Afonso II of Portugal

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Portuguese Royalty
House of Burgundy

Afonso Henriques (Afonso I)
Children include Infanta Urraca, Queen of Léon Infante Sancho (future Sancho I) Infanta Teresa, Countess of Flanders
Sancho I
Children include Infanta Teresa, Queen of Castile Infanta Sancha Infanta Constança Infante Afonso (future Afonso II) Infante Pedro, Count of Urgell Infante Fernando, Count of Flanders Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara Infanta Berengária, Queen of Denmark Infanta Mafalda, Queen of Castile
Afonso II
Children include Infante Sancho (future Sancho II) Infante Afonso, Count of Boulogne (future Afonso III) Infanta Leonor, Queen of Denmark Infante Fernando, Lord of Serpa
Sancho II
Afonso III
Children include Infanta Branca Infante Dinis (future Denis I) Infante Afonso, Lord of Portalegre Infanta Maria Infanta Sancha
Denis
Children include Infanta Constança, Queen of Castile Infante Afonso (future Afonso IV)
Afonso IV
Children include Infanta Maria, Queen of Castile Infante Pedro (future Peter I) Infanta Leonor, Queen of Aragon
Peter I
Children include Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa Infante Fernando (future Ferdinand I) Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque Infante João, Duke of Valencia de Campos Infante Dinis, Lord of Cifuentes John, Grand Master of the Order of Aviz (future John I) (natural son)
Ferdinand I
Children include Infanta Beatrice, Queen of Castile and Leon (future Beatrice I of Portugal)
Beatrice (disputed queen)
Children include Miguel of Trastámara

Afonso II, King of Portugal (Portuguese pron. IPA /ɐ'fõsu/; English Alphonzo), or Affonso (Archaic Portuguese), Alfonso or Alphonso (Portuguese-Galician) or Alphonsus (Latin version), known as the Fat (Port. o Gordo), third king of Portugal, was born in Coimbra on April 23, 1185 and died on March 25, 1223 in the same city. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal by his wife, Dulce of Barcelona, Princess of Aragon. Afonso succeeded his father in 1212.

As a king, Afonso II set a different approach of government. Hitherto, Sancho I his father and Afonso I his grandfather, were mostly concerned with military issues either against the neighbouring Castile or against the Moors in the south. Afonso did not pursue territory enlargement policies and managed to insure peace with Castile during his reign. Despite this, some towns, like Alcácer do Sal in 1217, were conquered from the Moors by the particular initiative of noblemen. This does not mean that he was a weak or somehow cowardly man. The first years of his reign were marked instead by internal disturbances between Afonso and his brothers and sisters. The king managed to keep security within Portuguese borders only by outlawing and exiling his kin.

Since military issues were not a government priority, Afonso established the state's administration and centralized power on himself. He designed the first set of Portuguese written laws. These were mainly concerned with private property, civil justice, and minting. Afonso also sent ambassadors to European kingdoms outside the Iberian Peninsula and began amiable commercial relations with most of them.

Other reforms included the always delicate matters with the pope. In order to get the independence of Portugal recognized by the popes, his grandfather, Afonso I, had to legislate an enormous amount of privileges to the Church. These eventually created a state within the state. With Portugal's position as a country firmly established, Afonso II endeavoured to weaken the power of the clergy and to apply a portion of the enormous revenues of the Roman Catholic church to purposes of national utility. These actions led to a serious diplomatic conflict between the pope and Portugal. After being excommunicated for his audacities by Pope Honorius III, Afonso II promised to make amends to the church, but he died in 1223 before making any serious attempts to do so.

[edit] Ancestors

Afonso's ancestors in three generations

Afonso II of Portugal	Father: Sancho I of Portugal	Father's father: Afonso I of Portugal	Father's father's father: Henry, Count of Portugal
			Father's father's mother: Theresa, Countess of Portugal
		Father's mother: Maud of Savoy	Father's mother's father: Amadeus III of Savoy
			Father's mother's mother: Mahaut of Albon
	Mother: Dulce Berenguer of Barcelona	Mother's father: Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona	Mother's father's father: Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
			Mother's father's mother: Douce of Gévaudaun
		Mother's mother: Petronila of Aragon	Mother's mother's father: Ramiro II of Aragon
			Mother's mother's mother: Agnes of Aquitaine

[edit] Marriage and descendants

Afonso married Urraca, princess of Castile, daughter of Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, and Leonora of Aquitaine, in 1208.

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
By Urraca of Castile (1186-1220; married in 1208)
Sancho II	September 8, 1207	January 4, 1248	Succeeded him as 4th King of Portugal
Afonso III	May 5, 1210	February 16, 1279	Succeeded his brother Sancho as 5th King of Portugal
Eleanor	1211	1231	Married Prince Valdemar, son of Valdemar II of Denmark and Margaret of Bohemia, daughter of Ottokar I of Bohemia
Ferdinand	a. 1217	c. 1243	Lord of Serpa
Vicente	1219	1219
Natural offspring
João Afonso	?	1234	Natural son
Pedro Afonso	c. 1210	?	Natural son

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

House of Burgundy Cadet Branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: 23 April 1185 Died: 25 March 1223
Preceded by Sancho I	Kings of Portugal 1211–1233	Succeeded by Sancho II