King Denis and the Resolution of the Church-Crown Conflict (1279–1325)

The long-standing conflict between the Portuguese Crown and the Church over property rights was finally settled during the reign of King Denis (r. 1279–1325). Determined to assert royal authority over the kingdom’s land and resources, Denis took decisive action to curb the Church’s unchecked accumulation of property.

The Deamortization Laws and Excommunication (1284–1285)

• In 1284, King Denis launched a new round of inquiries into Church landholdings.
• The following year (1285), he issued deamortization laws, which prohibited the Church and religious orders from purchasing land and required them to sell all properties acquired since the start of his reign.
• This action led to Denis’s excommunication, following the precedent of his father (Afonso III) and grandfather (Afonso II), both of whom had clashed with the papacy over land reform.
• Unlike his predecessors, however, Denis refused to submit to papal authority, securing once and for all the Portuguese Crown’s control over royal patrimony.

The Nationalization of Military Orders

Denis’s assertion of royal supremacy over land extended to military-religious orders, which had amassed vast wealth and influence during the Reconquista. By nationalizing these orders, Denis ensured that their resources would serve the kingdom rather than remain under foreign or papal control.

• The Order of Avis (1280s) – Originally a Castilian military order (the Calatravans), the knights became effectively Portuguese when King Afonso II granted them the town of Avis. Under Denis, the Order of Avis remained a dedicated military force, later playing a key role in Portugal’s independence from Castile.
• The Order of Saint James (Santiago) (1288) – Although founded in Castile, the Portuguese knights of the order elected their own master in 1288, effectively separating themselves from Castilian control.
• The Suppression of the Templars and the Order of Christ (1312) – When Pope Clement V dissolved the Templars, their immense landholdings were initially transferred to the Hospitallers. However, King Denis successfully petitioned the pope to grant the Templars’ Portuguese wealth to a new military-religious order, the Order of Christ, founded in 1319 and originally based at Castro Marim before moving to Tomar.

The Legacy of the Military Orders

After their nationalization, most of these military-religious orders transitioned into chivalric landowning institutions, becoming quasi-celibate noble orders responsible for governing vast estates. However, two orders retained military significance:

• The Order of Avis remained a combat-ready force, playing a major role in securing Portugal’s independence from Castile.
• The Order of Christ retained military and religious functions, but more importantly, its vast wealth later funded Prince Henry the Navigator’s early voyages of discovery, financing Portugal’s maritime expansion in the 15th century.

Conclusion

King Denis’s bold assertion of royal control over land, wealth, and military orders ensured that Portugal’s resources remained under the Crown’s authority rather than the Church’s influence. His reforms not only strengthened the monarchy but also laid the foundations for Portugal’s later dominance in exploration and global trade.