FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320  
321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   >>   >|  
undy, he gave his daughter Teresa in marriage, with the sovereignty of the countries to the south of Galicia, commissioning him to enlarge his boundaries by the expulsion of the Moors. Under the government of this great man, who reigned by the title of Count, his dominion was greatly enlarged, and became more rich and populous than before. The two provinces of Entre Minho e Douro, and Tras os Montes, were subdued, with that part of Beira which was held by the Moorish king of Lamego, whom he constrained to pay tribute. Many thousands of Christians, who had either lived in miserable subjection to the Moors, or in desolate independency in the mountains, took shelter under the protection of Count Henry. Great multitudes of the Moors also chose rather to submit, than be exposed to the severities and the continual feuds and seditions of their own governors. These advantages, added to the great fertility of the soil of Henry's dominions, will account for the numerous armies, and the frequent wars of the first sovereigns of Portugal. [196] Camoens, in making the founder of the Portuguese monarchy a younger son of the King of Hungary, has followed the old chronologist Galvan. The Spanish and Portuguese historians differ widely in their accounts of the parentage of this gallant stranger. Some bring him from Constantinople, and others from the house of Lorraine. But the clearest and most probable account of him is in the chronicle of Fleury, wherein is preserved a fragment of French history, written by a Benedictine monk in the beginning of the twelfth century, and in the time of Count Henry. By this it appears, that he was a younger son of Henry, the only son of Robert, the first duke of Burgundy, who was a younger brother of Henry I. of France. Fanshaw having an eye to this history, has taken the unwarrantable liberty to alter the fact as mentioned by his author. _Amongst these Henry, saith the history, A younger son of France, and a brave prince, Had Portugal in lot.---- And the same king did his own daughter tie To him in wedlock, to infer from thence His firmer love._ Nor are the historians agreed on the birth of Donna Teresa, the spouse of Count Henry. Brandam, and other Portuguese historians, are at great pains to prove she was the legitimate daughter of Alonzo and the beautiful Ximena de Guzman. But it appears from the more authentic chronicle of Fleury, that Ximena was only his concubine. An
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320  
321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

younger

 

daughter

 

Portuguese

 

historians

 

history

 

Portugal

 

Ximena

 

account

 

Fleury

 

chronicle


appears

 

France

 

Teresa

 

marriage

 

Robert

 

sovereignty

 

beginning

 

twelfth

 

century

 

unwarrantable


liberty

 
brother
 

Fanshaw

 

Burgundy

 

written

 

Lorraine

 
enlarge
 
Constantinople
 
boundaries
 
gallant

stranger

 

clearest

 

fragment

 

French

 

countries

 
preserved
 
probable
 

commissioning

 

Galicia

 

Benedictine


Brandam

 

spouse

 

agreed

 

Guzman

 
authentic
 

concubine

 

legitimate

 
Alonzo
 

beautiful

 

prince