Event

Cortes of Leiria (1254)

1254 · 13th century

The Cortes of Leiria, summoned by King Afonso III in 1254, is the first Portuguese Cortes known to have included representatives of the towns alongside the clergy and nobility. Meeting at Leiria in central Portugal, it marked the beginning of the three-estate Cortes, which voted taxes and advised the crown at moments of crisis until the late seventeenth century.

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cortes of Leiria (1254). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cortes-of-leiria-1254
MLA
“Cortes of Leiria (1254).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cortes-of-leiria-1254. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cortes of Leiria (1254).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cortes-of-leiria-1254.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cortes of Leiria (1254)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cortes-of-leiria-1254 (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻