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66 - How a number of troops which he had summoned reached the king, and concerning the truce entered into by Martim Gonçalves
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2024
Summary
The king's letters reached Lisbon in February of the aforesaid year [1386] and were received and read out in the presence of large numbers of people. From these letters they learned that it was vital to the service of the king to dispatch at once to his present encampment significant numbers of men-at-arms, foot soldiers and crossbowmen. If the message was sent to them in great haste, then with even greater and more rapid determination did those in charge of the governance and direction of the city's affairs strive to carry out what it requested. These included João da Veiga the Elder, Afonso Gonçalves and João Anes da Pedreira, along with Estêvão Eanes, Vasco Martins and others from the guilds, plus their associates and many honourable citizens whom we do not need to name.
It was at once agreed by all of them that in the service of the king and for the honour of the city they should make haste to send the king 210 well-equipped lances, the 200 coming from the city and the ten from the township of Sintra, which then lay within the Lisbon city limits. In addition, they would send 250 crossbowmen and 200 foot soldiers. The captain of these forces would be the city's lieutenant, Gonçalo Vasques Carregueiro, accompanied by Estêvão Vasques Filipe, who was the kingdom's commander-in-chief of the crossbowmen. They were to take with them two trumpeters, two farriers, two blacksmiths, two saddlers, two liverymen and a single minstrel. All of them were to receive three months’ pay, namely for March, April and May, with each lance getting 300 libras for that period, that is to say 270 in cash and 30 in cloth, so that they should all wear the same agreed livery. A similar payment was made to those from Sintra for riding under the city's banner. The crossbowmen were paid 25 libras (or 5 dobras) a month, and the foot soldiers received 20 libras (or 4 dobras).
They decided that on account of his captaincy Estêvão Vasques should be given 5,000 libras (which at that time were worth 1,000 dobras, one dobra being valued at 5 libras). This was for the purchase of pack-animals and to ensure that he maintained fitting standards.
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- The Chronicles of Fernão LopesVolume 4. The Chronicle of King João i of Portugal, Part II, pp. 173 - 176Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2023