Afonso II of Portugal
| Afonso II | |
|---|---|
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| King of Portugal | |
| Reign | 26 March 1211 – 25 March 1223 |
| Predecessor | Sancho I |
| Successor | Sancho II |
| Born |
23 April 1185 Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 25 March 1223 (aged 37) Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Burial | Alcobaça Monastery |
| Consort | Urraca of Castile |
| Issue among others... |
Sancho II Afonso III Leonor, Queen of Denmark Fernando, Lord of Serpa |
| House | Burgundy |
| Father | Sancho I |
| Mother | Dulce of Aragon |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Afonso II (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]; English: Alphonzo), or Affonso (Archaic Portuguese), Alfonso or Alphonso (Portuguese-Galician) or Alphonsus (Latin version), nicknamed "the Fat" (Portuguese o Gordo), King of Portugal, was born in Coimbra on 23 April 1185 and died on 25 March 1223 in the same city. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal by his wife, Dulce, Infanta of Aragon. Afonso succeeded his father on 27 March of 1211.
As a king, Afonso II set a different approach of government. Hitherto, his father Sancho I and his grandfather Afonso I were mostly concerned with military issues either against the neighbouring Kingdom of Castile or against the Moorish lands in the south. Afonso did not pursue territory enlargement policies and managed to insure peace with Castile during his reign. Despite this, some towns, like Alcácer do Sal in 1217, were conquered from the Moors by the private initiative of noblemen. This does not mean that he was a weak or somehow cowardly man. The first years of his reign were marked instead by internal disturbances between Afonso and his brothers and sisters. The king managed to keep security within Portuguese borders only by outlawing and exiling his kin.
Since military issues were not a government priority, Afonso established the state's administration and centralized power on himself. He designed the first set of Portuguese written laws. These were mainly concerned with private property, civil justice, and minting. Afonso also sent ambassadors to European kingdoms outside the Iberian Peninsula and began amicable commercial relations with most of them.
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