Red City on the Ocean

A Moment from the Past - Saving Joao

For this military campaign, Duke Fernando de Braganza had put on his most beautiful German armor: blued steel with gold engraving. Because of this armor, soldiers had mistaken him for the king or the heir to the throne several times. The duke was pleased. During this campaign, he had remained close to Joao II, in order to readily make acquaintance with the future king.

The cavalry under the command of Duke de Braganza had just burst through the swinging gates of Asilah castle. Knights in armor on armored horses trampled the soldiers of Vizier Shadulla and drove them away with their long spears. Following the cavalry, detachments of infantry rushed toward the gates of the castle. A monstrous battle raged inside the castle. The heir to the throne, who kept at a distance of only a fathom from the duke, could barely cope with his horse. It neighed and shied away from the iron weapons that glinted and rang all around. Behind them, the infantry was already pressing in on Joao II, striving for victory within the castle. Suddenly, the soldiers, including Joao II and de Braganza, were attacked from somewhere by a large detachment of Moors on camels. Hiding behind multicolored round shields, the Moors brandished sabers and uttered wild screams.

King Afonso V, who had been watching the battle through a spyglass, got up from his chair on the bridge. From there he could see that the Moors on camels were rushing toward Joao, because the standard–bearer rode next to the heir, holding the flag of Portugal high in his hand, his horse dancing with fear. The Moors fought their way toward the flag as they realized the heart of the attacking army was there.

The duke immediately assessed the situation and guessed the Vizier's plan. While the duke's cavalry was fighting inside the castle, Shadulla sent his camel riders through another gate to cut off the advancing infantry from the Portuguese cavalry so the Moors would be able to close the gates and kill the Portuguese cavalrymen inside the castle. Indeed, at the sight of the Moors on camels, the Portuguese infantry stopped and bristled with pikes. The first camels, snorting and drooling, immediately crashed into the infantrymen and began to trample them. The riders, clothed in white, began to chop at the soldiers with their curved sabers. Joao II prepared to repel the attack and swung his sword in front of him. At that moment, one of the camels pushed his horse with all of its weight. The horse fell, crushing Joao. De Braganza, who had not taken his eyes off the heir, plunged a spear into the camel. The camel roared, jumped, and threw off the Moor rider. However, the Moor did not let go of his saber. Getting to his feet, he rushed toward Joao II and swung at him, but de Braganza's sword stopped him. The duke cut open the Moor's stomach. The enemy's white clothes bloomed with the stain of blood. He fell to the ground and stilled. The duke pulled Joao II out from under the fallen horse, helped him onto his own horse, and led the horse away under the cover of the infantry, which was taking the brunt of the blow of the troops on camels.

Seeing that Joao II was on the duke's horse and moving away towards the shore, Afonso V, who had been petrified with horror and drenched in sweat, finally sighed and sat down again on his chair.

* * *

In the evening, when the battle had ended in the center of Asilah and there were only small skirmishes occurring and homes being burned on the outskirts of the city, King Afonso V sat down to have dinner with his entourage. It came to his attention that the duke's feat had still gone unnoticed. The king held a goblet in his hand, walked around the long table where the guests were sitting, and clinked glasses with everyone, not allowing them to get up. The king stopped and lingered near Duke de Braganza. "De Braganza, you saved the life of my son, heir to the throne," he said, looking into the duke's eyes.

De Braganza stood up and held out his cup to the monarch. "Who else would have done otherwise?" The duke said with a soft smile.

"So, tell me what reward you want," Afonso said cheerfully, banging his cup against the duke's cup, "To your health, Senhor." Both took a sip.

The duke wiped his lips with a cambric handkerchief he purposely carried for this occasion and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but personally, I don't need a reward. The saved life of the heir is already the greatest reward for me."

"De Braganza!" The king raised his voice, "I never borrow from anyone. Tell me how I should repay you."

"Your Majesty! I am not a poor man!"

"Of course!" The king exclaimed. De Braganza's wealth could nearly compete with His Majesty's treasury.

"Once, Your Majesty, you knighted me. Your favor toward me is also a huge reward."

"Ah, Duke!"

"Therefore, I will ask not for myself, but for a friend."

"Have it your way. What kind of friend is this?"

"He lives near the castle of Leiria. This is a humble nobleman named Don Leandro. He inherited a ruined estate that he managed to re-establish and make prosperous. He is a hardworking, diligent, and honest man. He is respected by everyone in the neighborhood, and I ask for your assistance by naming Don Leandro as a member of the Cortes and endowing him with the villages surrounding his estate. Don Leandro, I can assure you, belongs to those people who make up the backbone of our kingdom. There are few such people, but it is they who struggle the most to get to the top because they are honest and modest people. He will ensure the peasants in these villages do not drink but work diligently. Believe me, Don Leandro will not allow them to sleep for long periods of time, idly stagger around, or beg on the roads."

"I will give my consent for your friend Don Leandro to become a member of the Cortes and grant him new lands, but I will thank your family, Duke, too. If you don't tell me how I can, I will decide for myself," said the king. He clinked glasses with the duke once more and took a step towards the next guest.