Batalha Monastery: Symbol of Portugal's Independence

Portugal has a long history as an independent nation, dating back to the early twelfth century. In 1128, after the battle of Guimaraes, Count Alfonso HenrĂquez separated the Portuguese nation from Galicia and was named king of Portugal by the courts gathered in Lamego. It was a time of violent political upheavals and frequent changes of borders, motivated mainly by the advance of the Christian kingdoms towards the south of the Iberian Peninsula, within the reconquest of the territories occupied by the Arabs at the end of the 8th century. Facade of Batalha Monastery