Alfonso VII had directed expeditions that had reached Cordoba and Seville, well beyond the limits of Castillian dominions, and in 1147 he managed to conquer the Mediterranean port of Almería, south of Granada.

It is feasible that Afonso led a raid into the Gharb, and then, while retreating, was intercepted by a sizable Almoravid force intending to crush his army and recover the spoils taken by the Portuguese.

[6] Before the battle, Count Afonso was hailed as rex (king) by his men in the Germanic fashion, by being lifted atop his shield by the leading nobles of Portugal.

[5] In the more detailed Chronicle of the Goths, Ismar waited until Henriques penetrated into Muslim territory, then systematically sent his troops from Seville, Badajoz, Elvas, Évora, and Beja against the Portuguese count.

[10] During this meeting, after being acclaimed by estates-general, Afonso Henriques accepted a group of laws on royal succession and excluded the Castilian line of kings from the Portuguese throne, made provisions for the nobility on justice and the independence of Portugal.

[13] Alexandre Herculano later recounted the patriotic re-imagining in his História de Portugal, which caused its own controversy, and was later perpetuated by the writings of Alfredo Pimenta (who defended the existence of the Cortes of Lamego).

[13] In commemoration of the Battle of Ourique, the first Portuguese coat-of-arms appeared that included five small shields, to represent the five defeated Muslim kings (from one interpretation), which was later challenged by many authors.

Yet, the legend, possibly earlier, knows its first known record[clarification needed] in the early 15th century by the monks of the Monastery of Santa Cruz, during the battles between John and the Kingdom of Castile.