“Esta carta lhe nom guardees se aseellada nom for”: royal medieval seals of the Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa

Abstract

This article aims to study the royal medieval seals preserved in the Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa, where as in all the other Portuguese archives most of the seals disappeared. The royal seals fragments from D. Afonso IV to D. Afonso V are analysed, trying to recover as far as possible the memory of these seals and to place them within the context of the sigillographic practices of each of the Kings in question. In addition, the importance of seals and of their study is considered, and attention is drawn to the urgent need to safeguard them not only as historical sources but also as part of the Portuguese cultural heritage at risk of being lost.