Battle of Ourique

Timeline

1. 1135–1139South-central Portugal · PortugalAfter consolidating his independence in the north, Afonso Henriques expanded into Almoravid-controlled territory south of the Douro. In summer 1139 he led his army deep into the region and encountered Muslim forces. This phase ran parallel to the dispute over suzerainty with León-Castile.
2. 1139Ourique · PortugalTraditional accounts hold that Afonso won at Ourique on 25 July and was immediately acclaimed king by his troops; later legends added an apparition of Christ. Modern historians are cautious about whether the battlefield was Ourique in the Alentejo and about the scale of the victory, but accept 1139 as the traditional first year of his use of the royal title.