Battle of Ourique
July 25, 1139
Afonso Henriques of Portugal defeated a Muslim coalition in the Alentejo and, according to later tradition, was acclaimed king on the battlefield by his soldiers. Whether the story is accurate or later invention, he began signing himself rex from this year on. Portuguese national mythology would make Ourique the founding battle of the nation, complete with an apparition of Christ and a miraculous battlefield vision.
In context
Also in 1139 (4 other events on record)
- Second Lateran Council · Europe · Religion
- Ghurid dynasty consolidates in Afghanistan · Central Asia · Politics
- Song artisans perfect qingbai porcelain · East Asia · Technology
- Omne datum optimum grants Templars autonomy · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in War
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources