Second county

See also: Timeline of Portuguese history (Second County)

The former Kingdom of Galicia, then including modern Portugal as far south as
Coimbra, was given by Alfonso VI as a county to his son-in-law Raymond of Burgundy.
However, concern for Raymond's growing power led Alfonso in 1096 to separate
Portugal and Coimbra from Galicia and grant them to another son-in-law, Henry of
Burgundy, wed to Alfonso VI's illegitimate daughter Theresa.[4][5] Henry chose
Braga as the base for this newly formed county, the Condado Portucalense, known at
the time as Terra Portucalense or Prov�ncia Portucalense,[6] which would last until
Portugal achieved its independence, recognized by the Kingdom of Le�n in 1143. Its
territory included much of the current Portuguese territory between the Minho River
and the Tagus River.[6]

Count Henry continued the Reconquista in western Iberia and expanded his county's
dominions. He was also involved in several intrigues inside the Leonese court
together with his cousin Raymond and sister-in-law Urraca of Castile, in which he
supported Raymond's ascension in return for promises of autonomy or independence
for Portugal. In 1111 the Muslims conquered Santar�m.[7] When Count Henry died in
1112, the population of the County of Portugal, including the powerful families,
favored independence. Henry's widow, Theresa, took the reins on behalf of her young
son, and allied herself with Galician nobility in order to challenge her sister
queen Urraca's dominance and briefly used the title Queen.[8][9] However, she was
defeated by Urraca in 1121 and forced to accept a position of feudal subservience
to the Leonese state.[citation needed] Her own son, Afonso Henriques, took the
reins of the government in 1128 after routing his mother's forces in the Battle of
S�o Mamede, near Guimar�es. After this battle, he began to exhibit a seal with a
cross and the word "Portugal". He continued to win battles, supported by the nobles
of Entre-Douro-e-Minho, eventually triumphing in the Battle of Ourique in 1139,
which led to his proclamation as King of Portugal by his troops.[10] Nevertheless:

Even then, between 1128 and 1139 he never used the title of king, but rather that
of princeps or infante, which means, in fact, that he could not resolve on his own
account, the issue of his political category; that is, he had to admit that it
depended on the consent of Alfonso VII who was, in fact, the legitimate heir of
Alfonso VI. Also, he never used the title of "count" which