distinguished by the surname of the Fat, was the third king of Portugal, and succeeded his father at the age of 27 years, in 1212. His accom- plished education, and his military and political talents, were tarnished by his great neglect and ha- tred of his brothers and sisters, which involved him in many troubles. He, however, commenced his reign with two very popular actions. The one was, sending a body of infantry to the assistance of the king of Castile, who fought with uncommon bravery in the renowned battle of Navas de Tolosa. The other was, his donation of the castle of Avis to the knights of that order, when the grand-master removed from Evo- ra, and took up his habitation in that castle. During the life of his father, he discovered his aversion to the rest of the family, which induced him to secure the right of his children from the effects of his resentment Alphonso, as much as in his power, by conferring upon them large sums of money and jewels, and some of the best parts of the kingdom. After the death of his father, however, Alphonso strenuously laboured to convince them that it was not in the power of his father to separate or give away any part of his dominions; but all his urgent eloquence proving unsuccessful, he had recourse to arms. The two princesses, his sisters, who had received by the grant of their father very extensive and valuable property, upon being attacked by their brother, implored the interference of the pope, and also applied to the king of Leon, to grant his protection, so that they made a very vigorous defence. The pope granted the request of the young princesses, and threatened to excommunicate Alphonso; and from Galicia, Don Ferdinand entered the dominions of Portugal to ravage and destroy; but the king prepared to defend himself against the arms of the king of Leon, and by specious pretences to evade the excommunication of the pope.

Authors are not agreed with respect to the success of this war, but it is generally supposed that, by the interference of these two powerful persons, the domestic affairs of that house were restored to a certain degree of tranquillity; however, the departure of the infant Don Ferdinand to the court of Castile, and of Don Pedro to another place, strongly indicate that the reconciliation was far from being perfect. The conduct of the king, however, produced much diversity of opinion among the common people of Portugal. Some were induced, by the arguments of the king, to conclude that it was not in the power of Don Sancho, the late king, to dismember his kingdom; and others very properly suspected the kindness of a prince to his people who displayed such uncommon and such unjustifiable hatred to his own relations; at the same time, those nobles whom the father had solemnly sworn to carry his will into execution, regarded the sacred nature of their oaths to such a degree as induced them to operate against the reigning prince.

The displeasure of the pope, however, was not to be endured. The mind of Alphonso seemed indeed to be of that quality which little regarded the displeasure or thunders of his holiness; but the effects of his threatenings were very different upon the public mind, consequently the king was constrained to seek the favour of the pope, to retain the obedience of his subjects. The king therefore sent deputies to Rome, who argued, that the crown his father wore was the purchase of the blood and valour of the Portuguese nation, and therefore not in his power to alienate; that it was a dangerous precedent, and obviously tended to subvert the sovereignty of a state; that the disuniting of the kingdom would tend to promote the cause of the infidels; and, in fine, that his disputes with his sisters had no connexion with ecclesiastical matters. The pope, however, was as well qualified to discern the nature of these specious arguments as the prince was qualified to urge them, consequently he remained unmoved; and Alphonso, in order to have the sentence of excommunication removed which had been pronounced upon him, was reluctantly induced to be reconciled to his sisters. His holiness informed of the reconciliation, with great ceremony revoked his curse and excommunication from the king and his subjects.

But the reign of this prince was destined to troubles; Alphonso, for no sooner was this domestic broil terminated, than the Moors rushed into the plain country in such prodigious numbers, that the king found it very difficult to repel them, or to drive them back to their own country. A favourable occurrence, however, enabled him to complete his object, by the taking of a fortress seated on a rock which was deemed impregnable, in the following manner. The Germans and Flemings had equipped an immense fleet destined for the Holy Land, consisting of 300 sail, with a numerous army on board. In consequence of tempestuous weather, their fleet was so disabled, that they were forced to put into the harbour of Lisbon to rest, just at the time when Alphonso was preparing an army to attack the Moors. The king instantly sent some of the most respectable men of his court to solicit their aid against the Moors, alleging, that it was perfectly consistent with their vows to fight against the Moors in Portugal, as well as in the Holy Land. William earl of Holland, and many other generals, were convinced by this argument, and cheerfully engaged to join him against the infidels; but about a third part of the fleet refused to join, and proceeded on their voyage. It happened, however, that they were driven by a violent storm into Italy, where they wintered. The greater part of the nobility and gentry landed under the conduct of William earl of Holland; and it was resolved that they should proceed by sea, and block up Alcaçar-do-Sal, the fortress already mentioned, while the army of Alphonso, reinforced by a considerable number, should march by land; and thus attack the place both by land and sea at once. The Moors, convinced of the importance of this place, brought an army into the field consisting of 50,000 men; but the Christians raised the siege, gave them battle, and routed them with great slaughter; and some of the chiefs of the Moors fell in the field. The fortress surrendered on the 21st of October 1217, and was conferred upon the order of St James; but notwithstanding of very urgent entreaties, the pope would not permit the army to winter in Portugal. He was desirous of having these troops and their general removed to a greater distance. The writers of that nation affirm that the soldiers experienced supernatural aid in this battle, and that the banner of the cross was actually displayed by angels.

But civil animosity succeeded to infidel war. The archbishop of Braga was highly offended that the clergy were forced to pay money and furnish troops to carry on the war against the infidels; and the people severely complained of the strictness of the laws. To chastise the rebellious clergy, the king seized upon the revenues of the bishop, and forced him to fly from his dominions. Enraged at this impious conduct, the pope excommunicated the king, and laid his kingdom under an interdict. The natural consequence was, that all things were thrown into confusion, and consternation and perplexity universally prevailed; so that Alphonso was obliged to consult measures to quell the rising discontent. It happened, however, that in the midst of these negotiations he was removed by death, and not only died under the papal malediction, but left his kingdom under the same curse. He was interred without royal honours in the conventual church Alphonsa, church of Alcobaça. His person was above the common size; he was brave and strong, but not devoid of many qualities worthy of blame. (Mod. Univ. Hist.)