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| History of Portuguese Literature | Origins of Portuguese Literature | The Portuguese Language | Oral Literature | Fiction | Lyricism |
| Travel Literature | Cantigas de amigo | Historiography | Doctrinal Prose | ||
Fernão Lopes
(1380-1460)
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The
chronicler of D. João I and the keeper of the archives at the Torre do Tombo,
Fernão Lopes was the most important figure in mediaeval Portuguese literature.
His
importance lies in the great care that he took to base his historiographical
writing on documentary evidence, the talent that he exhibited as a writer, and
the minute detail and great vivacity with which he described mass movements (especially
during the uprisings in Lisbon in support of the Master of Aviz) and some scenes
from the events that he records, including dialogues. He achieves this not only
by retrieving reliable testimonies but also through his capacity to manipulate
the language, placing imagination at the service of truth, from which he does
not exclude himself.
His
main work was the Crónica de D. João I
(Chronicle of D. João I).
 Signature-autograph of Fernão Lopes. National Archives/Torre do Tombo |
