Denis (Portuguese: Dinis or Diniz, ; 9 October 1261 in Lisbon – 7 January, 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (Rei Lavrador), was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.

As heir to the throne Infante Dinis was summoned by his father (Afonso III) to share government responsibilities. At the time of his accession to the throne, Portugal was again in diplomatic conflicts with the Catholic church. Dinis signed a favouring agreement with the pope and swore to protect the Church's interests in Portugal. He granted asylum to Templar knights persecuted in France and created the Order of Christ, designed to be a continuation of the Order of the Temple.

With the Reconquista completed and the Portuguese territory freed from Moorish occupation, Dinis was essentially an administrative king, not a military one. However, a short war between Castile and Portugal broke during his reign, for the possession of the town of Serpa and Moura. After this, Dinis avoided war: he was a notably peace-loving monarch during a tempestuous time in European history. With Portugal finally recognized as an independent country by his neighbours, Dinis signed a border pact with Ferdinand IV of Castile (1297) which has endured to the present day.

Dinis' main priority of government was the organization of the country. He pursued his father's policies on legislation and centralization of power. Dinis promulgated the nucleus of a Portuguese civil and criminal law code, protecting the lower classes from abuse and extortion. As king, he travelled around the country, correcting unjust situations and resolving problems. He ordered the construction of numerous castles, created new towns, and granted privileges due cities to several others. With his wife, Infanta Isabella of Aragon, Dinis worked to improve the life of the poor and founded several social institutions.

Always concerned with the country's infrastructure, Dinis ordered the exploration of mines of copper, silver, tin and iron and organized the export of excess production to other European countries. The first Portuguese commercial agreement was signed with England in 1308. Dinis effectively founded the Portuguese navy under command of a Genoese admiral and ordered the construction of several docks.

His main concern was the redevelopment and promotion of rural infrastructure, hence the nickname of "the Farmer". Dinis redistributed the land, promoted agriculture, organized communities of farmers and took personal interest in the development of exports. He instituted regular markets in a number of towns and regulated their activities. One of his main achievements was the protection of agricultural lands from advancing coastal sands, by ordering the planting of a pine forest near Leiria. This forest still exists as one of the most important of Portugal and is known as the Pinhal de Leiria (Leiria Pinewood).

Culture was another interest of King Dinis. He had a fondness for literature and wrote several books himself, with topics ranging from administration to hunting, science and poetry. In his days, Lisbon was one of Europe's centers of culture and knowledge. The University of Lisbon (today's University of Coimbra) was founded by his decree Magna Charta Priveligiorum. He was also a great poet and troubadour. His poems and songs are preserved in mediaeval manuscripts of the Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional, the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and the Pergaminho Sharrer, the latter comprising seven songs by King Dinis with musical notation.

The latest part of his peaceful reign was nevertheless marked by internal conflicts. The contenders were his two sons: Afonso the legitimate heir, and Afonso Sanches his natural son, who quarrelled frequently among themselves for royal favour. At the time of Dinis death in 1325 he had placed Portugal on an equal footing with the other Iberian Kingdoms.

Dinis is buried in the Monastery of Saint Denis of Odivelas, a Cistercian monastery founded by him in 1295.

See also

• Cantiga de amigo
• Galician-Portuguese

Ancestors

Denis' ancestors in three generations

Dinis of Portugal	Father: Afonso III of Portugal	Father's father: Afonso II of Portugal	Father's father's father: Sancho I of Portugal
			Father's father's mother: Dulce Berenguer of Barcelona
		Father's mother: Urraca of Castile	Father's mother's father: Alfonso VIII of Castile
			Father's mother's mother: Leonora of England
	Mother: Beatrice of Castile	Mother's father: Alfonso X of Castile	Mother's father's father: Ferdinand III of Castile
			Mother's father's mother: Isabella of Swabia
		Mother's mother: Maior Guillen de Guzmán	Mother's mother's father: Guillen Perez de Guzmán
			Mother's mother's mother: Maria González Girón

Marriage and descendants

Dinis' first wife was Isabel or Elizabeth of Aragon, daughter of Pedro or Peter III of Aragon. She bore him a son and a daughter.

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
By Elizabeth of Aragon (1271-1336; married in 1282)
Infanta Constança (Constance)	January 3 1290	November 18 1313	Queen of Castile by marriage to Ferdinand IV of Castile.
Infante Afonso	February 8 1291	May 28 1357	Succeeded him as Afonso IV, 7th King of Portugal.
By Maria Pires (?-?)
João Afonso	c. 1280	1325	Lord of Lousã
By Marinha Gomes (c. 1260-?)
Maria Afonso	c. 1290	a. 1340
Maria Afonso (nun)	?	1320	Religious at the Monastery of Odivelas
By Grácia Froes (c. 1265-?)
Pedro Afonso	1287	1354	Count of Barcelos
By Aldonça Rodrigues Talha (c. 1260-?)
Afonso Sanches	b. 1289	1329	Lord of Albuquerque and rival of his half-brother Afonso IV
Other natural offspring
Fernão Sanches	c. 1280	1329
Pedro Afonso	c. 1280	?