English

Of kings, bishops and monks
The middle ages
04
Introduction
The Middle Ages are,
undoubtedly, one of the most
complex periods of history, ten
centuries of light and darkness, a
time of wars and confrontations
but also of magnificent cathedrals,
big monasteries and impressive
castles.
It is, besides, the moment of history
when Galicia and Portugal, up
to now together, start to move
separately.
To understand how we came to
this separation between Galicia
and Portugal, the tour must start
with Alfonso VI, king of León,
who, after defeating his brothers
Sancho and García, ruled equally
Castilla and Galicia (which
reached, to the south, Coimbra).
His reign is known, above all, for
two circumstances: firstly, the big
religious reform that restructured
monasteries and parishes;
and secondly, the contact with
France. Two French noblemen
from Burgundy, Raimundo and
Henrique, were precisely the
ones who arrived at the realm in
this moment, and whom the king
married to his daughters Urraca
and Teresa. The two couples
were given two estates, Galicia
to the first one and Portugal to the
second one. Although still subject
to the king, they had a great
independence in their territories.
In Galicia…
The events rushed a few years later. Urraca, widow of Raymond of Burgundy
marries Alfonso of Aragón by the initiative of the king, although with the
opposition of the Galician aristocracy. This marriage did not last much due to
the bad relationship between them, which went as far as to declare war to each
other. The noblemen, with the support of Diego Xelmírez, the future bishop of
Compostela, decide to proclaim Alfonso VII, the son of Urraca but still a child, as
king. Until the moment when he could reign arrived, the bishop and the noblemen
vacillated, according to their own interests, between either supporting Urraca or
fighting her. The queen gave generous donations to the cathedral in order to get
their support: the archbishopric got, in this way, the biggest estate in Galicia at
the time, which was continually expanded by the following kings. After Urraca’s
death, in 1126, Alfonso VII was crowned king.
48