Henry, Count of Portugal

Henry of Burgundy ( in Portuguese Dom Henrique de Borgonha, or, as in Portugal called predominantly, Conde Dom Henrique, Count Heinrich) (* 1069 in Dijon, † November 1, 1112 in Astorga, Galicia) was Count of Portucale or Portucalia and founder of the House of Burgundy, the first Portuguese royal family.

Life

Heinrich was born as the youngest son of Henry of Burgundy (1035-1074), and is a descendant of the French royal house of Capet. Since he had no chance as a younger son to come even to the ducal throne of Burgundy, he chose the military career, was knight and so came to the court of King Alfonso VI. of Castile. There already existed family connections, because Alfonso VI. was married to an aunt of Henry. To 1093 he married Teresa of León, the illegitimate favorite daughter of Alfonso VI. As a dowry he received in 1096 or 1097 the reconstructed county Portucale or Portucalia, plus the territories of northern Portugal, the Alfonso VI. had just reconquered from the Moors, as a hereditary fief during the Reconquista. Henry took the title of Count of Portucale / Portugal. He founded the archbishopric of Braga. When Alfonso VI. 1109 died, Henry took the opportunity of the county Portucale or Portucalia to solve more and more from the Lehnsabhängigkeit of Castile. He thus made an important groundwork that his son and successor, Alfonso, finally Portugal's independence from Castile explain ( 1139 ) and was able to proclaim himself as the first king of Portugal.

Family

His brother was Odo I. (Burgundy), his great-uncle of the Holy Hugh of Cluny. His cousin was Raymond of Burgundy.

With Teresa of León, he had the following children:

  • Afonso Henriques (* 1094, † 1108 )
  • Urraca Henriques (* 1095 ), she married Bermudo Peres de Trava 1120
  • Sancha Henriques (* 1097, † 1163 ), she married her first husband Sancho Nunes de Celanova and in a second marriage (about 1147 ) Ferdinand Mendes, lord of Braganza
  • Theresa Henriques (* 1098 )
  • Henry ( Henrique ) (* 1106, † 1110)
  • Afonso Henriques ( Afonso Henriques ) (* June 25, 1109; † December 6, 1185 )
Astorga, Spain Portuguese House of Burgundy Afonso I of Portugal Odo I, Duke of Burgundy Lexikon des Mittelalters History of Portugal Timeline of Portuguese history History of Portugal (1279–1415)
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