You are here
قراءة كتاب The Story of the Nations: Portugal
تنويه: تعرض هنا نبذة من اول ١٠ صفحات فقط من الكتاب الالكتروني، لقراءة الكتاب كاملا اضغط على الزر “اشتر الآن"
The Story of the Nations: Portugal
Mendonça.
Apart from Portuguese history, Portuguese literature deserves to be studied. Several pages have been devoted to it in the present volume, and with regard to the early poetry of the troubadour epoch, the author desires to express his obligations to the learned introductions of Theophilo Braga, himself a poet of no mean rank, to his Antologia Portugueza, 1876, and his Cancioneiro Portuguez, 1878. The glory of Portuguese literature is Camoens, and it is fortunate that his great poem, The Lusiads, has found an adequate translator at last. I know of no translation of any classic which can compare with Sir Richard Burton’s translation of The Lusiads. By his profound knowledge of the Portuguese character no less than of the Portuguese language, by his intimate acquaintance with the places which Camoens describes, and, above all, by his temperament, which resembled that of the conquistador-poet, Sir Richard Burton was fitted to reproduce for the English people the thoughts and words of the greatest Portuguese poet. Every lover of Camoens, like every lover of Homer, has been tempted to translate his mighty poem; but, at last, so it seems to me, the work of translation has been done once for all for Camoens by the loving labour of Sir Richard Burton, and Englishmen may read The Lusiads, reproduced faithfully into their own language, alike in spirit and in words. That the life-poem of a hero of the sixteenth century should have been worthily translated by a hero of the nineteenth, seems to me a circumstance of which all lovers of literature in both England and Portugal should be glad and proud.
In conclusion, the writing of this volume has been to the author a labour of love. In the intervals of a minute study of the history of another period, that of the French Revolution, he has turned with pleasure to the task of writing this “Story of Portugal.” He has not been able to work at original authorities as thoroughly as he might wish, owing to the absorbing nature of his more important work, but he hopes the time may come when he will be enabled to spend a few years among the Archives at the Torre del Tombo, and investigate more thoroughly the history of the early relations of England and Portugal, and of the Portuguese in the East. Is he too presumptuous also in hoping that a clearer knowledge of the old and tried friendship of the English nation with the Portuguese may influence in some degree the attitude taken by a portion of the English people towards their ancient ally in the dispute with regard to the extent of the Portuguese possessions in Africa?
H. MORSE STEPHENS.
Oxford,
March 1, 1891.
CONTENTS.
| I. | |
| PAGE | |
| Early History | 1 |
| The importance of, and features of interest in, Portuguese history—Greeks, Phœnicians, and Romans—Portugal is not the ancient Lusitania—The influence of Rome—The Visigoths—The rule of the Mohammedans—The Christian princes commence their incursions—Ferdinand “the Great” captures Coimbra—The successes of the Almoravides—The formation of the County of Portugal. | |
| II. | |
| The County of Portugal—Donna Theresa | 20 |
| The character of Henry of Burgundy, first Count of Portugal—The Countess Theresa—Her policy—Count Henry fights in Spain—His death—The regency of Theresa—The nobility and the bishops—The wars of Theresa—Theresa styled Infanta—The battle of S. Mamede—Theresa introduces the religious military orders—Death of Donna Theresa. | |
| III. | |
| Portugal becomes a Kingdom—The Reign of Affonso Henriques | 34 |
| The youth of Affonso Henriques—The heroism of Egas Moniz—The Gallician wars—Affonso assumes the title of king—He is recognized by the Pope—The Treaty of Zamora—Independence won by the Gallician wars—The state of the Moors—Affonso’s first war with the Moors—The victory of Ourique—Legends concerning it—The wars of conquest—The capture of Santarem and Lisbon—The assistance of the English crusaders—Capture of Alcacer do Sal—The Treaty of Cella Nova—Affonso taken prisoner at Badajoz—Truce with the Moors—Further fighting—Great victory over the Moors at Santarem—Death of Affonso Henriques. | |
| IV. | |
| Portugal attains its European Limits | 60 |
| The reign of Sancho I.—The successes of the Moors—Sancho’s internal administration—His quarrels with the clergy and the Pope—The marriages of his children—The reign of Affonso II. “the Fat”—Recapture of Alcacer do Sal and defeat of the Moors—Arrival of the friars—The reign of Sancho II.—The capture of Elvas—His quarrels with his bishops—He is deposed by the Pope—The reign of Affonso III.—His conquest of the Algarves—His alliance with his people—The Cortes—His death. | |
| V. | |
| The Consolidation of Portugal | 85 |
| The reign of Diniz—The Order of Christ—His internal administration—His encouragement of literature—Portuguese poetry—Stanzas of Camoens on Diniz—Affonso IV. “the Brave”—The victory of the Salado—Friendship between Portugal and England—The murder of Ines de Castro—Pedro “the Severe”—Ferdinand “the Handsome”—The Queen Leonor—Riot in | |