The three wives and eleven children of D. Afonso Henriques...

King Afonso Henriques reigned for fifty-seven years, the longest reign in Portuguese history. He was more than a warrior or a diplomat. He was a builder. He founded the kingdom, asserted independence from León and Castile, strengthened ties to the Papacy, established alliances with religious orders, and reconquered territory from the Moors with courage, cunning, and persistence. But beyond the political and military figure, there was the man: devout, ambitious, and, like so many medieval lords of his time, father of many children—eleven in all—by three different women. Among them, an illegitimate son was the eldest, the bravest, and perhaps the most unjustly forgotten: King Pedro Afonso.

Contrary to the simplified image we often receive through school textbooks, Afonso Henriques had three known wives. Only one was his legitimate wife: Mafalda of Savoy, daughter of the Count of Savoy and descendant of influential families from northern Italy. The marriage took place in 1146, and they bore seven legitimate children: Henry, who died as a child; Urraca, who was Queen of León and mother of Afonso IX; Teresa, who married Egas Moniz de Ribadouro; Mafalda, Sancho, Sancha, and Branca—the latter three being religious figures linked to the Monastery of Lorvão. Among them all, Sancho I inherited the throne, becoming the second king of Portugal, known as "the Settler" for his efforts to repopulate the conquered lands.

But before Mafalda, or during her reign, Afonso Henriques had another wife: Flâmula Gomes, a lady of the Galician-Portuguese nobility. With her, he had two sons: King Afonso and, most importantly, King Pedro Afonso—the eldest of them all. His illegitimacy removed him from the succession, but not from history. Pedro Afonso distinguished himself as a warrior and administrator. He served the kingdom bravely, governed lands justly, and, despite his ambitions for the throne after the death of Queen Mafalda, he never conspired against his father or brother. He was loyal to the end. His name has been erased by the centuries, but his body rests where few have that privilege: beside King Afonso Henriques himself, in the Monastery of Alcobaça. A symbol of reconciliation, honor, and silent recognition.

The third wife was Elvira Gualtar, a more discreet figure, but documented as the mother of two of the king's daughters. Both married nobles of the court, which reveals the strategic role of these extramarital unions in the affirmation of the nascent dynasty and the balance of power between lineages. According to the most accepted studies, Elvira gave birth to Urraca Afonso and Teresa Afonso—women who, even outside the royal marriage, served the kingdom's politics through their marriages and descendants.

In total, the eleven children of King Afonso Henriques reflect the complexity and pragmatism of medieval times. Queen Mafalda's seven legitimate children formed the foundation of the dynasty and its alliance with the Church. The four illegitimate children—Pedro, Afonso, Teresa, and Urraca—helped consolidate royal power through their nobility and administration. Some lived as kings, others as nuns. Some died in silence in their convent cells, others fell in the campaigns of the Reconquista. And there was one who, though not king, was worthy of being one: King Pedro Afonso, the eldest, the most faithful, and the most ignored.

D. Afonso Henriques was the father of the kingdom. Not only by the sword, but also by blood. His descendants show us that the founding of Portugal was not just a matter of battles and treaties—it was also a web of affections, loyalties, and difficult choices. And if history has consecrated the founding king, perhaps it is time to also recognize the value of his first son. He did not reign, but rests with him. And that, in the language of symbols, says it all.