- Afonso III
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died Feb. 16, 1279, LisbonKing of Portugal (1248–79).He emigrated to France and became, by marriage, count of Boulogne. He gained the Portuguese crown when his older brother Sancho II was deposed by order of the pope. As king, Afonso regained control of the district of Faro (1249) and completed the reconquest of the Algarve from the Muslims. His reign saw the first admission of commoners to the Portuguese Cortes (parliament). Afonso's assertion of the royal right to repossess church lands led to his excommunication by the pope.
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▪ king of Portugalborn May 5, 1210, Coimbra, Port.died Feb. 16, 1279, Lisbonfifth king of Portugal (1248–79), who supplanted his brother, King Sancho II, and completed the reconquest of the Algarve from the Muslims.The younger son of Afonso II and Urraeca, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile, Afonso emigrated and became, by marriage, count of Boulogne. His elder brother, Sancho II, was deposed by order of the pope, who granted Afonso the crown. He returned to Portugal and was welcomed by the towns and the church. He reconquered the district of Faro in 1249 and shared the former Muslim region of Algarve with Castile.His reign saw the first meeting of the Portuguese Cortes (parliament) in which the commoners of the municipalities were represented. Despite the help that he received from the pope in becoming king, he took the same attitude as his predecessors about the repossession of church lands and was, like them, excommunicated. On his death, he was succeeded by his son Dinis.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
