Portugal

27 June 1214

The will of D. Afonso II, King of Portugal between 1211 and 1223, is one of the most important documents in the history of Portugal, as it is the first Portuguese State document in Portuguese.
Dated 27 June 1214, the original document – a parchment measuring 245 x 495 mm – is currently kept in the Torre do Tombo National Archives in Lisbon.

The will of D. Afonso II, whose author was one of the notaries of the Court, contains an autographic signature and documents the early Portuguese production and writing tradition transmitted by the Royal Chancellery (the department responsible for writing, validating by affixing the royal seal and issuing all written acts of the King of Portugal and which was headed by the King’s Chancellor).

There are also two other copies of the will of D. Afonso II, one in Latin which belonged to the notarial office of the Monastery of Alcobaça, and which is in the National Archives of Torre do Tombo, and another which was sent to the Archbishop of Toledo and which is in the archives of Toledo Cathedral.

Source: National Archives of Torre do Tombo

The Act of Acclamation of King João I represents one of the most decisive chapters in Portuguese national identity. Drafted on 6 April 1385, at the Cortes of Coimbra, and signed by representatives of the clergy, nobility and people, this solemn act consecrated João, Master of Avis, as the legitimate King of Portugal, describing in detail the reasons that led to his election, following a period of intense political and social instability caused by the succession crisis triggered by the death of King Fernando I. The acclamation was the culmination of a popular struggle for Portuguese independence and sovereignty, threatened by Castilian claims to the throne.

King João I ushered in a new era of stability, progress and expansion that would propel Portugal onto the European and world stage. The Act of Acclamation therefore remains a symbol of national unity and the strength of the popular will in shaping the country’s destiny. The text contains signatures, notary seals and ten wax seals attached by brown cotton cords, guaranteeing the authenticity of the act and its acceptance by the main sectors of society and also by the legal standards of the time. The role of notaries is fundamental in this context, as they were responsible for legally certifying the document, giving it public validity and ensuring its preservation as indisputable proof of the decision of the Cortes of Coimbra. The seals, signatures and notarial record bear witness to the rigour and solemnity of this moment, reinforcing the role of notaries in legitimising major Portuguese political and institutional events. In this way, the document symbolises not only the election of a king, but also the power of public records and the work of notaries in the constitution of memory and power in Portugal.