52 - How the king gave the constable the county of Ourém and other places, and how the constable paid the swordsmith for the sword which he had tempered for him

Summary

While the king was in Santarém, as we have indicated, this great blessing which God had vouchsafed to him did not bring about any change in his personality; where previously he had been companionable and generous to his men, so very much more so was he after the battle, revealing to everybody that fondness and warm welcome which till then he had habitually shown in any matters that required them.

He immediately gave the castle to Vasco Martins de Melo, to whom were handed over Count Gonçalo and his son, Aires Gonçalves [de Figueiredo] and others. He raised in rank many of those who had taken his part, not only those whom he had recently dubbed knights, but also others whom we shall not bother to name, granting them lands, possessions and property. Moreover, he granted them large gifts of money from his personal treasury, both to those who were wounded in the battle and to others who were not, without there being any other document or decree requiring that they should receive such monies. In addition, if he distributed such property in this kingdom as was owned by some monastery in Castile, as was the case with the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus [el Real] in Toro and others of that kind, he instructed that in the relevant charter it be stated that, since the King of Castile and all his native Castilians were subject to the excommunication decreed by the Pope in Rome, to whom he, King João, owed obedience, then they thereby lost all claim to the property which they had in his kingdom of Portugal, and he could give it away.

Among all those whom the king was keen to reward with higher rank was Nuno Álvares Pereira, his noble constable and most faithful servant. Talking with him privately one day, he told him that it was his wish and intention, in view of the many remarkable services which he had done him and which he hoped to continue to receive, to raise his standing in name, income and the dignity of honourable rank. Moreover, since he was his official constable in the wars fought to defend the realm, thenceforth it was his pleasure that he should also become the count of a certain county, which he at once wished to grant him in accordance with what he had already discussed with him.