Portugal Stamps
Commemoratives of 1926-1928
Stamp catalogs refer to the pictorial Portugal stamps issued between 1926 and 1928 as the "Independence Issues". This broad term is not very clear though. Most of these pictorial stamps actually commemorate two historical events that are approximately 500 years apart.
The first historical event is the creation of the Kingdom of Portugal, which resulted in independence from the Moorish Caliphate and the Kingdom of Leon during the 12th Century.
The second historical event is the restoration of Portuguese independence (from Spanish domination) during the 17th Century.
Most of the commemorative Portugal stamps issued between 1926 and 1928 actually celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Kingdom of Portugal and the 300th Anniversary of the Portuguese Restoration War.
Some of the other stamps in this series even commemorate events from Portugal's war with the Kingdom of Castile during the 14th Century and the
invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte at the beginning of the 19th Century.
A better name for this series of Portugal stamps might be the Portuguese Wars of Independence throughout their History.
The multiple-subject large
commemorative sets of Portugal stamps shown on this page are grouped by
design type, instead of the usual ascending order by denomination.
Hopefully, this will enable the design description tables to occupy less
space, and it will make the descriptions much easier for website
visitors to follow.
The thirty-one pictorial Portugal stamps shown above (Sc. #377-397) were issued on August 13, 1926 to commemorate the Portuguese Wars of Independence throughout their History.
This set is referred to as the First Independence Issue.
The six common designs, in the order that they are shown above, are as follows:
- King Alfonso I. Alfonso I (1110-1185) of the Portuguese House of Burgundy was the Count of Portugal (1128-1139) and the first King of Portugal (1139-1185). He was also known as Alfonso the Founder, Alfonso the Great, Alfonso Enriques, and Alfonso the Conqueror.
- Batalha Monastery and King John I. Batalha Monastery (The Monastery of the Battle) was erected to commemorate the Battle of Aljubarrota. It is the burial church of the 15th Century Aviz Dynasty of Portuguese royalty. King John I (Lived: 1357-1433, Reigned: 1385-1433) was the first king of the Aviz Dynasty.
- Battle of Aljubarrota. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Castile on August 14, 1385, ending Castilian ambitions for the Portuguese throne and establishing John I as the King of Portugal.
- Filipa de Vilhena arming her sons. Filipa de Vilhena (1585-1651) was a courtier and the principal lady-in-waiting to Queen Luisa de Guzman (1613-1666), the consort of King John IV.
- King John IV. King John IV (Lived: 1604-1656, Reigned: 1640-1656) was the first king of the House of Braganza. His reign led to Portugal's independence from 60 years of joint rule with the Kingdom of Spain.
- Independence Monument in Lisbon. Also called the "Monument to the Restorers", it was erected in 1886 as a memorial to the Portuguese Restoration War, lasting from 1640-1668.
The ten First Independence Issue pictorial Portugal stamps shown above were overprinted and re-valued (Sc. #397A-397K) as regular definitive postage stamps during 1926.
The fifteen pictorial Portugal stamps shown above (Sc. #422-436) were issued on November 29, 1927 to commemorate the Portuguese Wars of Independence throughout their History.
This set is referred to as the Second Independence Issue.
The six common designs, in the order that they are shown above, are as follows:
- Gonçalo Mendes da Maia. Gonçalo Mendes da Maia (1079-1170) was a knight in the time of King Alfonso I. He died while fighting a Moorish army near the town of Beja.
- Dr. Joao das Regras. Dr. Joao das Regras (d. 1404) was a 14th Century Portuguese jurist.
- Guimaraes Castle. The castle was built in the 10th Century to defend against attacks from Moors and Norsemen.
- Battle of Montijo. The battle was fought on May 26, 1644 in Montijo, Spain, between Portuguese and Spanish forces. The battle resulted in a Portuguese victory.
- Brites de Almeida. She was a Portuguese heroine in the aftermath of the Battle of Aljubarrota.
- Joao Pinto Ribeiro. Joao Pinto Ribeiro (1590-1649) was a conspirator in the Revolution of December 1, 1640, which established the House of Braganza as the ruling dynasty.
The sixteen pictorial Portugal stamps shown above (Sc. #437-452) were issued on November 28, 1928 to commemorate the Portuguese Wars of Independence throughout their History.
This set is referred to as the Third Independence Issue.
The six common designs, in the order that they are shown above, are as follows:
- Gualdim Paes. Gualdim Paes (1118-1195) was a Crusader, a Knight Templar, and the founder of the city of Tomar, Portugal, where he is buried.
- Siege of Santarem. In 1184, a Moorish army laid siege to the city of Santarem, defended by Alfonso I of Portugal. Their ultimate goal was to attack Lisbon. An army of the Kingdom of Leon came to the aid of the Portuguese, and the Moors were defeated.
- Battle of Rolica. The battle was fought in 1808, during the European conquests of Napoleon Bonaparte. An Anglo-Portuguese army, under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an imperial French division near Rolica.
- Battle of Atoleiros. The battle was fought in 1384 between Portuguese and Castilian forces at Atoleiros. The Castilians, suffering heavy losses, withdrew from the battle.
- Joana de Gouveia. She was a Portuguese heroine during the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.
- Matias de Albuquerque. Born in Brazil, Matias de Albuquerque (1580-1647) became a Portuguese colonial administrator and military officer. He also served as a General in the Portuguese Restoration War and defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Montijo in 1644. For his service, King John IV of Portugal awarded him the title "Count of Alegrete".
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Return to Portugal Stamps from
Commemoratives of 1926-1928
Alfonso I
The First King of Portugal
At the beginning of the 12th Century, the western Iberian Peninsula looked very different than it does now. The upper left portion was part of the Burgundian Kingdom of Leon. The central portion was the County of Portugal, ruled by the Kingdom of Leon. The southern portion was still part of the Moorish Caliphate.
Alfonso I (1110-1185), of the Portuguese House of Burgundy, was the Count of Portugal (1128-1139) and the popularly acclaimed first King of Portugal (1139-1185). Alfonso has also been called the Conqueror, the Founder, the Great, and Enriques (the son of Henry).
Count Alfonso led a series of campaigns against persistent raids by the Moors in the southern part of the County of Portugal. At the Battle of Ourique, on July 25, 1139, the forces of Alfonso won an overwhelming victory against the Moors.
Following the victory at Ourique, Alfonso was acclaimed as the "King of the Portuguese" by his soldiers, in effect, declaring their independence from the Kingdom of Leon.
In 1179, after many years of political posturing with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, Pope Alexander III finally acknowledged Alfonso I as a king and Portugal as an independent crown. Blessed by the Church, Portugal then officially became an independent kingdom.
King John IV
Portrait by Rubens (c. 1628)
John IV (1604-1656) of the House of Braganza was the 8th Duke of Braganza (1630-1645) and the King of Portugal (1640-1656). At the time of his death the Portuguese Colonial Empire had reached its territorial zenith.
The accession of King John IV established the House of Braganza on the Portuguese throne. The House of Braganza would rule Portugal for the next 280 years!
The reign of King John IV led to Portugal's independence from Spanish rule, marking the end of the 60-year-old Iberian Union, by which Spain and Portugal shared the same monarch.
John's queen consort was Luisa de Guzman (1613-1666) whom he married in 1633. Their daughter, Catherine of Breganza (1638-1705) was married to King Charles II of England (Lived: 1630-1685, Reigned: 1660-1685).