Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the center of the shield are five smaller shields arranged in the form of a cross.
(One theory says that, after several generations of battle, the family shield-passed
down from father to son-got beaten up, and the cross ripped apart into five pieces,
held there by nails—the dots on the coat of arms.) Around the border are castles, rep-
resenting Muslim cities conquered by Portugal's Christian kings. (Some versions have
fleurs-de-lis and personal emblems of successive kings.)
Some Important House of Avis Kings
Pedro I
(Peter I, r. 1357-1367)—Buried with his beloved Inês de Castro at Alcobaça
(see sidebar on
here
).
John I
(r. 1385-1433)—Pedro's bastard son, who protected Portugal from a Spanish
takeover and launched overseas expansion.
Manuel I
(r. 1495-1521)—Ruler when all the overseas expansion began to pay off
financially. He built the Monastery of Jerónimos at Belém, decorated in the ornament-
