In 1100 AD, more than half of Iberia (modern Portugal and Spain) was controlled by the Moors

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Key facts

• In 1100 AD, more than half of Iberia (modern Portugal and Spain) was controlled by the Moors
• The Moors conquered Iberia from the Visigoths under general Tariq Ibn Ziad in a four-year campaign
• Afonso Henriques was born in 1109, son of Henry of Burgundy and Teresa of León
• Teresa of León was an illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VI, emperor of Castile, Galicia, and León
• Afonso Henriques was born with crippled legs
• Templar leader Gualdim Pais made a deal with Henry of Burgundy and Teresa of León to heal the child in exchange for tutorship
• Afonso Henriques was healed and trained in Templar secrets and initiations
• At age 13 in 1122, Afonso Henriques crowned himself at Zamora Cathedral (bishop's gate), symbolically declaring independence
• With approximately 300 men, Afonso Henriques defeated over 3,000 troops from his mother's armies and support forces
• Afonso Henriques conquered Santarém castle by night with dozens of knights against the entire garrison
• The conquest continued south to Lisbon and Cintra
• At Cintra, the Moors considered it one of six lost pieces of paradise and refused to shed blood in the sacred place
• Moorish leader Mystic delivered the castle keys to Gualdim Pais
• A tunnel system approximately six miles long exists under Cintra mountain, still called the Cave of the Moors
• Afonso Henriques fought his final major battle with 6,000 men against five Moorish kings commanding approximately 30,000 men
• Afonso Henriques wielded a sword weighing at least 40 pounds and wore minimum 120 pounds of armor
• One-third of all conquered land was given to the Templar organization

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