With regard to the order in which events occur in this world, we should reflect that the first thing which needs to be known about this man is the source of his lineage. For that reason, before we commend his noble deeds as praiseworthy, let us see who his father and mother were and from whom they were descended.

It so happened that in Portugal there was once a great and honourable nobleman, distinguished in both rank and lineage: his name was Gonçalo Pereira. His was a great and eminent household, and he enjoyed the fellowship of many honourable relatives and criados. He was very generous and liberal both to his own people and to strangers; indeed, it is written that his generosity was such that, on one occasion when he was in Pereira, he gave away sixty horses to noblemen who were close followers of his.

Anyone wanting to read an extensive account of the ancient origin of his lineage should consult the Livros das Linhagens dos Fidalgos, Title 21, paragraph 11, where he can find out about it in detail. Gonçalo Pereira fathered several children whom we shall not bother to mention, other than the one who, like his father, bore the name of Gonçalo Pereira: he became Archbishop of Braga and was one of the major prelates that there has been in Portugal.

This Archbishop Gonçalo Pereira fathered a son, Brother Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira by name, who became Prior of the Order of the Hospitallers. This man received great honours, became immensely rich and was of noble character. He left the country, and, travelling in great state, accompanied by a goodly retinue of squires and other men-at-arms, made his way to the [Order’s] monastery on the island of Rhodes. He journeyed there with twenty-five horsemen, and, as a reward for his honourable deeds, the Grand Master invested him with the rank of prior.