Rui de Pina’s Chronica de el-rei D. Affonso V is a unique beast. It’s not a novel, but it has all the drama of one. Written in the late 1400s and early 1500s, this is Volume II of Pina’s chronicle of the king known as ‘Afonso the African.’

The Story

This volume picks up the thread of Afonso V’s reign, focusing heavily on his military campaigns in North Africa. We follow the king as he leads expeditions to capture cities like Arzila and Tangier, expanding Portuguese influence across the Strait of Gibraltar. But it’s so much more than a list of battles. Pina details the politics behind the wars, the alliances, the logistical nightmares of moving an army by sea, and the king’s personal role in the fighting. Alongside the conquests, we get glimpses of court life, royal marriages, and the internal governance of a kingdom that was rapidly becoming a global power. The story is framed entirely through the lens of royal duty, Christian faith, and the pursuit of glory for Portugal.

Why You Should Read It

Reading Pina is like getting history from the ultimate insider. He’s not an impartial observer; he’s a paid employee of the crown. That perspective is fascinating. You have to read between the lines. When he praises the king’s bravery, you wonder if it’s genuine admiration or required flattery. When he describes a setback, notice how he often frames it as a noble sacrifice or a lesson from God. The real magic is in feeling the weight of the era’s mindset—the unquestioned belief in divine right, the crusading zeal against Muslim powers, and the absolute centrality of the monarch. It’s a primary source that hasn’t been sanitized by modern historians. You’re getting the 15th-century spin, straight from the source.

Final Verdict

This is not a casual beach read. It’s perfect for history buffs, especially those interested in the Age of Discovery, medieval kingship, or Iberian history, who want to go beyond textbook summaries and engage directly with a primary source. It’s also a goldmine for writers or world-builders looking to understand how a pre-modern court chronicler thought and wrote. If you approach it not just for the facts but for the voice and the agenda of the man writing them, you’ll find it incredibly rewarding. Be prepared for dense prose and a very specific point of view, but if you are, you’ll feel like you’ve been let in on a five-hundred-year-old secret.