T HE C ROWN , THE C OURT AND M ONASTIC R EFORM IN M EDIEVAL P ORTUGAL : A G ENDERED A PPROACH Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues As was the case in other kingdoms of medieval Europe, the Portuguese monar- chy sought, from its very beginning, to establish its legitimacy by building close connections with the Church through the foundation of monasteries and the erection of royal pantheons, to name but a few instruments. 1 The first founda- tions of the Portuguese kings, queens and princes were Cistercian and Augus- tinian canons’ monasteries, but from the middle of the 13 th century, the Mendi- cant orders, and especially the Franciscans, began to ascend in the preference of both royalty and the nobility, 2 progressively replacing the older orders that were considered decadent and in need of reform. However, in the 14 th century, the Mendicants themselves strayed away from their original principles and were subject to criticism. Therefore, in the 15 th century, the Portuguese royal family promoted the introduction of new religious orders such as the Hieronymites and the Canons of St. John the Evangelist, and the reform of older orders, especially the Franciscans and the Dominicans. A number of courtiers also founded Mendicant religious houses, a few of them even pursueing the fuga mundi, relinquishing their offices and possessions and entering convents, her- mitages or adopting a life of religious vagrancy. This chapter will therefore begin by describing the spiritual atmosphere of the Portuguese court, which might help explain this religious intensity. In a second step, it will analyse the actions of the queens, princesses and noblewomen who not only protected the Observant Mendicants but also, in a few cases, did not hesitate in sharing their secluded life. Following the chronicler Fernão Lopes (c. 1380-c. 1460), historians have, for a long time, considered the court of King John I of Portugal (r. 1385-1433) pious and austere, much due to the influence of his wife, Queen Philippa of Lancaster (r. 1387-1415). The eldest daughter of the duke of Lancaster John of 1 M. SHADIS, The First Queens of Portugal and the Building of the Realm, in: T. MARTIN (ed.), Reassessing the Roles of Women as ‘Makers’ of Medieval Art and Architecture (Visualising the Middle Ages 7), 2 vols., Leiden 2012, vol. 2, pp. 671-702, here p. 673. 2 A. M. S. A. RODRIGUES, Spirituality and Religious Sponsorship in the 15 th -Century Portu- guese Crown. Kings, Queens and Infantes, in: B. GARÍ (ed.), Women’s Networks of Spiritual Promotion in the Peninsular Kingdoms (13 th -16 th Centuries), Rome 2013, pp. 205-220, par- ticularly pp. 205-208.