Rui Gomes de Briteiros

Rui Gomes de Briteiros (c. 1190? - c. 1249 ) was a Portuguese nobleman and troubadour who led one of the most remarkable ascents in the nobility hierarchy of the 13th century.

Early years The son of Gomes Mendes de Briteiros and Urraca Gomes da Silva, Rui came paternally from a line of infants who lived in the region of Longos, Guimarães. He would have been born at the end of the 12th century, as it is known that he would have been an adult around 1220.

Sacho I's inheritance crisis On 26 March 1211, Sancho I died in Coimbra. His will of October 1209 was clear - he divided his largest portions between his heir, Afonso II of Portugal, and his sisters Teresa, Sancha and Mafalda bequeathing to the three of them, under the title of queens, the possession of some castles in the centre of the country - Montemor-o-Velho, Seia and Alenquer - with their respective towns, terms, wards and revenues). This will provoked violent internal conflicts (1211-1216) between Afonso II and his sisters, as Afonso refused to comply with the will From then on, the Infante launched attacks on the kingdom's borders, even taking over some of the towns in Trás-os-Montes, but was eventually defeated. The dispute would have had international repercussions, as King Alfonso IX of León intervened to defend his ex-wife, Teresa, at her request, conquering Coimbra.

For his part, Rui Gomes would separate from the infante, as he returned to Portugal.

Whether or not he feared reprisals, it seems that Rui left Portugal again for a while. It is possible that Rui Gomes was forced to leave Portugal again for a while, but there is news of his presence in the kingdom in 1238, which means that he had already returned. The mention comes from a dispute he had with the abbot of S.Gens de Montelongo, in which he claimed to have the rights of patronage and guesthouse in the abbey, which, after enquiry, turned out not to be true. His path in the following years is unknown, but he may have passed through the Castilian court in 1241 or 1242, judging by his participation in the cycle of songs addressed to the Moor João Fernandes, which took place in this context.

These were also the years when the conflict that led to the war and subsequent deposition of Sancho II of Portugal escalated, and during which Rui Gomes became one of the most fervent supporters of the latter's brother, Count Afonso of Bologna, with whom he met in Paris, where he witnessed the important document in which Count Afonso of Boulogne swore to accept the regency of the kingdom of Portugal.

Ascension in the Portuguese Royal Court After the end of the civil war, with the accession of Afonso III to the throne, he rewarded Rui's loyalty by elevating him to the rank of rich man (and then King Afonso made this Dom Roi Gomez high-borne, and gave him pendam and caldeira) and giving him the important post of Royal Steward, a position he held for only a short time.

Death and legacy It's likely that Rui died even before 1250, with 1249 as the probable date, in the context of the military operations that ended in the conquest of the Algarve. His rise through the courtly ranks was continued by his descendants, two of whom were also troubadours (his son Mem Rodrigues and his grandson João Mendes de Briteiros).

Marriage and lineage Rui married his supposed kidnap victim, the high-borne lady D. Elvira Anes da Maia. Elvira Anes da Maia, around 1230, and with her had the following children:

Mem Rodrigues de Briteiros, married to Maria Anes da Veiga, with issue; João Rodrigues de Briteiros, married to Guiomar Gil de Soverosa, with issue; Maria Rodrigues de Briteiros, nun in Arouca Abbey Teresa Rodrigues de Briteiros, married to Lourenço Martins de Berredo Sancha Rodrigues de Briteiros, married to Pedro Ponces de Baião Urraca Rodrigues de Briteiros, nun in Lorvão Abbey