Afonso Pires Gato

Afonso Pires Gato (?) was a Portuguese medieval knight, who served in the court of Afonso III of Portugal.

He was the son of Pedro Nunes Velho and Maria de Baião, a remote descendant of Mendo Alão. His wife was Urraca Fernandes de Lumiares, descendant of Sancho Nunes de Barbosa and Sancha Henriques.

Biography According to records in the Inquiries of 1258, Afonso Pires Gato was raised on an estate near the parish of São Salvador de Covas, now a parish in the municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira.

It is believed that Afonso Pires, nicknamed "the Cat", served as tenente (royal governor) of Guarda in 1207 and 1241. Notably, Afonso Pires was the brother-in-law of João Garcia de Sousa, which likely influenced his political alignment. He married Urraca Fernandes de Lumiares, daughter of Fernão Pires de Lumiares and Urraca Vasques de Bragança, who was the daughter of Vasco Pires de Bragança and Sancha Pires de Baião, with whom he had: