Denis of Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Denis | |
| King of Portugal and the Algarve |
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 17th century painting of King Denis. |
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| Reign | February 6, 1279—January 7, 1325 |
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| Full name | Dinis Afonso of Portugal |
| Titles | Infante of Portugal (1261–1279) |
| Born | October 9, 1261 |
| Birthplace | Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | January 7, 1325 |
| Place of death | Santarém, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Buried | St. Denis Convent, Odivelas, District of Lisbon, Portugal |
| Predecessor | Afonso III of Portugal |
| Heirs brother daughter son |
Infante Afonso, Lord of Portalegre (1279–1290) Infanta Constança (1290–1291) Infante Afonso (future Afonso IV) (1291–1325) |
| Successor | Afonso IV of Portugal |
| Consort | Elizabeth of Aragon |
| Issue | Infanta Constança, Queen of Castile (1290–1313) Infante Afonso (future Afonso IV) (1291–1357) |
| Royal House | Capetian House of Burgundy |
| Dynasty | Affonsine Dynasty |
| Father | Afonso III of Portugal |
| Mother | Beatrice of Castile |
Denis (Portuguese: Dinis or Diniz, pronounced [diˈniʃ]; 9 October 1261 in Lisbon – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (Rei Lavrador), was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.
As heir to the throne Infante Dinis was summoned by his father (Afonso III) to share government responsibilities. At the time of his accession to the throne, Portugal was again in diplomatic conflicts with the Catholic church. Dinis signed a favouring agreement with the pope and swore to protect the Church's interests in Portugal. Due to this, he granted asylum to the Templar knights persecuted in France and created the Order of Christ, designed to be a continuation of the Order of the Temple.
With the Reconquista completed and the Portuguese territory freed from Moorish occupation, Dinis was essentially an administrative king, not a military one. However, a short war between Castile and Portugal broke during his reign, for the possession of the town of Serpa and Moura. After this, Dinis avoided war: he was a notably peace-loving monarch during a tempestuous time in European history. With Portugal finally recognized as an independent country by his neighbours, Dinis signed a border pact with Ferdinand IV of Castile (1297) which has endured to the present day. It should be noted that the global Muslim population had climbed to about 7 per cent as against the Christian population of 13 per cent by 1300.
Dinis' main priority of government was the organization of the country. He pursued his father's policies on legislation and centralization of power. Dinis promulgated the nucleus of a Portuguese civil and criminal law code, protecting the lower classes from abuse and extortion. As king, he travelled around the country, correcting unjust situations and resolving problems. He ordered the construction of numerous castles, created new towns, and granted privileges due cities to several others. With his wife, Infanta Isabella of Aragon, Dinis worked to improve the life of the poor and founded several social institutions.
Always concerned with the country's infrastructure, Dinis ordered the exploration of mines of copper, silver, tin and iron and organized the export of excess production to other European countries. The first Portuguese commercial agreement was signed with England in 1308. Dinis effectively founded the Portuguese navy under command of a Genoese admiral and ordered the construction of several docks.
His main concern was the redevelopment and promotion of rural infrastructure, hence the nickname of "the Farmer". Dinis redistributed the land, promoted agriculture, organized communities of farmers and took personal interest in the development of exports. He instituted regular markets in a number of towns and regulated their activities. One of his main achievements was the protection of agricultural lands from advancing coastal sands, by ordering the planting of a pine forest near Leiria. This forest still exists as one of the most important of Portugal and is known as the Pinhal de Leiria (Leiria Pinewood).
Culture was another interest of King Dinis. He had a fondness for literature and wrote several books himself, with topics ranging from administration to hunting, science and poetry. In his days, Lisbon was one of Europe's centers of culture and knowledge. The University of Lisbon (today's University of Coimbra) was founded by his decree Magna Charta Priveligiorum. He was also a great poet and troubadour. His poems and songs are preserved in mediaeval manuscripts of the Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional, the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and the Pergaminho Sharrer, the latter comprising seven songs by King Dinis with musical notation.
The latest part of his peaceful reign was nevertheless marked by internal conflicts. The contenders were his two sons: Afonso the legitimate heir, and Afonso Sanches his natural son, who quarrelled frequently among themselves for royal favour. At the time of Dinis death in 1325 he had placed Portugal on an equal footing with the other Iberian Kingdoms.
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| Afonso Henriques (Afonso I) |
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| Sancho I |
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| Afonso II |
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| Sancho II |
| Afonso III |
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| Denis |
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| Afonso IV |
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| Peter I |
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| Ferdinand I |
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| Beatrice (disputed queen) |
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[edit] See also
[edit] Ancestors
| Dinis of Portugal | Father: Afonso III of Portugal |
Father's father: Afonso II of Portugal |
Father's father's father: Sancho I of Portugal |
| Father's father's mother: Dulce Berenguer of Barcelona |
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| Father's mother: Urraca of Castile |
Father's mother's father: Alfonso VIII of Castile |
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| Father's mother's mother: Leonora of England |
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| Mother: Beatrice of Castile |
Mother's father: Alfonso X of Castile |
Mother's father's father: Ferdinand III of Castile |
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| Mother's father's mother: Isabella of Swabia |
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| Mother's mother: Maior Guillen de Guzmán |
Mother's mother's father: Guillen Perez de Guzmán |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Maria González Girón |
[edit] Marriage and descendants
Dinis' first wife was Isabel or Elizabeth of Aragon, daughter of Pedro or Peter III of Aragon. She bore him a son and a daughter.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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| By Elizabeth of Aragon (1271-1336; married in 1282) | |||
| Infanta Constança (Constance) | January 3, 1290 | November 18, 1313 | Queen of Castile by marriage to Ferdinand IV of Castile. |
| Infante Afonso | February 8, 1291 | May 28, 1357 | Succeeded him as Afonso IV, 7th King of Portugal. |
| By Maria Pires (?-?) | |||
| João Afonso | c. 1280 | 1325 | Lord of Lousã |
| By Marinha Gomes (c. 1260-?) | |||
| Maria Afonso | c. 1290 | a. 1340 | |
| Maria Afonso (nun) | ? | 1320 | Religious at the Monastery of Odivelas |
| By Grácia Froes (c. 1265-?) | |||
| Pedro Afonso | 1287 | 1354 | Count of Barcelos |
| By Aldonça Rodrigues Talha (c. 1260-?) | |||
| Afonso Sanches | b. 1289 | 1329 | Lord of Albuquerque and rival of his half-brother Afonso IV |
| Other natural offspring | |||
| Fernão Sanches | c. 1280 | 1329 | |
| Pedro Afonso | c. 1280 | ? | |
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Denis of Portugal
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 9 October 1261 Died: 7 January 1325 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Afonso III |
King of Portugal and the Algarves 1279 – 1325 |
Succeeded by Afonso IV |
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