The Revolution from Warnings is how historians know the succession of events that took place in the Crisis of 1383-1385 . This crisis, which lasted for two years, was initiated by the decline of the Afonsine dynasty after the death of King Fernando I. With this crisis, a dispute for the throne began that resulted in the beginning of the Avis dynasty, when Mestre de Avis was crowned King of Portugal.
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Historical Background
The understanding of the events of the Avis Revolution requires a contextualization of the process of formation of Portugal as a nation. The emergence of Portugal is related to the Wars of Reconquest , a battle that the Christian inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula fought against the Moors (Muslims from North Africa who invaded that region in the 8th century).
As the Moors were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula, Christian kingdoms emerged in the region. One of these kingdoms was the Kingdom from Lion , located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The emergence of Portugal occurred through the Condado from Portugal , a vassal county of the Kingdom of Leon. Portugal's independence took place when D. Afonso Henriques declared himself king of that country in 1139. This marked the beginning of the alfonsine dynasty .
The Kingdom of León recognized Portuguese independence in 1143, and in 1179 came papal recognition — something extremely important at that time. The independence of Portugal did not complete the process of formation of the Portuguese territory. This is because a region further south of the current Portuguese territory was still in the hands of the Moors. This region, called Algarve , was only reconquered by the Portuguese in the 13th century.
In addition, Portugal has always been in the shadow of the Kingdom of Castile, a neighboring kingdom that aimed to conquer the country and annex it to its territory. The integrity of the Portuguese territory was seriously threatened at the end of the 14th century, when the crisis of the Afonsina dynasty put the Portuguese throne in check.
Dynastic Crisis
In 1383, Portugal was ruled by D. Ferdinand I , son of the previous king D. Pedro I. Ferdinand I had been king of Portugal since 1367, but his reign was not the most popular — it was not very popular in Portuguese society because he had married a woman named D . Leonor Teles , who had already had a first marriage.
From the marriage of D. Fernando I and Leonor Teles was born Princess Beatriz, who, as a young girl (age 11), was offered in marriage to the King of Castile, called João I of Castile. This happened as a way of putting an end to the wars that were fought between Portugal and Castile (during the reign of King Fernando I, three wars were fought against Castile).
The dynastic crisis in Portugal began when King Fernando I died in 1383. The Portuguese king did not have a male heir to assume the throne, and the exit to that, according to Portuguese law, was the country to be governed by D. Leonor Teles until the king's daughter, Princess Beatriz, had a son and he reached the age of 14.
D. Leonor Teles' regency, in turn, lasted only three months. Within the kingdom of Portugal, a conspiracy began against the regent of Portugal, as there was a fear that she would hand over the Portuguese throne to the King of Castile, her daughter's husband. The conspiracies against D. Leonor Teles resulted in a plan to murder her lover, known as Conde Andeiro .
The assassination of Count Andeiro was carried out by João, Master of Avis, who emerged at that time as an alternative to the dynastic crisis in Portugal. In addition to the assassination of Count Andeiro, a series of rebellions against D. Leonor's regency began in Portugal. The regent, isolated, sought help from D. João I, King of Castile.
The assassination of Count Andeiro guaranteed the rise of João, Master of Avis, as an alternative. The Master of Avis was the bastard son of Pedro I, king of Portugal between 1357 and 1367. Therefore, the Master of Avis was also the bastard brother of the late D. Fernando I and, therefore, he came to be supported by a large part of the Portuguese bourgeoisie, who fought to guarantee the sovereignty of the country.
So we have the picture of the Portuguese dynastic crisis. The country was divided between those who defended the maintenance of sovereignty in relation to Castile and, therefore, started to defend the Master of Avis, and those, mainly members of the country's nobility, who started to defend João I of Castile as successor of the throne of Portugal.
Avis Revolution
The division of the country and the various interests put in dispute led Portugal to war. The King of Castile, D. João I, invaded Portugal with his troops and ordered the city of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, to be surrounded. The siege of Lisbon lasted approximately four months, and Castilian troops were forced to retreat after an outbreak of plague claimed the lives of thousands of their soldiers.
This war between Castilians and Portuguese also involved the involvement of foreign forces, since the French were supporting the Castilians, and the English were supporting the Portuguese. The English even sent troops to help the Master of Avis in the fight against the Castilians.
The war between the Portuguese and Castilians had the Battle of Aljubarrota as a high point. This battle took place on August 14, 1385 and put an end to Castilian interest in Portugal. This happened because, even numerically superior, the troops of Castile were defeated by the troops of Portugal.
The Portuguese victory is largely attributed to the performance of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira as leader of the troops of Portugal. Historians claim that the Portuguese troops used a tactic that allowed them to resist a series of attacks by the Castilians and also claim that the choice of battle site gave them a precious advantage in the fight.
Shortly after the victory, the Master of Avis had his position reinforced in Portugal, which resulted in his coronation as king of the country in 1385. The coronation of John, as João I of Portugal, started a new dynasty in Portugal, the dynasty from Warnings , who reigned in that country until 1580. The specific reign of João I extended
up to 1433.
Also see: Find out how the Avis dynasty ended
Importance of the Avis Revolution
The great importance of the Avis Revolution is related to its role in having guaranteed the consolidation of Portugal as a nation and in having removed Castile's pretensions to annex Portugal to its territory. With this revolution, Portugal managed to stabilize itself politically and this, in the long term, was important for the country's development.
This stability allowed Portuguese kings to invest in the development of the bourgeoisie and, consequently, of Portuguese commerce. The country's political stability and mercantile progress also ensured its nautical development, which, in the long term, was largely responsible for the country's pioneering role in the maritime expansion of the 15th century.