Torre do Tombo · Order of Christ · September–November 1460
In the last nine weeks of his life, Prince Henry the Navigator went back over six charters that his clerk had already written out and that he had already signed. In each of them he made the same small change: the silver he had promised to churches and chaplains was to be paid in silver. Then he signed again. The originals survive in Lisbon, and the double signatures can be seen on the parchment. Signing a correction a second time was an old habit of his chancery; what is new is that he did it to every charter of this set, and every time for the same reason. To our knowledge, nobody has described this pattern before.
How this was made. We transcribed the originals from the digital images published by the Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, with AI assistance. The transcriptions and translations have not yet been checked against the printed edition in Monumenta Henricina (vols. XIII–XIV) or by a second palaeographer. Doubtful readings are marked [?].
What is new and what is not. The Portuguese texts of these acts, including the short added clauses, are printed in Monumenta Henricina. The archive's own catalogue notes “two signatures” on one of the six charters (the Ceuta charter, 00008) and a single signature on the other five. What we claim is new is the observation that all six carry a second signature, that each one validates the same correction about silver, and how the acts were made, set out below. The English translation in the second half of this post is, as far as we could find, the first complete one.
Sequel. What became of this silver after Henry's death: What Happened to Henry's Silver (1460–1507).
↓ Go to the full English translation of the six charters and the testament
What we found
Every charter was signed twice new
Each of the six acts carries Henry's signature-mark Y.d.a. (for Ifante dom Anrique) twice. The first sits in a ruled box under the text. The second stands apart, under a short line that was added later.
The second signature validates a correction about silver new
In all six charters the added material says the same thing: the marks of silver promised for Masses must be paid in actual silver. In two charters, the words em prata (“in silver”) are also written in above the line of the text itself. In one, Henry says outright that he added them himself.
The charters were finished in a set order new
The parchment shows the steps: first the text, then the first signature, then the words written above the line, then the added clause, and last the second signature. In the two charters of 30 September the first signature is in a paler, redder ink than the text. The second is in the same darker ink as the text and the added clause.
The official copy of 1461 hides these steps new
When the charters were copied into a notarised book after Henry's death, the copyist moved “in silver” into the main text and left out the added clauses and the second signatures. Anyone who reads the copy, or an edition based on it, cannot see that the wording was changed at the last minute.
An old habit, put to one use new
The double signature was not invented in 1460. A charter of 1427 already has a correction clause (nom seja duuydado onde diz…) between two signatures, and one of 1458 has a clause in which Henry says he corrected the text himself. What is new in 1460 is that he used the device on every charter of the set, and every time for silver.
Three errors in the archive's catalogue correction
The gift of five Azorean islands (00006) was made to King Afonso V, not, as the catalogue says, to Infante D. Fernando. The Ceuta charter (00008) is dated 9 September (noue dias de Setenbro), not 19 September. The catalogue entry for the 1461 copy leaves out one of the five islands, São Dinis. In the same copy, one gathering of the testament is bound in reverse order; we give the correct reading order below.
The documents
All six charters were written by the same clerk, Joham de Moraes. The first is dated “in my town” on 9 September 1460, the next three “in my town” on 18 September, and the last two at Vila do Infante, near Sagres, on 30 September. They are now kept together in the Colecção Especial of the Torre do Tombo. Each of them sets up or protects an endowment for Masses for Henry's soul, funded by the Order of Christ. Henry was administrator of the Order from 1420 until his death. On 13 November 1460 he died at Vila do Infante.
| Reference | Date | Content | Silver | Added clause | 2nd sign. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CESP/72M08/00008 | 9 Sept | Churches of Santa Maria de África (Ceuta) and Santa Maria da Misericórdia (Alcácer Ceguer), and future churches of Tetuan and Val de Miger, given to the Order of Christ | 1 mark a year to each priest | postscript: paguado em prata | ✓ |
| CESP/72M08/00005 | 18 Sept | Terceira and Graciosa: the Order keeps the spiritual jurisdiction; Saturday Mass for Henry's soul | 1 mark a year to each vicar | esta prata seja paga em prata | ✓ |
| CESP/72M08/00006 | 18 Sept | Five islands (São Luís, São Dinis, São Jorge, São Tomás, Santa Iria) given to King Afonso V; the Order keeps the spiritual jurisdiction | 1 mark a year to each vicar | esta prata seja paga em prata | ✓ |
| CESP/72M08/00007 | 18 Sept | Church of Santa Maria de Belém at Restelo given to the Order of Christ | 1 mark a year to the chaplain | postscript: pagado em prata | ✓ |
| CESP/72M08/00009 | 30 Sept | Monastery of Batalha: three daily Masses at Henry's tomb | 16 marks a year | em prata written above the line, plus the added clause | ✓ |
| CESP/72M08/00010 | 30 Sept | Commander of Tomar castle made overseer of all Henry's chaplaincies | 7 marks a year | em prata written above the line, plus a clause in Henry's own voice | ✓ |
One phrase, six times
In three of the charters the added line is the same, word for word:
Esta prata seja paga em prata.“Let this silver be paid in silver.”Added clause, CESP/72M08/00005, 00006 and 00009
The fourth charter, for the commander of Tomar, gives the reason in the first person. It is the most direct statement in the file:
Nom seja duuydada hunde diz em prata, porque eu o Iffante o acreçentey.“Let there be no doubt where it says ‘in silver’, because I, the Infante, added it.”Added clause, CESP/72M08/00010 (last letters of acreçentey uncertain)
The Belém charter (00007) handles the point differently. After the dating clause and the first signature, the clerk added a whole postscript: every year the chaplain of Santa Maria de Belém is to receive “one mark of silver, paid in silver” (huum marco de prata pagado em prata) from the church's revenue. The postscript fits around the box of the first signature and has a second signature of its own. Here we could not measure a difference in ink. The postscript may have been written at the same sitting, but it was certainly written after the act had been closed and signed.
The Ceuta charter (00008), the earliest of the set, shows the change most clearly. Its main text sets up a Saturday Mass for Henry's soul in the churches of Santa Maria de África at Ceuta and Santa Maria da Misericórdia at Alcácer Ceguer, but says nothing at all about payment. The money appears only in a postscript of ten lines, written after the first signature and set to the right of its box: every priest is to have “one mark of silver, paid in silver” (huum marco de prata paguado em prata) a year. A second signature closes it. In this charter too the first mark is slightly paler and redder than the text, and the second is closer in tone to the postscript.
How each charter was completed
Put together, the six charters show the same sequence of steps. We describe it most firmly for the two acts of 30 September, where the difference in ink is clearest; in the Ceuta charter it is small but goes the same way:
This raises a question: did Henry, who was then sixty-six and died a few weeks later, make the second mark himself, or did his clerk make it for him? His earlier charters, compared in the next section, show that the device itself was an old habit of his chancery, but they cannot settle who held the pen.
Not a deathbed invention: the same device in 1427
To see whether the double signature was something new in 1460, we looked at Henry's other dated originals in the same collection, from 1427 to 1458. The oldest, a letter of 14 March 1427 to his overseer and his revenue officer at Tomar, already has it. After the dating clause and the first boxed Y.d.a., a short clause begins nom seja duuydado onde diz… (“let there be no doubt where it says…”) and corrects a word about “his lifetime” (em sua vida); a second Y.d.a. stands below it. The formula is almost the same as in the Tomar charter of 1460. A letter of 21 January 1458 has a similar clause, nom sseja duuyda…, in which, on our provisional reading, Henry says he corrected the text himself (porque eu o emendey); there it stands before a single signature.
So a second signature under a correction was Henry's ordinary way of vouching for a change. In 1427 both marks and the clause are in the same ink, so the colour difference seen in 1460 is not part of the habit. Whether Henry drew the second marks of 1460 himself cannot be settled from the images: all the marks, from 1427 to 1460, have the same form. What the earlier charters show is that the device was his. What the 1460 charters show is how he used it in his last weeks: on every charter of the set, and always to make sure the silver would be paid in silver. None of the earlier letters deals with silver, so we cannot yet say when the formula em prata first appears.
Why silver?
A “mark of silver” was a unit of weight, about 230 grams, but in fifteenth-century Portugal it was also an amount of money that could be paid out in coin. A perpetual rent fixed in marks and paid in coin was only as good as the coin. That was a real worry. Portugal had moved to a new unit of account, the real, in 1435, after a heavy devaluation, and according to Nuno Valério, prices roughly doubled or tripled between 1435 and 1479, while the price of precious metals rose about threefold. An endowment for Masses meant to last for ever could lose two-thirds of its value within a lifetime.
Henry seems to have seen this. In each of these charters he set aside silver for Masses for his soul: 16 marks a year to Batalha, 7 to the overseer at Tomar, one mark a year to each island vicar, to the chaplain of Belém and to each priest at Ceuta and Alcácer. In each one he made sure the payment would be made in metal, not in money that was losing value. The Batalha charter even works out the capital: 320 marks of silver “at twenty to one”, to buy a rent of 16 marks. These are the arrangements of a man settling his accounts for eternity, and he checked them line by line.
The sewn-in schedule of his testament, drawn up in October, repeats the formula: Batalha is to have “sixteen marks of silver in silver” every year. By then the correction was part of the wording. What happened next is told in our sequel: in 1499 King Manuel I repeated Henry's words and turned Batalha's sixteen marks into 36,480 reais a year (What Happened to Henry's Silver).
Ten weeks: from the charters to the copy
Ceuta charter “in my town”: the churches of Ceuta and Alcácer go to the Order of Christ. The silver is added in a postscript between two signatures.
Three charters “in my town”: Terceira and Graciosa; the five islands to King Afonso V; Belém. Each is signed twice.
Two charters at Vila do Infante: Batalha (16 marks) and Tomar (7 marks). em prata is written in above the line; each is signed twice.
At Vila do Infante a notary draws up the schedule of Henry's churches and chaplaincies, which is later sewn into the testament. It refers back to “my letter which I leave him concerning it” for each foundation.
Henry writes and signs his testament in his own hand at Vila do Infante. King Afonso V is executor and universal heir; whatever Henry had already left to Infante D. Fernando, “my son”, is kept for him.
Henry dies at Vila do Infante.
At Lisbon, in the King's presence, a public copy of the opened testament is made for the archive of Tomar. Notary: Gonçalo Cardoso.
The notarised book PT/TT/MSLIV/0516 copies the testament and the charters. At Tomar the copy is authenticated at the request of frei Antão Gonçalves, the overseer of chaplaincies named in the testament.
What the 1461 copy does
The notarised book of 1461 is the source most later readers relied on. Comparing it with the originals shows that its copyist made a clean text. In the Batalha and Tomar charters, em prata is moved into the line. The added clauses and the second signatures are gone. In the Belém and Ceuta charters the postscript runs straight on from the date, as if it had always been part of the act; in the Belém copy it reads “…mill iiijc lx. E rrogo e peço e mando…”.
There is one hint that a contemporary noticed the double marks. The notary who authenticated the copy at Tomar described the parchment letters he was shown, and our provisional reading of that damaged page includes the phrase “This silver is to be paid in silver” and a remark that the letters had “two marks” each. The reading is too uncertain to rely on, but if it holds, he was the last person to comment on the double signatures until a modern archivist noted “two signatures” on the Ceuta charter alone.
The king, not Fernando: a correction to the catalogue
The archive's catalogue describes CESP/72M08/00006 as a gift of five islands to Infante D. Fernando. The text, line 2, says otherwise:
The 1461 copy agrees with the original. In its rubric all five islands are named, but the archive's description of the copy names only four and leaves out São Dinis.
This matters for a long-running debate. Some historians have read Henry's last months as a time of coolness towards his heir Fernando. In these charters, though, Henry still calls Fernando “my much-esteemed and beloved son” and trusts him with paying for the Masses at his tomb (00009). In the testament he keeps Fernando's inheritance for him. The five islands went to the Crown, while the Order kept the churches, which fits the testament's general plan rather than a quarrel.
A note on the testament's binding
We have not located Henry's autograph testament itself; its text comes down to us in the Lisbon copy of 29 November 1460, included in MSLIV/0516. In that book one gathering is bound back to front, so that the images run in the wrong order. Matching the end of each page to the start of the next eight times over gives the reading order m13 → m14 → m15 → m31 → m30 → m29 → m28 → m27 → m26 → m25. Anyone using the digital images should read them in this order.
The full English translation
Below are complete English translations of the six charters and of the testament. The testament is given with the schedule sewn into it and the Lisbon act that frames it. We translate from our own transcriptions of the originals; the testament is translated from the 1461 copy. The translations are deliberately close to the text. We have kept Henry's long run-on sentences and his repetitions, because they are part of what he meant. Small grey numbers give the line of the original. Highlighted words are written above the line; Y.d.a. marks a signature. Where our reading is uncertain, the passage is marked [?] and left unresolved.
- 0. Ceuta and Alcácer, 9 September 1460
- 1. Terceira and Graciosa, 18 September 1460
- 2. The five islands to King Afonso V, 18 September 1460
- 3. The church of Santa Maria de Belém, 18 September 1460
- 4. Batalha: sixteen marks of silver, 30 September 1460
- 5. Tomar: the overseer of the chaplaincies, 30 September 1460
- 6. The testament, 28 October 1460, with the schedule and the Lisbon act
1 [Decorated opening block] [I, the] Infante Dom Henrique (Anrrique), Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, 2 make known to those who will see this my letter that [illegible] at the time when the most powerful [and virtuous?] and of worthy memory King Dom João (Joham), my lord and father, 3 to whom may God give his holy glory, went to take the city of Ceuta (cepta), I went with him. And after the said capture and the departure that we made from it, he left in it [certain?] [illegible] 4 João Pereira (Joham pereira), a nobleman of my house, and many other noblemen [and many?] squires and servants of mine, for the guard and defence of it. And being all gathered together with fervour of [faith?] 5 and with zeal [and] [the devotion?] which they had to the Christian [religion? — reading uncertain] and the salvation of their souls, in my name [and] by my authority [one word cancelled] they ordained a church, to hear Mass in it, 6 to whom I sent a very devout image of Saint Mary, ordering that it be given the name Santa Maria de África (daffrica), and placing the said image in the said house which they had thus made and ordained. 7 Which Virgin Mary, through her infinite and holy mercy and for the increase of our faith, worked many miracles, the devout Christians who live in the said city, and others 8 of the neighbouring regions, both of the kingdoms of Castile and of the kingdom of the Algarve, and many Christian captives who lie in the land of the Moors [copy], having in her very great devotion; I then at once gave [copy] 9 the said church to the said Order and made of it a commandery (comenda), of which the first commander was Friar Diogo Álvares (d(ieg)o alvez), and afterwards Friar [Rui?] de [Farão? — reading uncertain], and afterwards Friar Estêvão Anes Montanha (esteve anes montanha) [copy], 10 [whose?] souls may God have; and now Friar Álvaro de Sá (alvaro de ssaa), who at present possesses it, raising and enlarging it, and at my request the Holy Father [name unclear] likewise [giving] to the said church, as 11 parish and limits of it, [illegible]. And [when?] the town of Alcácer (dalcacer) came to be possessed by the faithful Christians [copy], thus making the said church parochial. And to God 12 many praises, [it pleased him?] that the said town of Alcácer be taken by the King my lord and nephew [copy]; and I being at the said capture in his service, there was at once made from its great mosque (mezquita mayor) 13 a church, which they call Santa Maria da Misericórdia; the said lord ordering me to take possession of it, which I took in my name and that of the said Order, [placing?] at once in it 14 a vicar. And because up to now my letter of this gift, which I had thus made to the said Order, had not been drawn up, so that the Order might keep it in its archive (cartoreo), I ordered this one to be made, by which I confirm 15 and hold as good the first grant [that?] I had thus made to the said Order, and I make to it a pure and irrevocable gift for all time, on account of the many revenues and the infinite goods 16 and fruits of the persons of it which I have received, giving it to the Order just as by right I can give it, and just as it has been granted to me by the Holy Father and by the King my lord. Which [church], 17 with the help of God, who is the highest good, and of the blessed Virgin Mary his mother, my Lady, shall persevere in the said possession, to the increase of the faith of the Christians and to the opprobrium and de- 18 struction and subjection of those of the sect of Mohammed (maffamede). Which vicar, and those who after him [shall have?] the charge in the said town of Alcácer, [are] to baptize and to give all the 19 ecclesiastical sacraments to the faithful Christians who are in it, as is established by Holy Mother Church and by the holy fathers and the said canons. And I request and com- 20 mend by this present letter to the chaplain who may be in the said church of Santa Maria de África, and to the vicar of Santa Maria of Alcácer, and to whatever other chaplains and vicars may be there hereafter, in my lifetime 21 and after my death, for ever, [this?] gained from God and his help; and [to those of] the churches that may be made in each of the other said places of Tetuão (tetuam) and Val de Miger [copy], that [it may please them?] [illegible] 22 every week on Saturday to say one Mass, each in his church [of Saint Mary? — interlined], for my soul, and let the commemoration be of the Holy Spirit, with its responsory and the prayer 23 “Fidelium Deus”. And before beginning the Masses they are to turn toward those who are present at them, asking them in a loud voice, for the love of God, to say the Our Father and Hail Mary for my soul and for 24 those for whom they are bound to pray. And when they perceive that the prayer is finished, let them go on with their Mass. And because the deeds of men are forgotten over long times, and [their?] 25 good deeds cannot be perpetual, in praise of my Lord Jesus Christ and for my memory and the remembrance of the masters and governors of the said Order who after 26 me shall come, I ordered this my letter to be made, signed by my hand and sealed with the seal of my arms, and I ordered it to be put in the archive (cartoreo) of the convent of my 27 town of Tomar. Made in my town, nine days of September. Joham de Moraes made it. In the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty. [closing paraph]
First mark. Below line 27, at the left, in a ruled box: Y.d.a.
Postscript (same scribe; begins on line 27 after the paraph, behind a double stroke ‖, and continues in nine lines indented to the right of the boxed mark). PS1 ‖ And because the said PS2 churches of Santa Maria de África and that of Santa Maria da Misericórdia of Alcácer are now in the hands of Christians and in the power of the said Order, ‖ and likewise that of [Val de Miger?] and that of [Tetuão?] PS3 when it pleases God that they come to the said Order [and] [illegible] in possession of them; ‖ and [nevertheless?] in each one there is to be placed a prior or vicar or chaplain, who shall have them [illegible] PS4 [illegible] to sing, by the contentment which, out of the revenues of the spirituality of the said places, is to be made to them: therefore I ask, request, order and com- PS5 mend to the masters or governors who after me [illegible] may be of the said Order, that to the commanders to whom the said places may be given in commandery, [they order] that out of the PS6 same revenue of them, of the said spirituality, they give and cause to be given each year to the prior or vicar or chaplain who may be [as rector?] in each [church?] of the PS7 above-said places, to each one, ‖ one mark of silver, paid in silver; which they shall have for thus having the charge of saying for me the said Mass on the said day of Saturday, as PS8 [above?] is mentioned; [illegible] and let them always pay them very well, so that the said Masses [may be said?] to my [intention?] [illegible] they have to say; and [illegible] this good [illegible] PS9 and with the grace [?] of this gift which I thus made to the said Order, and of the other many increases that I have made in it; and with the h[elp?] [illegible] and to fulfil them [and?] PS10 [whatever more] pleases them, and so to do it. [long rule]
Second mark (below the postscript, on the postscript's indent, with a rule to the right): Y.d.a.
Dorsal endorsements (verso). 16th century: “It is in the old book at fol. 163 [or 168?].” 17th/18th century, upside down: “[Church?] of Santa Maria of Ceuta (Ceita) +”. Archivists' flourished signatures and the modern shelfmark “Col. Esp. cx 72, mº 8 nº 8”. Papered seal of the Infante's arms in the centre.
1 I, the Infante Dom Henrique (Anrrique), Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã (Covilhaa), make known to those who will see this my letter that 3 I gave to the Infante Dom Fernando, my much-esteemed and beloved son, my islands, namely that of Jesus Christ and Graciosa (Graçiosa), 4 on the condition that the spirituality should remain with the said Order, so that the Order should have, of everything that God gives in the said 5 islands, one part in twenty. And only the vicars who may be in each one of the said islands are to be governed by 6 whatever the Order ordains for them out of the said twentieth (vintena), as is contained more fully in my letter which my said son 7 has concerning it. And because the said Order still does not have a letter of mine about this, I have ordered this one to be given to it, stating how I thus gave it the said spirituality, 8 signed by me and sealed with the seal of my arms. And I have ordered it to be placed in the tower of the archive of the convent of my town 9 of Tomar.
And I commend to the said vicars who may be in the said islands for the said Order that for ever, in my lifetime and 10 after my death, each in his vicarage, they say every week on Saturday one low Mass of Saint Mary for my soul, 11 and let the commemoration be of the Holy Spirit, with its responsory and the prayer “Fidelium Deus”. And before beginning the said Mass 12 they are to turn toward those who are present at it, asking them in a loud voice, for the love of God, to say the Our Father (Pater noster) and Hail Mary (Ave Maria) for my soul 13 and for those of the Order, and for those for whom they are [bound?] [?] to pray [?]. And when the prayer is finished, let him go on with his Mass. And I order that 14 besides what the said vicars thus receive for their maintenance, each of them shall have in addition, each year, for thus having the charge 15 of saying the said low Mass for me, one mark of silver, paid at the expense of the said twentieth, which the spirituality receives. And I request 16 and commend to the masters, governors who may be of the said Order after me, that, in recompense for the service [?] and the increase [the last syllable of açreçentamento is interlined] 17 and good that I have done in the said Order, they be pleased always to have all the above-said thus kept and fulfilled. Made in my 18 town on the 18th day of September. Joham de Moraes made it. In the year of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty. [closing flourish]
Marks and added note (below the text).
- Left, boxed: Y.d.a.
- Centre-right, in darker ink, written above the second mark: “Let this silver be paid in silver.” (esta p(ra)ta sseja pagua e(m) p(ra)ta)
- Beneath the note: Y.d.a.
Dorsal endorsement (verso, 15th-century hand). “Grant of the island of Jesus Christ and of Graciosa made to the Lord Infante Dom Fernando.” A second docket (upside-down, uncertain): “[of] the island of Jesus Christ and Graciosa.” Later note (16th century): “It is in the old book at fol. 165 [or 162, or 171?].”
1 I, the Infante Dom Henrique, Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of Our Lord 2 Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, make known to those who will see this my letter that I 3 give, and make [a service?] [?] to, King Dom Afonso (Affonsso), my lord and nephew, whom God preserve, of my islands which are called, namely, that of São 4 Luís (ssam luis) and that of São Dinis (ssam denys) and that of São Jorge and that of São Tomás (tomas) and that of Santa Iria (ssanta eirea), on the condition that the spirituality of all these five islands 5 remain with me and with the said Order, its masters and governors who may come after me. For which the said Order shall have 6 for ever, of everything that God gives in them, one part in twenty, which it has at present [?] [alternative reading: “which is at present”] of my tithe. And I and the said Order, masters 7 and governors who may be of it, shall have only the charge of keeping, in each one of the said islands, a vicar, and each one is to have 8 on my behalf and on behalf of the said Order the charge of ruling and ministering them in spiritual matters. These, by the said Lord, shall be presented to the said Order 9 and it will confirm them, and the habit of the Order will be put on them. And for these vicars, by me and the said Order, out of the twentieth of the said spiri- 10 tuality something will be ordained on which they may maintain themselves. And the other half-tithe, which thus remains in [respect?] of one in twenty, [the said] 11 Lord shall have for himself, and for the support of any clergy whom it may please him to place in the said islands in addition to the said vicars. And because for this it is 12 necessary that a letter of mine be made to the said Order, I have ordered this to be made, sealed [?] [alternative reading: “signed”] by me and sealed with the seal of my arms, 13 and I have ordered it to be put in the tower of the archive of the convent of the said Order in my town of Tomar. And therefore, for this good and [another? [?]] much [more] that 14 remains to the said Order, I hold it in great and very increasing[ly] [?] commendation [?] [or: “I commend”] to the vicars who thus for the said Order shall be in the said islands, that 15 for ever, in my lifetime and after my death, each of them in his vicarage shall say every week on Saturday one low Mass 16 of Saint Mary for my soul, and its commemoration of the Holy Spirit with its responsory and the prayer “Fidelium Deus”. And before 17 they begin [?] it, they are to turn toward those who are present at it, [ask]ing them in a loud voice, for the love of God, to say the Our Father and Hail Mary for 18 my soul and that of the said Order, and for those for whom they are bound to pray. And when the prayer is finished let them go on with their Mass. And I order 19 that, besides what shall be ordained for the said vicars by me and the Order, for their maintenance each one shall have in addition, each 20 year, for thus having the charge for me of saying the said Mass, one mark of silver, paid at the expense of the twentieth [which? / its? [?]] the said spirituality 21 is to be paid [?]. And I request and commend to the masters and governors who may be of the said Order after me that they keep the [endowments? [?]] 22 and increase that I have thus made to the said Order, as is said. And may it please them to have all the above- 23 said thus kept and fulfilled. Made in my town on the 18th day of September. Joham de Moraes made it. In the year of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ 24 one thousand four hundred and sixty years.
Marks and added note (below the text).
- Left, in a ruled box: Y.d.a.
- Centre, in darker ink, one line: “Let this silver be paid in silver.” (Esta p(ra)ta seja pagua e(m) p(ra)ta, with a closing flourish)
- Beneath the note, between two wavy strokes: Y.d.a.
- No witnesses and no notary's subscription are named.
Dorsal endorsement (verso, 15th century). “Of the islands of São Luís, of São Dinis, of São Jorge, of São Tomás and of Santa Iria, with spirituality to the Order.” Later notes (16th–18th century): “It is in the old books at fol. 164” and “Grant of five islands by the Infante Dom Henrique.”
1 [Decorated opening block] I, the Infante Dom Henrique, Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of the Mastership of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, make 2 known to those who will see this my letter that, considering how at Restelo (Restello), in the district of the city of Lisbon (Lixboa), many men often came together and stayed there for a period of time with 3 fleets that were being fitted out from this kingdom for many parts, and likewise of those who went and came to trade their merchandise to various places; during which stay that they thus 4 made in the said port they could not hear Mass nor receive there the ecclesiastical sacraments, and many died there and were thrown on those sands, 5 left destitute through being unable to have priests to confess them, with neither church nor cemetery in which such bodies thus dead could be laid; and through this the said dead thus did not 6 have what is established by Holy Mother Church, and their souls together with their bodies received therein suffering and little consolation. And the living and the healthy who were thus there 7 and passed through such a place received therein considerable distress and little comfort, solely because they found none there. Therefore, for the service of God and of his holy name, 8 in praise and reverence of the glorious Virgin Mary, my Lady, mother [of God? [?]], I ordained and I ordered a church to be made there, giving it the name Santa Maria de Belém (Beleem); ordering likewise 9 a conduit and a public fountain and a spring to be made for the use of the said church and for the above-said who may be in such a port, and for those who pass by there, so that they may have water. And considering 10 how I have received many benefits from the said Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, both from its persons and from its revenues, I make a pure and irrevocable gift for all 11 time to the said Order of the said church and of water and land which [is needed? [?]] for them. The [estates? [?]] I thus endowed and annexed to the said church with certain conditions written below, namely that of the water [illegible] 12 the Order shall always [?] for what it may need for its orchards and gardens and any other expense. And that likewise the said wayfarers and those of the ships shall have, and may make use 13 of, the said water, both for drinking and for beasts and cattle [?] and for the uses of the said ships; for which water they shall pay no tribute to the said Order, 14 except to another [person?] [?] only in their [reception? [?]] [illegible] that thus come, and the refreshment and rest that they give to the bodies and the salvation that they give to their souls. [unresolved] 15 for my sake, each saying one Our Father and one Hail Mary for the salvation of my soul and for those [whose? [?]] they are bound to pray for. Which church 16 and the patronage of it, orchards [vines? [?]] with all their appurtenances I give to the said Order, relinquishing the dominion [?] and [its possession? [?]] of the said church and of the things belonging to it, thus [?] the church [?] 17 that is fitting for me [?] and belongs [?] by right, and in that form and manner in which I hold it and can give it to the said Order, by authority of the said pope. For the [?] estates and other things 18 that are thus needed [?] and fitting [?] for the said church. [unresolved] who may be in it, to say every week one Mass of Saint Mary, sung, on Saturday, for my soul, and the commemoration 19 [?] of [De profundis? [?]] written [?], with its responsory and the prayer “Fidelium Deus”. And before the Mass is begun, let the cleric turn toward those who are present at it, asking them 20 in a loud voice, for the love of God, to say one Our Father and one Hail Mary for my soul, for this church which I ordered to be made, and for those of the Order and for those to whom they are obliged; and after 21 he perceives that the prayer is finished, let him go on with his Mass. Of which gift that I thus make I ordered this my letter to be made, for the firmness of it, signed by my 22 hand and sealed with the seal of my arms, and I ordered it to be placed [in the archive? [?]] of the convent of my town of Tomar; by which I hold possession of the said church and the above-said things [?] 23 as taken for the said Order. And by this present letter I request and commend to the masters or governors of it who may come after me that they have it thus fulfilled as is 24 contained here. Made in my town on the 18th day of September. Joham de Moraes made it. In the year of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty. [closing paraph]
Mark. Below line 24, at the left, boxed: Y.d.a.
Postscript (written by the same scribe after the first mark; it begins at the end of line 24, after the paraph, and continues in four further lines set to the right of the boxed mark; each line is introduced by a double stroke ‖). PS1 ‖ And I request and ask, order and commend PS2 ‖ to the said masters and governors who may come after me of the said Order that each year for ever, out of the revenue that the said church of Santa Maria de Belém yields, they always have given PS3 ‖ to the chaplain who has the charge of singing it one mark of silver, paid in silver, which I order to be given to him for having the charge of always saying, on the said day of Saturday, the said PS4 ‖ Mass, as is mentioned above in this letter, each of them always making him very good payment of it, as is reasonable, on account of this gift that I thus made to the said Order PS5 ‖ of this church, and on account of many other increases and goods that I have done in it. [closing paraph]
Second mark (below the postscript, boxed, with a long rule to the right): Y.d.a.
Dorsal endorsements (verso). 15th/16th century, faded: “Gift which the Infante Dom [H]enrique made [to the Order?] of the church of Santa Maria [de Belém?] […]”. 17th/18th century: “Gift of the church of Santa Maria of Restelo.” “It goes in the old book at fol. 160.”
1 I, the Infante Dom Henrique, Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of the Mastership of Our Lord Jesus 2 Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, make known to those who will see this my letter that, considering how the King my lord and father 3 ordained his burial place, and that of Queen Dona Filipa (Felipa) his wife, my lady and mother, whose souls God keep, in the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, 4 and it pleased them that in the chapel in which they lie my burial place should be ordained, which I held as a great favour, 5 so that, just as I in their lifetime, God be praised, went to their pleasure and service, so in my death my body should be laid in that chapel where 6 they lie, in their company, as their son and servant; therefore I ordained that at the altar of my chapel there be sung for ever three 7 Masses each day, by the ordinance that I made, as is declared in my letter, approved by me and sealed with my seal, 8 which is in the said monastery, and another of the same kind in the tower of the archive of the convent of my town of Tomar. For which three Masses of each day I 9 ordain that each year the said monastery shall have sixteen marks of silver in silver from the revenues of my lands of Tarouca (Taronca) and Valdigem (Baldigem) 10 in my lifetime. And after my death I ask the Lord Infante Dom Fernando, my much-esteemed and beloved son, that it may please him to 11 wish for ever that from the said revenues these sixteen marks of silver be thus given each year to the said monastery, commanding his 12 rent-farmers (arrendeiros) that they so do and fulfil it before any expense is made from the said revenues. These marks, presented to the prior of the said monastery, 13 are to be handed over to the sacristan who shall be of it, so that the said chapel may be sung as is ordained by me. And it pleases me that if 14 before my death I have not satisfied my said son with three hundred and twenty marks of silver at the rate of twenty for one, 15 so that they may have and buy as much revenue as the said sixteen marks of silver are, they shall collect them 16 upon my death from that which I set apart for my soul. And thus I order and commend to my executor that he fulfil it for him. And in case 17 such a thing should happen, as often happens, that not everything that men ordain can be fulfilled, may it please him and may he think it good [of his own accord? [?]] 18 to grant me these sixteen marks of silver for what is said. And thus I order the said [his descendants? [?]] that they fulfil it for the help 19 of the salvation of my soul. And I shall hold it very much [in favour? [?]]. Made in my town of Vila do Infante (villa do Iffante), 30 days of September. Joham 20 de Moraes made it. In the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty. [paraph]
Added line (to the right of the closing paraph, at the end of line 20, in the scribe's hand and ink): “Let this silver be paid in silver.”
Marks. Below line 20, at the left, boxed: Y.d.a. Below the added line, at the right, between two rules: Y.d.a. (An archive stamp lies between the two.)
Dorsal note (verso, 15th century, badly faded; only the following is secure). “… Masses every day in the monastery of [Batalha? [?]] … [soul? [?]] …”
1 I, the Infante Dom Henrique, Regent and Governor of the Order of the Knighthood of the Mastership of 2 Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, make known to all the masters or governors who 3 after me shall be of the said Order that I ordained certain chaplaincies for the salvation of my soul and of those 4 of the Order, and of those for whom I am bound to pray, and that I gave the charge to whoever might be commander 5 of the castle of my town of Tomar of requiring them, or correcting [them]; of requiring that the said chaplaincies be always 6 sung. And for his trouble he shall have each year seven marks of silver in silver, as is stated in the letter which he has concerning it and in another 7 of the same kind which lies in the tower of the archive of the convent. And because every commander may be 8 [negligent? [?]] in this, I ask, for the love of God, the said masters or governors who thus shall be after 9 me, that they constrain him, making him fulfil it as is commanded him in his letter. For it will please God 10 to let them enjoy for many good years the revenues of the said mastership, together with those which I have added 11 to them, which are recorded in the said convent; so that it may be a remembrance to them thus to do this for me, since for their souls 12 the other masters and governors who shall come after them will thus do likewise in what they ordain. 13 Made in my town of Vila do Infante, 30 days of September. Joham 14 de Moraes made it. In the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty. [paraph]
Added lines (to the right of the paraph, in two short lines, in the scribe's hand and ink): (a) “Let it not be doubted where (b) it says ‘in silver’, because I the Infante added it.” [The last letters of acreçent[ey], “I added”, are uncertain; “I add” is also possible.]
Marks. Below lines 13–14, left of centre, boxed: Y.d.a. Below added line (b), at the right, between two rules: Y.d.a.
Dorsal notes (verso). Only one is partly legible: “It is in the old book at fol. 1xb(i)j [?]”, with “Registered” (16th century). The 15th-century contents note and a vertical note at the right edge (“… chaplaincies … [?]”) are illegible.
Reading order: m13, m14, m15, m31, m30, m29, m28, m27, m26, m25. In several places the copy has “tenda(s)” where “renda(s)” (revenue) is expected; it is translated “revenue”.
The Lisbon act: opening
m13 Let all who see the present [instrument] know that on the twenty-ninth day of the month of November of the year of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty, in the city of Lisbon, in the palace of the bishop [?] where the King our lord now lodges [?], the said Lord being present, there appeared Dom frei Fernando, vicar-general of Tomar. And he said to the said Lord King that His Highness knew well how he had presented and delivered to him the testament which the Lord Infante Dom Henrique, his uncle, whom God keep, made, and [?] presented [?] and confirmed [?] before his death. And that, inasmuch as there were contained in it some things pertaining to the Order of the Mastership of Christ, of which the said Infante was regent and governor, he asked him as a favour to order that a copy of it be given to him in public form, so that they might have it in the archive of Tomar for the safeguarding and preservation of the said Order. And, his request having been seen by the said Lord, he said that it was true that he had received the said testament and had opened and read it, and he ordered me, the public notary named below, to give him the said copy of it under my public sign, of which testament the tenor, word for word, is this which follows.
The testament
m13 In the name of Our Lord […] of the Trinity, Father and [?] Son [?], Holy Spirit [?] [illegible] according to [?] the holy Church of Rome that we believe. And in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of his blessed mother Our Lady Saint Mary. I, the Infante Dom Henrique, governor of the Order of the Knighthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, being in all my right mind, fearing the hour of death, which I do not know when or where it will be, make my testament as follows. First, I commend my soul and my body to my Lord God [?], and I ask him that before the resurrection and [after?] [?] to rise, he give me salvation and make me of the number of his sa[ved?] m14 by his great mercy [unresolved]. And I ask my Lady Saint Mary, as she is mother of mercy, that she ask [?] [illegible] mercy for me that he give me salvation. And I ask my Lord Saint George, to whom I was commended from my birth, that he, with all the saints, male and female, and the angels of the heavenly court, pray to God for me that he give me salvation.
Item: I order that my body be laid in the tomb which is [prepared] for me, where lies the King my lord and father, in the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, and if I die elsewhere let it be carried there and [?] be buried; and without mourning, which I order that they not make for me, but plainly and honestly let me be commended to God with hours and Masses [at discretion? [?]] and solemn [?] [?] as my executor shall think good, and that they have [?] paid, discharging my conscience.
Item: I order that the three chapels which are to be sung for ever in this monastery, in which, God willing, I intend to lie, be sung according to what my letter concerning it says, and another [?] is [?] in the convent of Tomar, and so are all the other letters of the chapels which I order to be sung by me. And I order that they be sung as is contained in the letters. And I ask my executors that they obtain the copies of the said letters and have them so sung as is contained in them.
Item: it pleased the King my lord to give me the revenues which I hold from him, some of them [unresolved] and some in my lifetime [and] for three years after my death, for the discharge of my conscience, which revenues are those that follow, namely: my allowance (assentamento) and the [settlements? [?]], and the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and the Deserta, and Guinea with its islands and all its revenue, and the fifth of the [?], and the tercenas (storehouses) and Lagos and Alvor. And from these revenues and from all the rest that shall belong to me at the hour of my death I order that there be taken m15 these expenses that follow.
Item: my burial, according to what is mentioned above. Item: that my debts be paid that are known through writings or through other certification or through an oath that honestly ought to be given, which I owe for things on account of my purchasing, or because [?] my [?] officials or [by] me were taken [?]: let them be paid in full. And likewise any freights or cartage: let them be paid. And let these debts be so paid first [?] before my burial [?]. Item: after this I order that my merchants be paid, both for merchandise and for revenues [?], and let them be content with their profit, according to reason. Item: I order that if other debts are found, they are to pay them in whatever manner it may be, provided that they are certain.
Item: inasmuch as many of my servants (criados) have their living from me, from allowances (tenças) on which they live, and at the hour of my death, these being taken from them, they would remain in great misery and my conscience be burdened, I therefore ask as a favour the King my lord and the Infante Dom Fernando, my much-esteemed son, and him who shall have the mastership after me, that for the sake of God, and to do me a favour, each one receive as his own those who have [?] what belonged to him, and leave it to him for his lifetime, and receive his fruit as from his servant; [unresolved] such that they will think well employed the favour that they do them.
Item: as to the revenues which I leave for ransoming captives and for making alms for ever, I ask my executor to have it fulfilled. And in the convent of Tomar they will find the ordinance of how it ought to be done.
Item: I ask the King my lord as a favour that he be pleased to be my executor, because [unresolved] all that of which I make this testament, and I leave him as my heir of everything that shall belong to me at the hour of my death, both in real estate and in movables, reserving that of which I made heir m31 the Lord Infante Dom Fernando, my son; and whatever more than what shall remain from me he may wish to give him, I shall hold as a favour. Reserving Lagos and the island of Madeira and the other things which it pleased him to wish should remain for his crown and that of his successors.
Item: because the King my lord cannot himself be executor, I ask him as a favour that he choose one who he thinks knows well how to do it, and another who shall be overseer (veedor) of the testament, and charge him that they do it, satisfying them [?] as they see reason [?].
Item: inasmuch as I [?] have many servants, and some I satisfied with commanderies, others with churches, others with settlements (assentamentos), others with allowances (tenças), others with offices, [and] others lived with me and did not deserve what I have given them, I therefore order my executor to look carefully at everything and, if he sees [?] that [one of them is left] [?] burdened [?], to satisfy him according to his good discretion.
Item: because it could be that in my lifetime I shall satisfy the debts and servants and set aside [?] for my burial what suffices, so that the King my lord has nothing to do in it, I nevertheless leave him as heir, as is mentioned above, since he has the charge of having my chaplaincies fulfilled. And I ask him as a favour that likewise his successors, kings of these realms, [?] thus order it to be fulfilled. And I thus ask him for the love of God and as a favour. And because this is my will, I order that this stand and be valid. And as certification of it I made it with my hand and ordered it sealed with the seal of my cameo [?] [and the] signet [?] of my arms, and with another large seal likewise of my arms. Made in the town of Vila do Infante on the twenty-eighth m30 day of October, era of one thousand four hundred and sixty, and I signed it with the sign of my hand. And although I may have made other codicils or testaments, I order that they not be valid and that this be valid and stand. And the chaplaincies which I order to be sung are put in a writing that goes sewn into this my testament, of which writing the tenor, word for word, is this that follows.
The sewn-in schedule
m30 In the name of God, amen. This is the [?] open [instrument] which the Infante Dom Henrique made and ordered in the presence of me, the public notary, and the witnesses named below, to Dom frei Fernando, vicar-general of the town of Tomar, etc., [concerning?] his testament which by his hand he had made [illegible], which testament, with this open [instrument], he said that he held as firm and valid, and [no others?] [illegible, about one and a half lines] even if they should appear, because this is his last will. And principally he ordered a copy to be put here, which is such:
These are the churches and chapels which I, the Infante Dom Henrique, regent and governor of the Order of the Knighthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã, established and ordained for ever, in reverence and praise of my Lord Jesus Christ and of the Virgin Saint Mary his mother, my Lady.
Item: first I established and ordained the church of Santa Maria de África, situated in the city of Ceuta (Cepta). Item: I established and ordained the church of Santa Maria de Belém, situated at Restelo, in the district of the city of Lisbon. Item: I established and ordained the church of Santa Catarina, which is outside the town of Vila do Infante, m29 and the chapel [illegible] which is within the said town. Item: I established and ordained the church of Santa Maria da Misericórdia, situated in the town of Alcácer [Ceguer] in Africa. Item: I established and ordained the principal church of Santa Maria on the island of Madeira, and from here onward [?] the others that shall be ordained there. And I established the church of the island of Porto Santo. And the church of the island of Deserta. Item: I ordained and established the church of São Luís on the island of São Luís. And the church of São Dinis on the island of São Dinis. And the church of São Jorge on the island of São Jorge. And the church of São Tomás on the island of São Tomás. And the church of Santa Iria (Sancta Cyrea) on the island of Santa Iria. Item: I ordained and established the church of Jesus Christ on the island of Jesus Christ. And another church on the island of Graciosa. Item: I ordained and established the church of São Miguel on the island of São Miguel. And that of Santa Maria on the island of Santa Maria.
Item: I ordained and established, by the grant of the holy father Calixtus III, all the spirituality of Guinea to be granted to the Order of Christ; wherefore I commend and order whoever may be vicar or prior or chaplain paid by the said Order in each place of those lands that it may please him, every week on Saturday, for ever, in my lifetime and after my death, to say one Mass of Saint Mary. And let the commemoration be of the Holy Spirit with its responsory, and the commemoration “Fidelium Deus” [?].
Item: I ordain and order that the friars of the convent of my town of Tomar have the revenue of my shops of the fair of the said town, which I made by authority of the King my lord and father, [?] and for the said revenue let them say each year a hundred Masses for my soul, the revenue of the said fair being taken in silver at the rate of a hundred low Masses for each mark of silver that the said revenue may amount to, now much, now little. [The last line of m29 is partly covered.]
m28 Item: I ordain and order that the lecturer in theology of the senior chair (cadeira de prima) have each year for ever twelve marks of silver from my revenue of the tithes that the Order of Christ has on the island of Madeira, for which they are to [?] in the studium and say certain Masses and sermons, as is declared in my letter that I leave him concerning it; and this in remembrance of the grant that I made him of the houses in which the said studium is.
Item: I ordain and order that the cathedral of [the city of Viseu shall have] the revenue of the fair that I ordered to be held within the enclosure next to the said city, on condition that the chapter [illegible] [?] marks of silver to a chaplain who shall say every Saturday of the year one low Mass of Saint Mary in my lifetime and after my death, as is contained in the letter that I leave him concerning it. [This passage is among the weakest in our reading.]
Item: I establish and order that the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória have for ever each year sixteen marks of silver in silver, which it shall have from the revenues of the lands of Tarouca and Valdigem, and this for saying for my soul, both in my lifetime and after my death, three Masses each day at the altar of my chapel which is in the chapel of King Dom João my lord and father, whom God keep, as is contained in my letter that I leave him concerning it. And in order that all these benefits and Masses be said for my soul as is ordained, I have chosen as overseer (provedor) of it, feeling [?] that he knows it well, and as is fitting for my profit and the good of my soul, frei Antão Gonçalves (Antam Glz), my private secretary (escrivão da puridade), alcaide-mor of the castle of Tomar. And likewise his successors, to whom I ordain that they have for their trouble, from the twentieth of the spirituality of Guinea, seven marks of silver, as is contained in my letter that I leave him concerning it.
m27 And I ordain by my letter which I leave to the masters, regents and governors of the Order of Christ who shall be after me that they constrain the said overseer and his successors to have fulfilled this that has been ordained by me. And if they are negligent in this, that they provide by removing them and choosing others who they feel will do it well and as is fitting for the salvation of my soul, as is contained in the letter that I leave concerning it to the master or masters, regents and governors.
Item: I ordain and order that all the officials of my household and likewise all my almoxarifes (revenue officers) and other persons who have received my revenues and monies [?] and things, notwithstanding that they have not given me their accounts, I [release them?] [?], principally for the love of God and for the salvation of my soul, [to be] quit [?] and free of all that they thus received from me and spent, they and their goods and heirs. And I order Fernão Palguado [?], my chamber scribe and public notary by my authority in my house and in all my lands, that instruments of quittance be made for them concerning it, signed with his public sign, which instruments I hold to be good and firm and valid for all time. And I ask as a favour the King my lord and the Lord Infante my much-esteemed and beloved son, and likewise I request and commend to the masters, regents and governors of the Order of Christ who shall be after me, that they not go against the said quittances in part or in whole, but rather keep them and have them fulfilled and kept, inasmuch as it is pleasing [?] to me and is my will, notwithstanding everything, [?] to give [?] them m26 as quit and free as God is.
And I do them this favour for the much fruit [?] that I received from them. And I therefore ask as a favour the King my lord and the Lord Infante my much-esteemed and beloved son, and I commend, order and request the masters, regents and governors of the Order of Christ who shall be after me, and the commanders of the said Order, that they fulfil, and have fulfilled and paid and kept, these my quittances ordained by me, and have the said Masses sung and said as mention is made above, and this from the twentieths of my islands and of Guinea, and the revenues of lands and churches and commanderies, as is contained more fully in my letters which I leave made concerning everything, and that they have everything thus fulfilled and kept [illegible] for my soul, as they desire that God would ordain [?] for theirs, for the goods and increases of them and of other revenues which I leave and made through the Order of Christ.
Made in the town of Vila do Infante, thirteen [?] days of the month of October of the year of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and sixty years. Witnesses: Dom frei Fernando, vicar-general of the town of Tomar and of the islands, etc.; and the master in theology frei João Nunes, who was confessor of the said Lord Infante; and master Pedro [?], physician [?]; and Dom Fernando de Castro [?] and [illegible], alcaide-mor of the said Lord, all of his council; and frei João [?], his chaplain [?]; and Diogo de Almeida, knight of his household, and João Gorras [?]; and I, Fernão Palguado [?], scribe of the chamber of the Infante Dom Henrique my lord and public notary by his authority in his house and in all his lands, who wrote this by order of the said Lord and made here my sign, which is such. [Notarial sign.]
The Lisbon act: closing
Which testament appeared to be per[fect] m25 and signed by the hand of the said Lord Infante and, except [?] for the said chaplaincies, [written] by the said Fernão Palguado, as each one mentions [?]; and moreover on the back of it there were placed three seals of the arms of the said Lord Infante, namely his large seal and the cameo [?] and his signet, intact. Witnesses who were present at this: Dom Fernando de Castro, overseer of the finances (veedor da fazenda) of the said Lord King, and Doctor João [Fernandes?] da Silveira, both of his council, who now by his special order have charge of the matters of the said testament, and others. And I, Gonçalo Cardoso, squire of the household of the said Lord King and his chamber scribe, and by his royal authority and special order general public notary in his court and in all his realms and lordship, who wrote this, and signed it with my public sign. [Notarial sign.]
Sources and method
- Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, Lisbon. Colecção Especial, cx. 72, mç. 8, nos. 5–10 (PT/TT/CESP/72M08/00005–00010), and, for comparison, nos. 1–4 and 11 (1427–1458). Images on digitarq.arquivos.pt, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, Manuscritos da Livraria 516 (PT/TT/MSLIV/0516): the notarised book of the testament and charters, 1461, 80 images.
- Monumenta Henricina, vols. XIII–XIV (Coimbra), where the Portuguese texts are printed. We checked these volumes only through full-text search on HathiTrust: the acts of 18 September appear in vol. XIII around pp. 341–354, the acts of 30 September and the testament in vol. XIV, pp. 3–33. In those pages the editors' notes mention the signature (assinatura, autógrafo). We found no hits for words about ink, interlineation or added clauses (tinta, entrelinha, ressalva). That is why we say “to our knowledge”: a direct check of the printed notes is still to be done.
- Peter Russell, Prince Henry ‘the Navigator’: A Life (New Haven, 2000), ch. “The Necessary End”, discusses the testament. C. R. Beazley, Prince Henry the Navigator (1895), summarises the gifts of September 1460. Neither gives a full translation.
- Nuno Valério, Desvalorizações monetárias na história de Portugal (2017), p. 4, for prices and precious metals, 1435–1479.
Method: we downloaded the images from digitarq, transcribed them line by line with AI assistance, and compared them with the 1461 copy. We compared inks by measuring colour on the images, and checked our claims of novelty by full-text search of Monumenta Henricina. Crops are enlarged and lightly sharpened, without other retouching. The authentication of the copy at Tomar (MSLIV/0516, images 11–12) is too damaged for a full translation and is left out. Correction (4 November 2026): the overseer of the chaplaincies was first given here as “frei Antão Gil”; the manuscript reads Antam Glz, i.e. Antão Gonçalves. Corrections are welcome: please write to us.