Afonso I was born in 1109 and spent part of his childhood in Guimarães, which was an important center for the County of Portugal at the time.
The castle, situated on a Monte Largo (Broad Hill), is often regarded as the birthplace of Portugal due to its role in the early formation of the nation.
Afonso Henriques or Afonso I was the son of Henry of Burgundy (D. Henrique de Borgonha) who conquered many lands to the Moors and therefore was rewarded with the County of Portugal, by then a part of the Galicia kingdom, itself a dependence of the Kingdom of León.
Afonso I of Portugal, was able to fulfill his dead father’s old dream of turning the County of Portugal into an independent Kingdom in 1143. Afonso Henriques died in 1185 leaving his son Sancho I not just a County but a true recognized Kingdom!