The legend of Inês Negra – Melgaço

It tells the story of Inês Negra, a warrior woman who represents the anonymous women who fought for Portugal.

D. João I, the first Portuguese king of the House of Avis, had defeated the Castilians who claimed the throne of Portugal in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, but years later, there were still some occupied villages in the country that fiercely resisted the Portuguese onslaught.

Three years after the Great Battle, Melgaço was still held by Castile. It was the only village in the Alto Minho territory that still had a garrison and a Castilian mayor: Álvaro Paez de Souto Maior. It was not surprising, since the village was well fortified and, Fernão Lopes tells us, “it was surrounded without a suburb, with a good wall and a strong castle”.

D. D. João then decided to come in person with his troops to take the village, installing a camp there. He was accompanied by Queen Filipa de Lencastre, whom he had married the year before, and who had taken refuge in the Monastery of Fiães during the siege.

Between mid-January and early March 1388, the king tried in vain to conquer the town, even building a mobile wooden tower for the purpose. Skirmishes between the warring parties were constant.

The Portuguese siege of Melgaço lasted 53 days and the Castilian forces, which were fighting hard, were depleted of people, supplies and water.

D. João I then sent the Prior of the Hospital to parley with the enemy, demanding the return of the square of Melgaço and that the occupants leave the castle wearing only the clothes they had on their bodies.

It was from this situation, which turned into a Portuguese victory, that the legend of Black Inês emerged, joining others of Portuguese warriors and patriots.

The life of women in times of war was hard, especially in frontier zones. The men went off to siege and to fight and it was the women who directed, with an iron hand, the areas at the rear of the war. In the event of invasions, residents would soon take sides on the other side, splitting up entire families.

It is said that the woman who became known as Inês and whose “story” was described by the chronicler Duarte Nunes de Leão was a woman of the people, probably from the square of Melgaço and who left the square during the Castilian occupation, living in the military camp surrounding the town walls. She had as a sworn enemy another woman from Melgaço, who was called Renegada or Arrenegada because she had gone over to the Castilian side.
The legend tells that, when the Parliamentarian was sent to the village, after the long days of siege, the Arrenegada appeared on top of the wall and urged Inês to fight with her, and thus the dispute was solved.

King D. João must have been astonished at this turn of events, but, seeing in Inês’ eyes all the rage and hatred contained against the traitor, he immediately gave orders for everything he needed for the battle to be supplied to her.

The Arrenegada came down from the wall, and with swords in hand, they began the fight. Each was supported by the cheering cries of their respective supporters, who formed a circle around the combatants.

The two women attacked and defended with all their might, the sound of clashing swords rising above the cries of the audience.

A shout suddenly sounded! The traitorous Arrenegade, with a powerful blow, makes the sword jump from the hands of Inês. The latter, furious and wasting no time, immediately grabbed a pitchfork that was at hand and attacked her opponent. The Arrenegada’s sword was now an excessive weight, so she quickly dropped it and armed herself with a stave and attacked.

The fight then became closer and the two fell to the earth, rolling on the ground, in a hand-to-hand fight, tooth and nail and everything else they could.

Amidst the confusion of screams and dust, none of those attending the fight could understand what was going on. The scene calmed down and a questioning silence settled in. Who would have won the fight? Inês for the Portuguese or Arrenegada for the Castilians?

They stood up, and Arrenegada fled, covered in blood, dust and almost hairless, completely humiliated by Black Inês who held in her bloody hands strands of her enemy’s hair.

A general cry of victory arose right then and there from the Portuguese. And the chronicler Fernão Lopes says in the Crónica de D. João I that, on that day, “two brave women clashed, one from the town and the other from the village, and they both fought over their hair and the one from the village won”.

It is certain that the name of Arrenegada did not remain for legend, while Inês Negra entered the annals of the Portuguese heroines.

It is said that, when the battle was won, King João I wanted to reward the warrior. Inês refused, answering that she felt rewarded for the beating she had given the enemy and for having proudly taken Melgaço back to the Portuguese Crown.

The defeated Castilians left Melgaço, taking only the clothes they had on their bodies, and the Portuguese flag was once again gloriously hoisted on the Castle keep.