Alfonso VII of León and Castile

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Alfonso VII
Cathedral of Toledo
Spouses
Berenguela of Barcelona
​
​
(m. 1128; died 1149)​
​
(m. 1152)​
Issue
among others...
Raymond, Count of Galicia
MotherUrraca of León and Castile

Alfonso VII (1 March 1105

Iberian peninsula
.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian

Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. Though he sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice to both Christian and Muslim populations, his hegemonic intentions never saw fruition. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent in 1128 and was recognized as independent de jure in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru
.

Succession to three kingdoms

In 1111,

León[1] and immediately began the recovery of the Kingdom of Castile, which was then under the domination of Alfonso the Battler. By the Peace of Támara
of 1127, the Battler recognised Alfonso VII of Castile. The territory in the far east of his dominion, however, had gained much independence during the rule of his mother and experienced many rebellions. After his recognition in Castile, Alfonso fought to curb the autonomy of the local barons.

When Alfonso the Battler,

La Rioja and "attempted to annex the district around Zaragoza and Tarazona".[8]

In several skirmishes, he defeated the joint Navarro-Aragonese army and put the kingdoms to vassalage. He had the strong support of the lords north of the

Marca Hispanica
.

Imperial rule

13th-century miniature of Alfonso VII of León from the codex Tumbo A. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León.

Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler
, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

On 26 May 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of Spain" in the

Petronila of Aragon with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon
.

War against Al-Andalus

Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the

Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris
tells it:

… early in the morning the castle was surrendered and the towers were filled with Christian knights, and the royal standards were raised above a high tower. Those who held the standards shouted out loud and proclaimed "Long live Alfonso, emperor of León and Toledo!"

In 1142, Alfonso

Mediterranean seaport.[11] In 1151, Alfonso signed the Treaty of Tudilén with Ramon Berenguer. The treaty defined the zones of conquest in Andalusia in order to prevent the two rulers from coming into conflict. Six years later, Almería entered into Almohad possession. Alfonso was returning from an expedition against them when he died on 21 August 1157 in Las Fresnedas, north of the Sierra Morena.[8]

Legacy

Alfonso was at once a patron of the church and a protector, though not a supporter of, the Muslims, who were a minority of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohads. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the pass, while on his way back to Toledo, occurred in circumstances which showed that no man could be what he claimed to be – "king of the men of the two religions." Furthermore, by dividing his realm between his sons, he ensured that Christendom would not present the new Almohad threat with a united front.

Family

In November 1128, he married

Berenguela,[12] daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona.[13]
She died in 1149. Their children were:

In 1152, Alfonso married

Ladislaus II the Exile.[18]
They had:

Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an

Fernán Ruiz de Castro
.

Family tree

Constance
of Burgundy		Alfonso VI
of León & Castile
Urraca
of León
Alfonso I
of Pamplona
& Aragon		Teresa
of Portugal		Henry
of Burgundy
Sancha
Raimúndez		Berengaria
of Barcelona		Alfonso VII
of León & Castile		Richeza
of Poland		Afonso I
of Portugal
Sancho III
of Castile		Ferdinand II
of León		UrracaGarcía Ramírez
of Navarre
ConstanceLouis VII
of France		SanchaSancho VI
of Navarre		SanchaAlfonso II
of Aragon

In fiction

A parody version of king Alfonso and queen Berengaria is presented in the tragicomedy La venganza de Don Mendo by Pedro Muñoz Seca. In its film version, Antonio Garisa played Alfonso.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Reilly 2003, p. 59.
  2. ^ a b Fletcher 1984, p. 133.
  3. ^ Stroll 2004, p. 239.
  4. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 12.
  5. ^ Waag 2022, p. 83.
  6. ^ France 2005, p. 122.
  7. ^ a b Lourie 1975, p. 635.
  8. ^ a b c d Reilly 2003, p. 60.
  9. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 309.
  10. ^ Powers 2010, p. 432.
  11. ^ Riley-Smith 1990, p. 48.
  12. ^ Barton 1997, p. 286.
  13. ^ Graham-Leigh 2005, p. table 4.
  14. ^ Reilly 1998, pp. 27–28.
  15. ^ a b Barton 1997, p. 13.
  16. ^ Hanley 2019, p. 233.
  17. ^ Bryson 1999, p. 29.
  18. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 114.
  19. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 307.
  20. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 143.
  21. ISBN 978-84-96613-10-2
    . Retrieved 31 December 2020.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfonso VII of León and Castile.
Alfonso VII of León and Castile
House of Ivrea
Born: 1 March 1105 Died: 21 August 1157
Regnal titles
Preceded by
King of Galicia

1111–1157 		Succeeded by
King of León

1126–1157
King of Castile

1126–1157 		Succeeded by
Alfonso I of Aragon
 (1126–1134) 		Succeeded by
Title abandoned

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