The Nevada Democrat., 1857-03-25
origin Of INC Kingdom or Portugal. {

I Among the thousand readers Of the graceful
pages in which Prescott has told "a portion of
the tale Of Phillip H., are there, not some who
will give moments thought to that other Pc
ninsular nation which Phillip with ditfcdlty
Iisubdued--that nation which occupied told histos
rians say) "the marrow Of Spain, !" aneaetla ffis-
pa,lica, which founded the first of modern com
mercal empires, whose language is as sweet as
the Spanish is sonorons, and whose manners are
lmelancholy as the Spaniards are gay, but whose
icareery like the Spanish, has been sudden gloT
ry and a long decline, ~. s IA. =. -.
The origin Of the kingdom Of Portugal is the
most romantic, and at the same time the most
democratic in Enropes Count Henrys Of Bur
Igundy received fromGAlfonso VI Of Spain, the
hand Of the fair Theresa, and the sovereignty of
as much land as he could conquer from the Moors.
| He won province after province AT his death
his son Alfonso Henriques became Countiin his
stead, and in IS9 the brave and chiyalrous
| M0ors made one last vain effort to resist him.
| On the field of Duriquc was fought a strange
battle Three hundred thousand Moors at the
very least chroniclers say, (belieye il who can)
met thirteen Thousand Christians and We're van
quished the five kings who led them were Slain
one by one. and their five shields constitute the
the arms of Potugal. Fora fiPbrtugalR there
was thenccforth to be; the battle, as il proved
was not merely for religion, but for kingdom.
Alfonso was crowned king upon the field by his
victorious soldiers. and lie In return raised the
whole army to the rank of nobility. ssnf8 aB
But this was not all 1t took four years to
consumate his declaration of Independence, and
to gain the papal consent to the new royalty,
and it was not till 1l43 that there was held at
Lamego ceremony unparalleled in. the history
hof coronations. In the church Of Santa Marie
de Almacavia in Lamege, July 20, ll45. the
Cortes Of the new nation was convoked, clergy,
! officers, and delegate from every town. AL
| fonso Henriques was present, seated on throne,
withuot crown or scepter. The assembly was
organized aud religious rites were performed,
Then Lourenco Viegas, Afonso's secretary,
rose and asked the assembly whether, according
to the accamations on the battlefield, since ap-
proved by the Pope, they accepted Don Alfonso
| for their kng2 "YesF was the enthusiastic
shout. "And his children after him?' asked
| Vigas "And his children after him." they
eagerly repeated. "Shall we give him the en-
signs of royaltyY' was'the next question. "Iu
the name of God, N was the answer. Then the
Archbishop of Braga placed on bis head a jew
eled crown, once worn by the Gothic sovereigns
and the king drawing his sword addressed the
assembly: ''Blessed be God for his aid ! by
| this sword your enemies were subdued, and it is
you who have raised me to be your King
aud comrade. Let laws now be made for the
peace of our nationD Eighteen Statutes were
then made, called the Statutes of Lamego, the
Magma Charta of Portugal. The assembly as
sented to them all. Then came the last and
greatest question. 'Isit your win, !" Vigas said,
"that your king should go TO Leon. to pay trb-
ute to that king or to any otherT Then the
whole assembly rose, and waving their naked
swords, cried out: ave are free; with our own
hands we have won that freedom; and any king
who yields it, shall atone for it with his ife.,'
Then the king rose once more and said: 'Though
il be my own son he shall die" And the Cor
| tes was dissolved. iat '.+ ~ 20
| We are now entering upon detailed history
of Portugal and cannot dwell upon this period
longer. Yet there is one deed SO priced among
the annals of the nation, and so worthy of Greek
or Roman fame, that we must not pass it by
Before the young Alfonso had dared to speak the
word "Independence," the king of Leon, fearing
| his ambition marched against him with an army
| and bcseiged him at Guinaraes At length the
| fortress yielded, and the unwilling barons were
compelled to pledge their boysh king to remain
the vassal OF Leon. "Who will be your securi-
tyW asked the foreign monarch. II will an
swer for it with my head" replied Don Egas
Moniz, the most powerful of them all. Alfonso
grew to be man, his people crowned him king,
as we have seen, and with the full consent of the
noble Egas Mouz. But the word given must
be fulfilled; the freedom of the nation was the
doom of the hostage. The Portuguese Regulns
called his family around him, bade his king and
his friends farewell, and went, not unattended,
towards the court of Leon. Arrived there, he
barred his head and feet, and bound cord around
his neck His wife and children did the same.
A sad and stately family they appeared before
the angry king Thank God for human nature,
we can add that his anger yielded to admira-
| ton and the noble family returned home unin-
jured. Egas Monz was free, SO was Portugal.
His ancient monument remains near Porto on
| one side the mournful procession to Leon the