonly used term in the documents of the villa both a large or medium-sized estate, a whole village or even a hamlet may designate. The terms civitas or civitates call in these early documents, not just cities such as Porto, Braga or Coimbra but also territories without any urban character as Anégia (east of Porto at the mouth of the Rio Tamego in the Douro ) or St ᵅ. Maria ( south of Porto in today's Rota da Luz located ), but on fortifications for the protection of the resident population possessed ( refuges ) and under a central command were ( conde, commissary ).

In general, the development of territories took place in Condado Portucalense by the Presúria that always done in the name of the king. In addition to the king himself, who was represented by his representatives, were the prime movers in the name of the king, but acting on their own account, most of the high secular nobility ( counts ) as well as bishops and monasteries. But also free farmers were able to exercise the Presúria. Since were required for successful colonization equipment, building materials, livestock and seeds, the farmers were indeed often personally free, but depend materially on the support of secular and spiritual rulers. An analysis of donations in space Coimbra 883-976 works out four different groups of villages. Villages that belonged to the Cathedral of Coimbra or the Monastery of Lorvão, villages owned by the secular nobility or privately owned by representatives of the Church, villages, whose ownership structure characterized by co- owners on the basis of inheritances or already by owners' associations in the establishment are and villages, the free small proprietors had their own allodial.

In this context, also again raises the question of the degree of depopulation of the region. The existence of about 650 municipalities in the 11th century in the regions of Braga and Guimarães lead to the conclusion that there has been no complete depopulation, but were inhabited before the Christian reconquest of these lands. However, there were differences in the density of colonization. In particular, the region of Coimbra has, since Roman times by large estates and thus had significantly less villages than the area between the rivers Minho and Douro. Between the years 878 and 987 about 40 different villages in documents and deeds are recorded in the district of Coimbra suggesting in an assumption of an average of 10 households per village to no more than about 2,000 residents.