Orden jurídico e identidad política en los albores de la recepción del derecho común (sobre los Forais de Coimbra, Lisboa y Santarém)

Abstract

Although Portuguese historians have already paid special attention to the recognition of Portugal as a kingdom by Pope Alexander III, this very fact has not yet been connected to another singular contemporary fact: the simultaneous concession of «forais» to the towns of Coimbra, Lisbon and Santarem, by king Alfonso Enríquez. The assumption, as an initial working hypothesis, that there is a possible causal relationship between both facts, as well as seeking to verify such hypothesis by means of a critical analysis of the documents respectively embodying the action of both Pope and King, lead to remarkable results about the redaction process of these «forais», where, while keeping within the bounds of the current historical and juridical traditions, it also occurs the reception of the «Ius commune» principles, depicting the first Portuguese king as «Imperator in regno suo».