Family tree Homs » Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León (1105-1157)

Personal data Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León 

  • Alternative names: Alfonso VII Galicia, (King of Castile and Leon) Alfonso II, King Alfonso
  • Nickname is el.
  • He was born on March 1, 1105 in Grajal, Galicia, SpainGrajal, Galicia.
  • He was christened in Castile-aka Alfonso II.
  • Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on March 24, 1934.
  • Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on March 24, 1934.
  • Occupations:
    • .
    • .
    • .
      {geni:job_title} Roi, de Castille, de Léon, Empereur, des Wisigoths
    • .
      {geni:job_title} Empereur d'Espagne
  • He died on August 21, 1157 in La Fresneda, Teruel, Aragón, Spain, he was 52 years oldLa Fresneda, Aragón.
  • He is buried in Cathedral de Santa MaríaToledo, Castille La Mancha, Spain.
  • A child of Raymond de Bourgogne and Urraca I de Castilla y León
  • This information was last updated on December 20, 2011.

Household of Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León

(1) He is married to Berenguela de Barcelona.

They got married on November 17, 1128 at Saldaña, Province of Palencia, Castille and Leon, Spain, he was 23 years oldSaldaña, Castille and Leon.


Child(ren):

  1. Constanza de Castilla  ± 1141-1160 
  2. Sancha de Borgoña  1148-1177 


(2) He is married to Ryksa Piastówna.

They got married about 1152.


Child(ren):

  1. Sancha de Castilla  1155-1208 


Notes about Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León

GIVN Alphonso VII Koenig von Castile und
SURN Leon
NPFX King
AFN 9FWS-1G
_PRIMARY Y
1998 1998
1998 1998
DATE 9 SEP 2000
TIME 13:15:38
GIVN Alphonso VII Koenig von Castile und
SURN Leon
NPFX King
AFN 9FWS-1G
_PRIMARY Y
1998 1998
1998 1998
DATE 9 SEP 2000
TIME 13:15:38
(Research):Alfonso VII Encyclop‘dia Britannica Article born 1104? died August 1157, Fresneda, Castile byname Alfonso The Emperor, Spanish Alfonso El Emperador king of Leon and Castile from 1126 to 1157, son of Raymond of Burgundy and the grandson of Alfonso VI, whose imperial title he assumed. Though his reign saw the apogee of the imperial idea in medieval Spain and though he won notable victories against the Moors, he remains a somewhat hazy figure. His childhood was complicated by the struggle between his mother Urraca and her second husband, Alfonso I of Aragon, for control of Castile and Leon. Only on Urraca's death (1126) did his stepfather finally relinquish his claims. Alfonso was then formally accepted as emperor by the kings of Aragon and Pamplona (Navarre), by the count of Barcelona, and by various Hispano-Moorish rulers. His capture of Almer¡a (1147) from the Moors won him renown, as did other victories, but in the end these led to little expansion of territory. Almer¡a was lost again in 1157 and C¢rdoba remained in his hands for only three years. In 1146 a new invasion of North African fanatics, the Almohads, began. Alfonso now allied himself with the Almoravids and devoted the rest of his life to a series of campaigns to check Almohad expansion in southern Spain. Despite the importance of the imperial idea at this time, peninsular fractionalist tendencies were by no means dormant. Alfonso was unable to prevent the establishment of Portugal as an independent kingdom (1140) and, in his will, he himself divided his realm, as was the Spanish custom, between his two sons, Sancho III of Castile and Ferdinand II of Leon. This act finally destroyed the concept of empire in medieval Spain.
Source #1: Frederick Lewis Weis, "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700" - Seventh Edition, with additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., assisted by Davis Faris (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1995), pp. 104-105

See other spouse for another ancestral line
Name Prefix: King Name Suffix: Vii, Of Castile And Galicia "El Emperor"
Seal to Parents: @I264825@
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the soverign who held Leon as the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman empire.But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VI and the Battler (Alphonso I, King of Aragon), the title had been little more thana flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135, after the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could notbe welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and aprotector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on his wayback 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."His personal character does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alphonso VI or the Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to some extent, the victim of the confusions of his age---Christian increed and ambition, but more than half oriental in his household
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the soverign who held Leon as the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman empire.But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VI and the Battler (Alphonso I, King of Aragon), the title had been little more thana flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135, after the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could notbe welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and aprotector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on his wayback 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."His personal character does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alphonso VI or the Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to some extent, the victim of the confusions of his age---Christian increed and ambition, but more than half oriental in his household
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the soverign who held Leon as the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman empire.But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VI and the Battler (Alphonso I, King of Aragon), the title had been little more thana flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135, after the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could notbe welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and aprotector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on his wayback 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."His personal character does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alphonso VI or the Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to some extent, the victim of the confusions of his age---Christian increed and ambition, but more than half oriental in his household
Acceeded the throne through his mother, Urraca, and abandment of claim by his
stepfather, Alfonso I of Aragon. He captured Almeria in 1147, and defended
against Almohad invasions from 1146.
Alfonso VII of León
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned Emperor of Spain in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of Castile and Raymond of Burgundy; the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Spain.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Spain over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Moslem populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

Contents [hide]
1 Succession to three kingdoms
2 Territorial aspirations
3 Imperial rule
4 Reconquista
5 Legacy
6 Family
7 Sources

[edit] Succession to three kingdoms
In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela, and the count of Traba crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession.

On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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.

[edit] Territorial aspirations
When Alfonso the Battler, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García VI was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

In several skirmished, he defeated the joint Navarro-Aragonese army and put the kingdoms to vassalage. He had the strong support of the lords north of the Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control.

At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

[edit] Imperial rule
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of Castile and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León. By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragón enabled him to make his superiority effective, although Afonso I of Portugal never recognised him as liege, thereby affirming Portugal's independence. In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragón with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragón and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragón.

[edit] Reconquista
Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Spain by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids.

From 1139, Alfonso led a series of expeditions subjugating the Almoravids. He took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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 1146, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence.

In 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.

In 1151, Alfonso signed the Treaty of Tudilén with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona. The treaty defined the zones of conquest in Andalusia in order to prevent the two rulers from coming into conflict.

In 1157, Almería entered into Almohad possession. Alfonso was returining from an expedition against them when he died in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).

[edit] Legacy
Alfonso was at once a patron of the church and a protector, though not a supporter of, the Moslems, 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 son, he ensured that Christendom would not present the new Almohad threat with a united front.

[edit] Family
In November 1128, he married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
Sancha (1137-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
Constance (1141-1160), married Louis VII of France
In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had a daughter, Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.

By his mistress, an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca, who married García VI of Navarre.

[edit] Sources
Arnaldo, Bishop of Astorga, wrote an account of Alfonso VII's life and reign known as the Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris.

Preceded by
Urraca King of Galicia
1111 – 1157 Succeeded by
Ferdinand II
King of León
1126 – 1157
King of Castile
1127 – 1157 Succeeded by
Sancho III
Vacant
Title last held by
Alfonso I Emperor of Spain
1135 – 1157 Succeeded by
None
Acceeded the throne through his mother, Urraca, and abandment of claim by his
stepfather, Alfonso I of Aragon. He captured Almeria in 1147, and defended
against Almohad invasions from 1146.
Acceeded the throne through his mother, Urraca, and abandment of claim by his
stepfather, Alfonso I of Aragon. He captured Almeria in 1147, and defended
against Almohad invasions from 1146.
Acceeded the throne through his mother, Urraca, and abandment of claim by his
stepfather, Alfonso I of Aragon. He captured Almeria in 1147, and defended
against Almohad invasions from 1146.
His childhood was complicated by the struggle between his mother and her 2nd husband for the throne of Castile. When Urraca died, his stepfather layed aside his claim and accepted Alphonso as Emperor in1126.
He was also accepted as Emperor by the Christian rulers of Navarre and Barcelona as well as various Muslim rulers. He won some notable victories in his wars with the Moors, but these resulted in little permanent gain. Faced with another invasion from Morocco, this time under the Almohades, he allied himself with the Almoravids to prevent another Moroccan conquest of Spain in 1146, captured Almeria in 1147, but lost it ten years later. He invaded southern Spain in the spring of 1157 but was defeated at the battle of Muradel in eastern Spain and died during the retreat northward at La Fresnada, near Alcaniz.
An aggressive warrior.
[alfred_descendants10gen_fromrootsweb_bartont.FTW]

King of Castile and Leon; m. 1152, RICHILDE OF POLAND (147-27), D. BEF 1176
"The Emperor" (1126-1157), is a dignified and somewhat enigmatical figure. A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the soverign who held Leon as the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman empire. But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VI and the Battler (Alphonso I, King of Aragon), the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135, after the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and a protector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, 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." His personal character does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alphonso VI or the Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to some extent, the victim of the confusions of his age---Christian in creed and ambition, but more than half oriental in his household. [Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1961 ed., Vol. 1, pg. 687, ALPHONSO VII]
!Name & title; Alfonso VII, King Of /CASTILE GALICIA AND LEON/
SURN Raimundez
GIVN Alfonso
AFN 9FWS-1G
_UID 4E3A25E4FBAA8E47B6F9CF9A9FF13966527F
_PRIMARY Y
1 UID B1CEAB9AB1D88F4BA76FBAA48408CD1408C2
1 UID A0E013CD7FED1F4B836F2C2A0CDEDF206732
DATE 21 May 2009
TIME 19:23:43
!Name & title; Alfonso VII, King Of /CASTILE GALICIA AND LEON/
It is reported that Alfonso was crowned before many princes, both Chri stian and Mohammedan, as the 'Emperor of Spain and King of men of tw o religions in 1135. He aimed at locating the Moors to subject commun ities rather than expelling them.

'The Emperor' (1126-1157), is a dignified and a somewhat enigmatical f igure. A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to t he soverign who held Leon as the most direct representative of the Vis igothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman em pire. But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VIand theB attler (Alphonso I, King of Aragon), the title had been little more th an a flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135,af ter the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragon enabled him tomak e his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the format ion of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since thefal l of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and a protector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a partof hi s subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the ri sing power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on hisway bac k 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.' His p ersonal character does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alp honso VI or the Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to som e extent, the victim of the confusions of his age---Christianin creed and ambition, but more than half oriental in his household.[ Ref: Ency clopaedia Britannica,1961 ed., Vol. 1, pg. 687). Alfonso is also styl ed as King of Leon and Galicia.
GIVN Alphonso VII Koenig von Castile und
SURN Leon
NPFX King
AFN 9FWS-1G
_PRIMARY Y
1998 1998
1998 1998
DATE 9 SEP 2000
TIME 13:15:38
!Name & title; Alfonso VII, King Of /CASTILE GALICIA AND LEON/
#Générale#Alphonse-Raymond VIII le bon
s:hg.narbonne-lara ; ddr

note couple : s:ds02.62 ; ds03.9 ; JP.Devy

note couple : s:ds02.62 et 69
{geni:occupation} Rey de Castilla (1126), Rey de Leon (1126), Emperador de las Espanas, Rey de Galicia, King of Castile, Rey de Castilla, Rey de Castilla y León, de León y de Castilla, King of all Spain, King of Galicia & King of Castile & Leon, King, Emperor of Spain
{geni:about_me} Alfonso VII de León
Rey de León y de Castilla
De Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VII

Alfonso VII el Emperador (Caldas de Reyes, 1 de marzo de 1105 - Paraje de La Fresneda, 21 de agosto de 1157). Rey de León y Castilla. Hijo de la reina Urraca I de León y del conde Raimundo de Borgoña. Fue el primer rey leonés miembro de la Casa de Borgoña, que se extinguió en la línea legítima con la muerte de Pedro I el Cruel, quien fue sucedido por su hermano de padre Enrique II de Trastámara, primer rey de la Casa de Trastámara.

Alfonso VII se hizo llamar a sí mismo Emperador. Galicia, León y Castilla se reunieron bajo una sola corona que en ocasiones se ha denominado como Imperio de León o Imperio Leonés.

Hijo de Urraca I y de su primer marido, Raimundo de Borgoña, al fallecer su padre en 1108 heredó el título de conde de Galicia.

Retomando la vieja idea imperial de Alfonso III y Alfonso VI, el 26 de mayo de 1135 fue coronado Imperator totius Hispaniae en la Catedral de León, recibiendo homenaje, entre otros, de su cuñado Ramón Berenguer IV, conde de Barcelona.

En 1128 contrajo matrimonio, en el Castillo de Saldaña, con Berenguela de Barcelona, hija del conde Ramón Berenguer III. Fruto del primer matrimonio del rey nacieron los siguientes hijos:
1) Sancho III el Deseado (1134-1158). Sucedió a su padre como rey de Castilla.
2) Ramón de Castilla (a.1136-¿?). Se desconoce su fecha de defunción.
3) Sancha de Castilla (1137-1179), contrajo matrimonio con el rey Sancho VI el Sabio, rey de Navarra.
4) Fernando II de León (1137-1188). Sucedió a su padre como rey de León.
5) Constanza de Castilla (1136-1160). Contrajo matrimonio en 1154 con el rey Luis VII de Francia.
6) García de Castilla y Barcelona (1142-1146).
7) Alfonso de Castilla y Barcelona (1144/1146-a.1149). Fue sepultado en el Monasterio de San Clemente de Toledo.

Volvió a casar en 1151 con Riquilda de Polonia, hija del duque Ladislao II el Desterrado. Tuvieron dos hijos:
8) Fernando de Castilla y Polonia (1153-1155).
9) Sancha de Castilla y Polonia (1155-1208). Contrajo matrimonio en la ciudad de Zaragoza en 1174 con Alfonso II el Casto, rey de Aragón.

Fruto de su relación extramatrimonial con Gontrodo Pérez nació:
10) Urraca Alfonso "la Asturiana" (1133-1189). Contrajo matrimonio en 1144 con el rey García Ramírez de Pamplona.

De su relación extramatrimonial con Urraca Fernández de Castro2 3 , viuda del conde Rodrigo Martínez, fue padre de:
11) Estefanía Alfonso "la Desdichada", nacida entre 1139 y 11484 y fallecida en 1180. Contrajo matrimonio con Fernando Rodríguez de Castro "el Castellano", quien la asesinó en 1180, hecho que inspiró la tragicomedia titulada "La desdichada Estefanía", escrita por Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio en 1604.
----------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_VII_of_Castile
http://www.gurganus.org/ourfamily/browse.cfm?pid=545
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cousin/html/p370.htm#i4593

Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla also went by the name of Alfonso VII "the Emperor". Also called Emperador de Hispania Alfonso VII "el Emperador" Raimúndez de Borgoña.2,3 He was born on 1 March 1105 at Toledo, Castile, Spain.4,5,6 He was the son of Raymond, comte de Bourgogne and Urraca, reina de León y de Castilla.1 King of Galicia at Spain between 1111 and 1157.7 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla was a witness where conde de Traba Pedro Fróilaz de Traba the private tutor and protector of the young Alfonso VII.8 A contract for the marriage of Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla and Berenguela Raimundo de Barcelona was signed before July 1124. His 1st. Her 2nd. Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla succeeded his mother with divine dispensation on 9 May 1126.9 King of Castile and León at Iberian peninsula between 9 May 1126 and 21 August 1157.10 He defeated the de Lara rebels (Pedro and Rodrigo González) who held the Towers of León against him in May 1126.11 He was a witness where Rodrigo González "el Franco" and Pedro González rebelled against the newly proclaimed king, Alfonso VII, son of Uracca, by holding out against him in the Towers of León in May 1126 at León, Kingdom of León, Spain.11 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla was a witness where Rodrigo González "el Franco" one of the principal antagonists of the Emperor.8 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla was a witness where Fernando Pérez de Traba fled to the court of Alfonso VII of Castile following his banishment from Portugal in 1128.8 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla married Berenguela Raimundo de Barcelona, daughter of Ramón Berenguer III "el Grande", conde de Barcelona y de Provenza and Dolça de Gévaudun, in November 1128 at Saladaña, Palencia Province, Castile-León, Spain; His 1st. Her 2nd.4,1 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla was physically attacked during a meeting with Rodrigo González de Lara on the banks of the Pisuerga River in 1131.8 He was a witness where Rodrigo González "el Franco" met with King Alfonso VII on the banks of the Pisuerga River where a dispute ensued, and the Count committed the crime of "lese majesty," physically attacking the King, in 1131.8 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla restored the prestige of the Leonese monarchy and was proclaimed emperor in 1135. He took Almería, a significant but momentary triumph in the Reconquest, ridding the Mediterranean of a strategic seaport base of infidel pirates and also severing the line of communication between Granada and North Africa in 1147.12 He married Richilde, Królewna Polska, daughter of Wladislaw II Wygnaniec, Królewicz Polska and Kristin von Schwaben, in July 1152; His 2nd. Her 1st.13,14 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla left a will in August 1157; He left Castile to his son, Sancho, and Leon to his son, Ferdinand. This split would see the kingdoms fighting intermittant cival wars for the next half century until there final reunification under Ferdinand III.15 He died on 21 August 1157 at La Fresneda, Teruel, Asturias, Spain, at age 52 years, 5 months and 20 days.4 Alfonso VII "el Emperador", Rey de Galicia, de León y de Castilla was buried in the Cathedral of Santa Maria, Toledo, Spain.
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http://www.marevalo.net/caceres/personajes.html
El Emperador. Rey de Castilla (1106-1157). Hijo de Raimundo de Borgoña y de doña Urraca -que lo era de Alfonso VI-, y primer soberano de la dinastia borgoña. Fue criado en Galicia, de donde era conde desde la muerte de su padre, por don Pedro Froilaz, conde de Traba, defensor de sus derechos al trono de Castilla, con el obisco Gelmírez, el arzobispo de Toledo, Bernardo, y su tio el Papa Calixto II, frente a las decisiones de su abuelo y las pretensiones de Alfonso I de Aragón, casado con su madre (1109).
Designo a Sancho Rey de Castilla y Toledo y a Fernando Rey de Leon y Galicia
Tambien Alfonso Raimundez.
Reino del 1104 al 1157. Coronado Emperador en 1135. Guerreó largo tiempo con los moros, venciéndoles en Jaén. Fundó la Orden de Alcántara en 1156.-
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Alfonso VII of León and Castile
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Alfonso VII of León
Emperor of all the Spains
Alfonso VII.
Reign 1135 - 21 August 1157
Coronation 1135 in the Cathedral of León
Born 1 March 1105
Died 21 August 1157
Place of death Sierra Morena
Predecessor Vacant - title last held by Alfonso I
Successor None
Royal House Burgundy
Father Raymond of Burgundy
Mother Urraca of León

Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.
Contents
[hide]

[edit] Succession to three kingdoms

In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela, and the count of Traba crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession. By 1125 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García Ramírez, Count of Monzón was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

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 Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

[edit] Imperial rule

A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León. By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Hispania had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective, although Afonso I of Portugal never recognised him as liege, thereby affirming Portugal's independence. In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragon with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon.

[edit] Reconquista

Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Hispania by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of Al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids. From 1139, Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. He took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.[1] 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 returining from an expedition against them when he died in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).

[edit] 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.

[edit] Family

In November 1128, he married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

1. Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
2. Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
3. Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
4. Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
5. Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
6. García (c.1142-1145/6)
7. Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)

In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had:

1. Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
2. Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.

Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133. Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando García of Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie 'the Unfortunate' (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernan Ruiz de Castro.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Riley-Smith (1990) p.48.

[edit] References

Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1990). Atlas of the Crusades. New York: Facts on File.

[edit] External links

* Arnaldo, Bishop of Astorga, wrote an account of Alfonso VII's life and reign known as the Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris.

Preceded by
Urraca King of Galicia
1111 – 1157 Succeeded by
Ferdinand II
King of León
1126 – 1157
King of Castile
1127 – 1157 Succeeded by
Sancho III
Vacant
Title last held by
Alfonso I Emperor of All the Spains
1135 – 1157 Succeeded by
None
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VII_of_Le%C3%B3n_and_Castile"
Categories: 1105 births | 1157 deaths | House of Burgundy-Spain | Kings of León | People of the Reconquista | Roman Catholic monarchs | Patrons of literature | 12th-century Spanish people | People of the Second Crusade (Christians) | Recipients of the Golden Rose
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Alfonso VII of Castile (March 1, 1104/5 - August 21, 1157), nicknamed the Emperor, was the king of Castile and Leon since 1126, son of Urraca of Castile and Count Raymond of Burgundy.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held Leon. This sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigoth kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman empire. But though given in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of Castile and Alfonso I of Aragon, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1128 he married Berenguela of Barcelona, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona. She died in 1149; their children were:

Ramon Berenguer III the Great was Count of Barcelona, Girona and Osona from 1082-1131 and Count of Provence, Holy Roman Empire, from 1112. ...

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ferdinand II of Leon (1137-1188)
Sancha (1137-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
Constanza (1141-1160), married Louis VII of France

Alfonso remarried in 1152 to Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Wladislaus II the Exile of Poland.

Alfonso VII was crowned emperor in 1135 after the death of Alfonso I. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. Events Stephen of Blois succeeds King Henry I. Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and widow of Henry V opposed Stephen and claims the throne as her own Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the Normans at Crug Mawr. ...

Alfonso was at once a patron of the church, and a protector if not a supporter of the Muslims, who formed a large part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, 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."
--------------------
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

Reign 1135 - 21 August 1157
Coronation 1135 in the Cathedral of León
Full name Alfonso Raimúndez
Born March 1, 1105(1105-03-01)
Birthplace Caldas de Reis
Died 21 August 1157 (aged 52)
Place of death Sierra Morena
Predecessor Vacant - title last held by Alfonso I
Successor None
Wife Berenguela of Barcelona
Royal House Burgundy
Father Raymond of Burgundy
Mother Urraca of León

Family
In November 1128, he married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
García (c.1142-1145/6)
Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)
In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had:

Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.
Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133. Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando García of Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie 'the Unfortunate' (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernan Ruiz de Castro.

Notes
^ Riley-Smith (1990) p.48.

References
Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1990). Atlas of the Crusades. New York: Facts on File.

--------------------
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of Castile and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela, and the count of Traba crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García Ramírez, Count of Monzón was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

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 Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of Castile and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León. By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Hispania had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragón enabled him to make his superiority effective, although Afonso I of Portugal never recognised him as liege, thereby affirming Portugal's independence. In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragón with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragón and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragón.

Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Hispania by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids. From 1139, Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. He took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.[1] 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 returining from an expedition against them when he died in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).

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 son, he ensured that Christendom would not present the new Almohad threat with a united front.

In November 1128, he married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
García (c.1142-1145/6)
Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)
In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had:

Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.
Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133. Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando García of Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie 'the Unfortunate' (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernan Ruiz de Castro.
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BIOGRAPHY: b. 1104?
d. August 1157, Fresneda, Castile
byname ALFONSO THE EMPEROR, Spanish ALFONSO EL EMPERADOR, king of Leon and Castile from 1126 to 1157, son of Raymond of Burgundy and the grandson of Alfonso VI, whose imperial title he assumed. Though his reign saw the apogee of the imperial idea in medieval Spain and though he won notable victories against the Moors, he remains a somewhat hazy figure.
His childhood was complicated by the struggle between his mother Urraca and her second husband, Alfonso I of Aragon, for control of Castile and Leon. Only on Urraca's death (1126) did his stepfather finally relinquish his claims. Alfonso was then formally accepted as emperor by the kings of Aragon and Pamplona (Navarre), by the count of Barcelona, and by various Hispano-Moorish rulers. His capture of Almería (1147) from the Moors won him renown, as did other victories, but in the end these led to little expansion of territory. Almería was lost again in 1157 and Córdoba remained in his hands for only three years. In 1146 a new invasion of North African fanatics, the Almohads, began. Alfonso now allied himself with the Almoravids and devoted the rest of his life to a series of campaigns to check Almohad expansion in southern Spain.
Despite the importance of the imperial idea at this time, peninsular fractionalist tendencies were by no means dormant. Alfonso was unable to prevent the establishment of Portugal as an independent kingdom (1140) and, in his will, he himself divided his realm, as was the Spanish custom, between his two sons, Sancho III of Castile and Ferdinand II of Leon. This act finally destroyed the concept of empire in medieval Spain.
Copyright © 1994-2001 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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REYES DE CASTILLA

1) Significado: Castilla: tierra de castillos.

2) Casa solar: Castilla, España.

3) Armas: Las del Reino de Castilla en su diversas épocas. Las que aparecen a la derecha son las Armas de los antiguos Condes de Castilla, en particular del Conde Fernán González: En campo de oro una banda de gules. Las Armas de la Casa Real de Castilla, que aparecen más abajo, fueron: En campo de gules un castillo de oro aclarado de azur. Las de Castilla-León (escudo de Fernando III, "el Santo"): Escudo partido en cuatro: 1° y 3°: un castillo de oro en campo de gules. 2° y 4°: un león rampante de gules en campo de plata.

4) Antepasados: Según cuenta la leyenda, Don Rodrigo (siglo IX), último rey de los visigodos, tuvo por hijo a Diego Porcelos (s. IX). Luego le sucedieron Nuño Núñez (s.IX), que fue padre de Fernando Muñóz (s. IX). Le siguen entre los condes de Cantabria: Gonzalo Téllez (s. X), Assur Fernández (s. X), Nuño Fernández (s. X), Gutier Núñez (s. X), Álvaro Herraméliz (s. X) y Gonzalo Fernández (c.890-932), que fue padre de Fernán González, primer conde de Castilla. Los antepasados directos de los condes de Castilla comienzan con Nuño Núñez Rasura que, siguiendo la línea de la Casas de Manuel y Múgica (ver Fernando III, el Santo).

I. Nuño Núñez Rasura nació hacia el año 810. Murió el año 860. Casó con Argilo. Tuvieron por hijo a

II. Fernando Muñóz "el Negro" de Castrogeríz nació hacia el añao 855. Murió el 927. Casó con Gutina de Castilla. Tuvieron por hijos a Gonzálo Fernández de Castilla (c.890, que sigue) y Munio Fernández de Amaya (+932, padre de Muniadomna, que casó antes del año 912 con Fernando Asúrez y tuvieron por hijo a Ansur Fernández, esposo de Guntroda y padre de Teresa Ansúrez de Monzón, que fue mujer de Sancho I "el Craso" de León: ver Reyes de León).

III. Gonzalo Fernández de Castilla (29° y 32° abuelo) nació hacia el año 890. Murió el año 932. Tuvo por hijo a

IV. Fernán González, conde de Castilla (28° y 31° abuelo), primer conde de Castilla, que nació hacia el año de 915 y gobernó el Condado de 932 a 970. Casó con Sancha Sánchez de Pamplona (hija de Sancho Garcés I de Navarra —905-925— y Toda Aznárez de Aragón) y tuvo entre otros hijos a: García Fernández I de Castilla (c.928; que sigue), Urraca Fernández de Castilla (c.935; que casó sucesivamente con Ordoño III, Ordoño IV de León y Sancho Garcés Abarca de Navarra [ver Reyes de Navarra]; de este último matrimonio nació García Sánchez II de Navarra, que casó con Jimena Fernández y fueron padres de Sancho III de Navarra), Munia Fernández de Castilla (c.942; que casó con Gómez Díaz y fueron padres de Sancha Gómez de Saldaña y Carrión, mujer que fue de Ramiro III de León [ver Reyes de León]) y Gonzalo Fernández de Lara (que murió antes del año 970 y casó con Nuna, y fueron antepasados de Nuño González de Lara, padre de Jimena Núñez de Lara que, según una hipótesis, fue amante de Alfonso VI de Castilla y madre de Teresa y Elvira de Castilla: ver más abajo y nota 1). Fernán González murió en junio del año 970.

V. García I Fernández, conde de Castilla nació el año de 928 y gobernó Castilla de 970 a 995. Casó con Ava de Ribagorza (del condado aragonés de Ribagorza; hija de Raimundo II de Ribagorza y de Garsenda de Fezensac (ver Duques de Gascuña). Por su madre descendía de Carlomagno [ver Carolingios], ya que la 5ª abuela de Garsenda de Fezensac era Berta de Francia [779], hija de Carlomagno e Hildegarda de Vintzgau). García Fernández murió el 30-V-995. Tuvieron por hijos a Sancho García de Castilla (c.965, que sigue) y Elvira García de Castilla (c.970, que casó con Bermudo II "el Godo", rey de León, y tuvieron por hijo a Alfonso V de León: ver Reyes de León).

VI. Sancho García, conde de Castilla nació hacia el año de 965. Gobernó Castilla de 995 a 1017. Casó con Urraca Salvadórez (nacida c.984 y fallecida el 20-V-1025) en 994. Tuvieron por hijos a García (que gobernó Castilla de 1017 a 1029), Munia Mayor de Castilla (c.995, que sigue) y Sancha Sánchez de Castilla (nacida c.1006 y fallecida el 26-VI-1026, que casó con Ramón Berenguer I, conde de Barcelona, en 1021: ver Condes de Barcelona).

VII. Doña Munia Mayor (o Elvira) nació hacia el año 995. Casó en 1010 con Sancho III de Navarra (ver Reyes de Navarra). Tuvieron por hijos a Fernando I (c.1016, primer rey de Castilla, que sigue), Garcia Sánchez III de Navarra "el de Nájera" (nacido después de 1020 y fallecido el 12-XII-1054; casó con Estefanía de Foix, que descendía de Carlomán —era su 8° abuelo—, hijo de Pipino "el Breve": ver Carolingios) y Gonzalo (conde de Sobrarbe y de Ribagorza). Fuera de matrimonio tuvo a Ramiro I, primer rey de Aragón.

VIII. Fernando I, rey de Castilla nació entre 1016 y 1018, en Burgos, Castilla. Gobernó Castilla de 1035 a 1065 y León de 1037 a 1065. Casó con Sancha de León (hija de Alfonso V de León y Elvira Menéndez de Melanda: ver Reyes de León), entre noviembre y diciembre de 1032. Tuvieron por hijos a Sancho II (rey de Castilla —1065 a 1072— y de Galicia -1071-1072), Alfonso VI (rey de Castilla, que sigue), García (rey de Galicia de 1065 a 1071), Urraca (señora de Zamora) y Elvira (señora de Toro). Fernando I murió el 27 de diciembre de 1065.

IX. Alfonso VI, rey de Castilla (23° y 26° abuelo) nació antes del mes de junio de 1040. Fue rey de León (1065-1109), rey de Castilla (1072-1109) y rey de Galicia (1071-1109). Se le conocen cinco esposas legítimas. La segunda fue Constanza de Borgoña (que tuvo lugar el 8-V-1081) en la que tuvo por hija a Urraca (c.1082). Constanza de Borgoña (ver Casa de Borgoña), nacida en 1046, era hija de Roberto "el Viejo", duque de Borgoña, y Helie de Semur; y nieta de Roberto II "el Piadoso", rey de Francia. También era sobrina de Hugo, abad de Cluny. El nombre de "Constanza" lo llevaba por su abuela, Constanza de Arles (984) que, a su vez, era nieta de Constanza de Provenza (931) y tataranieta de Luis III "el Ciego" (883), emperador, nieto de Lotario I (795, el hijo de Ludovico Pío y nieto de Carlomagno: ver Carolingios). Alfonso VI tuvo otras dos hijas ilegítimas, según una hipótesis discutida, con Jimena Muñoz (ver nota 1). La primera fue TERESA ALFONSO DE CASTILLA (1070), que casó con ENRIQUE DE BORGOÑA (hermano de su madrastra: Constanza de Borgoña) y fueron padres de Alonso I Enríquez, primer rey de Portugal (nacido el 25-VII-1110, que casó con Matilde de Saboya (ver Casa de Saboya) y fueron padres de doña Urraca de Portugal, esposa de Fernando II de León: ver Reyes de León). La otra hija ilegítima de Alfonso fue doña Elvira Núñez (c.1075), que casó con el conde tolosano Raimundo de Saint Gilles, el primero de los cruzados (ver Casa de Toulouse). Alfonso VI murió en Toledo el 29-VI-1109.

X. Doña URRACA, REINA DE CASTILLA nació hacia el año de 1082, en Burgos, Castilla. Fue reina de Castilla de 1109 a 1026. Caso con RAIMUNDO DE BORGOÑA, conde de Amerous (ver arriba dinastía de Borgoña-Ivrea), en Toledo, el año de 1087. Raimundo de Borgoña fue conde de Galicia y Coimbra en 1087. Raimundo murió en Grajal, el 20-IX-1107. Tuvieron por hijo a Alfonso VII (1-III-1004/05). En segundas nupcias casó con Alonso I de Aragón. Doña Urraca muere el 8-III-1125/26, en Saldana, Palencia.

XI. ALFONSO VII, REY DE CASTILLA nació el 1-III-1105, en Toledo, Castilla. Fue rey de Castilla de 1126 a 1157. Casó con BERENGUELA DE BARCELONA (1116-1149), en Saldana, el año de 1128. Berenguela era hija de Ramón Berenguer III de Barcelona (ver Condes de Barcelona) y Dulce Aldonza de Milhaud, condesa de Provenza (descendiente de los Reyes Capetos de Francia y también de los Carolingios). En 1152, casó en segundas nupcias con Richeza (hija del príncipe Ladislao II de Cracovia y Silesia). Muere el 21-VIII-1157, en la Fresneda, Teruel, Aragón. Está sepultado en la Catedral de Toledo. De su primer matrimonio tuvo por hijos a Sancho III (que sigue), Raimundo (murió antes de 1151), Fernando II (rey de León de 1157 a 1188 —ver Reyes de León—, y casado con doña Urraca de Portugal, que era hija de Alfonso I de Portugal y nieta de Enrique de Borgoña y Teresa de Castilla -hija de Alfonso VI-), García, Alonso, Sancha (casó con Sancho VI de Navarra en 1153), Constanza (casó con Luis VII de Francia). De su segundo matrimonio tuvo a Fernando y Sancha. Además tuvo dos hijas naturales: Urraca y Estefanía.

XII. Sancho III, rey de Castilla nació el año de 1134, en Toledo. Fue rey de Castilla de 1157 a 1158. Casó — el 30-I-1150/51, en Calahorra, Logroño— con Blanca de Navarra (hija de García VI Ramírez de Navarra, "el Restaurador" y Margarita de L'Aigle Rotrou —descendiente de los Reyes Capetos de Francia y los Carolingios—; García Ramírez era hijo de Ramiro Sánchez de Navarra —ver Reyes de Navarra— y Cristina Rodríguez de Vivar, hija del Cid Campeador). Murió el 31-VIII-1158, en Toledo. Tuvieron por hijo a

XIII. Alfonso VIII, rey de Castilla nació el 11-XI-1155, en Soria. Fue rey de Castilla de 1158 a 1214. Casó, el 22-IX-1177, en Burgos, Castilla, con Leonor de Plantagenet (1162-1214), princesa de Inglaterra (ver Casa de Anjou-Plantagenet y Reyes de Inglaterra de la Casa de Wessex). Tuvieron diez hijos: Sancho, Fernando, Enrique I —rey de Castilla de 1214 a 1217—, Berenguela (que sigue), Sancha, Urraca (casada con Alfonso II de Portugal), Blanca (casada con Luis VIII de Francia), Mafalda, Leonor (casada con Jaime I de Aragón) y Constanza (abadesa de las Huelgas). Alfonso VIII murió en Gutierre de Muñóz, Ávila, Castilla, el 6-X-1214. Está enterrado, con su esposa (que murió el 25-X-1214), en el Monasterio de las Huelgas, Burgos.

XIV. Berenguela de Castilla, reina de Castilla nació el mes de junio de 1180, en Burgos. Casó en primeras nupcias con Conrrado de Hoenstaufenen, duque de Suabia, en 1188 (este matrimonio fue anulado). Luego casó, en diciembre de 1197, en Valladolid, con Alfonso IX de León (ver Reyes de León), que en primeras nupcias había casado con doña Teresa de Portugal (y, entre estos dos matrimonios había tenido por amante a doña Inés Íñiguez de Mendoza, en la cual tuvo por hija a doña Urraca Alfonso). Alfonso IX y doña Berenguela eran nieto y biznieta de Alfonso VII. Aunque este matrimonio era ilegítimo, el hijo de esta pareja, Fernando III, fue considerado como descendencia legítima. Berenguela murió el 8-XI-1246, en Burgos.

XV. Fernando III "el Santo", rey de León y Castilla nació el 19-VIII-1201, en el monasterio de Santa María de Bellofonte, llamado luego de Valparaiso, en el término municipal de Peleas de Arriba, provincia de Zamora. Fue rey de Castilla de 1217 a 1252, y rey de León de 1229 a 1252. Casó en primeras nupcias con Beatriz Isabel de Suabia y Constantinopla (hija de Felipe de Suabia y nieta del emperador Federico Barbarroja, de la Casa de Suabia-Hohensatufen). De este matrimonio tuvo diez hijos: Alfonso X (rey de Castilla de 1252 a 1284, que caso con Violante de Aragón, y tuvo por hijo y sucesor a Sancho IV), Fadrique, Fernando, Enrique, Felipe, Sancho, Manuel (ver Casas de Manuel y Múgica), Leonor, Berenguela y María. Casó en segundas nupcias con Juana de Ponthieu Montreueil. De este segundo matrimonio tuvo por hijos a Fernando, Leonor y Luis. Murió en Sevilla, el 30-V-1252, y está sepultado en la Catedral de Sevilla.

XVI. Alfonso X, rey de Castilla y León, "el Sabio" (rey de Castilla de 1252 a 1284), hijo de Fernando III "el Santo" y Beatriz de Suabia, nació en Toledo el 23-XI-1221. Murió el 4-IV-1284 en Sevilla. Caso con Violante de Aragón (1236-1301; hija de Jaime I "el Conquistador" y Violante de Hungría), y tuvo por hijo y sucesor a Sancho IV), Fadrique, Fernando, Enrique, Felipe, Sancho, Manuel, Leonor, Berenguela y María. Tuvieron por hijo a

XVII. Sancho I, rey de Castilla y León, "el Bravo" nació el 12-V-1258 en Valladolid. Murió en Toledo el 25-IV-1295. Casó en junio de 1281, en Valladolid, con María Alfonso de Molina "la Grande" (1264-1321). Tuvieron por hijo a

XVIII. Fernando IV, rey de Castilla y León nació en Sevilla el 6-XII-1285. Murió en Jaén el 7-IX-1312. Casó el 23-I-1301 en Valladolid con Constanza de Portugal (1289-1313; hija de Diniz de Portugal e Isabel de Aragón). Tuvieron por hijo a

XIX. Alfonso XI, rey de Castilla y León nació en Salamanca el 13-VIII-1311. Murió en Gibraltar (Batalla del Salado) el 27-III-1350. Casó en Alfayete (1328) con María de Portugal (1313-1356; hija de Alfonso I de Portugal y Beatriz de Castilla). Tuvieron por hijo a Pedro I de Castilla "el Justiciero" (ver nota 2). Además, Alfonso XI se unió fuera de matrimonio con Leonor de Guzmán (ver nota 3) y tuvo por hijos, entre otros, a Enrique II (c.1333), rey de Castilla y a Fadrique Alonso de Castilla (1334), antepasado de la familia Enríquez Fonseca, de los Gómez de Parada, y de la Casa de Sarmiento, a su vez enlazada con la Casa de Ayala y con el linaje guipuzcoano de los Galartza (y a través de ellos de varios linajes del Valle de Lenitz: Eraña, Otalora, Ocaranza, Santamaría, Zubía, etc.).

NOTAS:

* Condes de Barcelona: ver cuadro genealógico en Historia Universal, EUNSA, tomo IV, p. 367. Desde Bellón, conde de Carcasona, hasta Berenguer Ramón I (1018-1035).
* Reyes de Pamplona: ver cuadro genealógico en Historia Universal, EUNSA, tomo IV, p. 359. Desde García Jiménez (c.870) hasta García Sánchez III (1035-1054).
* Condes de Castilla: ver cuadro genealógico en Historia Universal, EUNSA, tomo IV, p. 366. Desde Fernán González a Munia.
* Primeros príncipes pamploneses: ver cuadro genealógico en Historia Universal, EUNSA, tomo IV, p. 245. Desde Íñigo Arista (m. 851) hasta Sancho Garcés I (905-925).
* Ver cuadro genealógico de los descendientes de Sacho el Mayor, rey de Navarra de 1004 a 1035, en Historia Universal, EUNSA, tomo V, p. 375. Se pueden ver los enlaces matrimoniales de los reyes de Portugal, León, Castilla, Navara. Aragón y Cataluña, desde el siglo X hasta el siglo XIV.

[1] Hipótesis sobre la ascendencia materna de las hijas de Alfonso VI: Teresa y Elvira de Castilla. El origen de las hijas de Alfonso VI es una cuestión debatida. Según algunos autores, su madre sería Jimena Núñez de Lara, hija de Nuño González de Lara (descendiente del conde de Castilla Fernán González) y de Emersenda González de Amaya, que era 5ª nieta de Abd Allah I de Córdoba —nacido el 7-III-844— que, a su vez, era descendiente de los Omeya de Córdoba y de Mahoma el Profeta, que era su 8° abuelo. Otros genealogistas afirman que Elvira fue hija de Alfonso VI e Isabel (Zaïda) de Denia, una mujer conversa pero de origen árabe. Y por último, otra hipótesis —quizá la más sólida y defendida por la mayoría— sostiene que Teresa y Elvira de Castilla eran hijas de Alfonso VI y doña Jimena Muñóz, hija de Nuño Rodríguez de Guzmán y doña Jimena Ordóñez (o de Nuño González, Conde de Asturias, y doña Mayor Rodríguez). Doña Jimena Muñóz habría tenido a sus dos hijas entre 1081 y 1082. Al final de su vida, se retiro al convento benedictino de Esinareda del Bierzo, donde murió en 1128.

[2] Descendencia de Pedro I de Castilla "el Justiciero", hijo de Alfonso XI, Rey de Castilla, y María de Portugal) (ascendientes de Aldonza de Castilla)
I. Pedro I de Castilla (Burgos, 30-VIII-1334; murió en Montiel el 22-III-1369) casó, en Cuellar (abril de 1354), con Juana Castro Ponce de León (fallecida en Galicia el 21-VIII-1374), y tuvieron por hijo a
II. Juan de Castilla (Enero de 1355) caso con Elvira de Eril y Falces (hija de Beltrán de Eril y Magdalena de Falces) y tuvieron por hijo a
III. Pedro de Castilla, Obispo de Osma y Palencia (c.1380; murió el 28-IV-1461) que, de Isabel de Drochelín (dama inglesa de la reina Catalina), tuvo por hijos naturales a 1) Alfonso de Castilla (que casó con Juana de Zúñiga y Portugal y fueron padres de Pedro de Castilla y Zúñiga: ver ascendencia de Francisca Osorio de Castilla, hija del conquistador de la Nueva España, don Luis de Castilla) y 2) Aldonza de Castilla (que sigue).
IV. Aldonza de Castilla (c.1440) casó con Rodrigo de Ulloa, Señor de la Mota.

[3] Descendencia de la Casa de Guzmán (ascendientes de María Teresa de Guzmán)
I. Pedro de Guzmán (c.1225) de Isabel Alonso (fallecida el 9-IX-1309) tuvo por hijo a
II. Alonso Pérez de Guzmán "el Bueno", 1er. Señor de San Lucar (24-I-1256) casó con María Alonso Coronel y tuvieron por hijos a 1) Juan Alfonso (que sigue), 2) Isabel, 3) Leonor de Guzmán (falleció el 24-IV-1341 y casó con Luis de la Cerda en 1306; fue amante de Alfonso XI y madre de Enrique de Trastamara y de sus hermanos, entre otros, don Fadrique).
III. Juan Alfonso de Guzmán, 2° Señor de San Lucar (1285-1351) casó con Urraca de Osorio y tuvieron por hijos a 1) Alonso y 2) Juan Alonso (que sigue).
IV. Juan Alfonso de Guzmán, 1er. Conde de Niebla (1342-1396) casó con Beatriz de Castilla (hija de Alfonso XI y María de Portugal) y tuvieron por hijo a
III. Enrique de Guzmán, 2° Conde de Niebla (1379-1436) casó con Teresa de Figueroa (1383) en 1399, y tuvieron por hija a
V. María Teresa de Guzmán (c.1405-1479), que casó con Enrique Enríquez, 1er. Conde de Alba de Liste.
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BIOGRAPHY: b. 1104?
d. August 1157, Fresneda, Castile
byname ALFONSO THE EMPEROR, Spanish ALFONSO EL EMPERADOR, king of Leon and Castile from 1126 to 1157, son of Raymond of Burgundy and the grandson of Alfonso VI, whose imperial title he assumed. Though his reign saw the apogee of the imperial idea in medieval Spain and though he won notable victories against the Moors, he remains a somewhat hazy figure.
His childhood was complicated by the struggle between his mother Urraca and her second husband, Alfonso I of Aragon, for control of Castile and Leon. Only on Urraca's death (1126) did his stepfather finally relinquish his claims. Alfonso was then formally accepted as emperor by the kings of Aragon and Pamplona (Navarre), by the count of Barcelona, and by various Hispano-Moorish rulers. His capture of Almería (1147) from the Moors won him renown, as did other victories, but in the end these led to little expansion of territory. Almería was lost again in 1157 and Córdoba remained in his hands for only three years. In 1146 a new invasion of North African fanatics, the Almohads, began. Alfonso now allied himself with the Almoravids and devoted the rest of his life to a series of campaigns to check Almohad expansion in southern Spain.
Despite the importance of the imperial idea at this time, peninsular fractionalist tendencies were by no means dormant. Alfonso was unable to prevent the establishment of Portugal as an independent kingdom (1140) and, in his will, he himself divided his realm, as was the Spanish custom, between his two sons, Sancho III of Castile and Ferdinand II of Leon. This act finally destroyed the concept of empire in medieval Spain.
Copyright © 1994-2001 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Family

In November 1128, he married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

1. Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
2. Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
3. Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
4. Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
5. Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
6. García (c.1142-1145/6)
7. Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)

In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had:

1. Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
2. Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.

Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133. Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando García of Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie 'the Unfortunate' (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernan Ruiz de Castro.

Sources:

Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1990). Atlas of the Crusades. New York: Facts on File.
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Nació el 1-III-1105, en Toledo, Castilla. Fue rey de Castilla de 1126 a 1157. Casó con Berenguela de Barcelona (1116-1149), en Saldana, el año de 1128. Berenguela era hija de Ramón Berenguer III de Barcelona (ver Condes de Barcelona) y Dulce Aldonza de Milhaud, condesa de Provenza (descendiente de los Reyes Capetos de Francia y también de los Carolingios). En 1152, casó en segundas nupcias con Richeza (hija del príncipe Ladislao II de Cracovia y Silesia). Muere el 21-VIII-1157, en la Fresneda, Teruel, Aragón. Está sepultado en la Catedral de Toledo. De su primer matrimonio tuvo por hijos a Sancho III, Raimundo (murió antes de 1151), Fernando II (rey de León de 1157 a 1188 —ver Reyes de León—, y casado con doña Urraca de Portugal, que era hija de Alfonso I de Portugal y nieta de Enrique de Borgoña y Teresa de Castilla -hija de Alfonso VI-), García, Alonso, Sancha (casó con Sancho VI de Navarra en 1153), Constanza (casó con Luis VII de Francia). De su segundo matrimonio tuvo a Fernando y Sancha. Además tuvo dos hijas naturales: Urraca y Estefanía.
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Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of Castile and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.
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Alfonso VII, called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Spain.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterized by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Spain over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143.

Alfonso was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela, and the count of Traba crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession. By 1125 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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.

In November 1128, Alfonso married Berenguela, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. She bore him seven children, including our ancestor King Sancho III.

When Alfonso the Battler, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García Ramírez, Count of Monzón was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

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 Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León. By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Hispania had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective, although Afonso I of Portugal never recognised him as liege, thereby affirming Portugal's independence. In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of our ancestor Petronila of Aragon with our ancestor Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon.

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.

In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. She bore him two children, including our ancestor Sancha.

Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Hispania by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of Al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids. From 1139, Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. He took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.[1] 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 returining from an expedition against them when he died in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).

Alfonso was our ancestor through two distinct descent lines--through his son Sancho III and through his daughter Sancha, each of whom was independently our ancestor.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VII_of_Castile for more information.
--------------------
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), born Alfonso Raimúndez, called the Emperor (el Emperador), became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso first used the title Emperor of All the Spains, alongside his mother Urraca, once his mother vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116. Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the Imperial title. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

--------------------
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 – 21 August 1157), born Alfonso Raimúndez, called the Emperor (el Emperador), became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso first used the title Emperor of All the Spains, alongside his mother Urraca, once his mother vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116. Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the Imperial title. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

Contents [hide]
1 Succession to three kingdoms
2 Imperial rule
2.1 Reconquista
3 Legacy
4 Family
5 Ancestry
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Succession to three kingdoms
In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela and the count of Traba, crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.[1] He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession. By 1125 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García Ramírez, Count of Monzón was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

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 Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

[edit] Imperial rule

Alfonso as Emperor, from a Privilegium Imperatoris issued by him.A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León.[2] By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Hispania had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. After Afonso I of Portugal recognised him as liege in 1137, Alfonso VII lost the tournament at Arcos de Valedevez in 1141 thereby affirming Portugal's independence.[3] In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragon with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon.

[edit] Reconquista
Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Hispania by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of Al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids. From 1139, Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. After a seven-month siege, he took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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!" ”

[citation needed]

In 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.[4] 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 in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).[5]

[edit] 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.

[edit] Family
In November 1128, he married Berenguela,[6] daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
García (c.1142-1145/6)
Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)
In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile.[7] They had:

Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.
Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133.[8] Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando Garcés de Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie the Unfortunate (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernán Ruiz de Castro.

[edit] Ancestry
Ancestors of Alfonso VII of León and Castile[hide]

16. Otto-William, Count of Burgundy

8. Reginald I, Count of Burgundy

17. Ermentrude of Roucy

4. William I, Count of Burgundy

18. Richard II, Duke of Normandy

9. Adelaide of Normandy

19. Judith of Brittany

2. Raymond of Burgundy

5. Stephanie

1. Alfonso VII of León and Castile

24. Sancho III of Navarre

12. Ferdinand I of León and Castile

25. Mayor of Castile

6. Alfonso VI of León and Castile

26. Alfonso V of Leon

13. Sancha of León

27. Elvira Mendes

3. Urraca of León and Castile

28. Robert II of France

14. Robert I, Duke of Burgundy

29. Constance of Arles

7. Constance of Burgundy

30. Dalmas of Semur

15. Hélie of Sémur

31. Aremburge of Vergy

[edit] Notes
^ Stroll, Mary, Calixtus 2, 1119-1124, (BRILL, 2004), 239.
^ Medieval Iberia: an encyclopedia, Ed. E. Michael Gerli and Samuel G. Armistead, (Taylor & Francis, 2003) 60.
^ Reilly, Bernard F., The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VII, 1126-1157, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998), 309.
^ Riley-Smith (1990) p.48.
^ Medieval Iberia: an encyclopedia, 60.
^ Barton, Simon, The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile, (Cambridge University Press, 1997), 286.
^ Reilly, 114.
^ Reilly, 143.
[edit] References
Barton, Simon, The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Medieval Iberia: an encyclopedia, Ed. E. Michael Gerli and Samuel G. Armistead, Taylor & Francis, 2003.
Reilly, Bernard F., The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VII, 1126-1157, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1990). Atlas of the Crusades. New York: Facts on File.
Stroll, Mary, Calixtus 2, 1119-1124, BRILL, 2004.
--------------------
Aka: Alfonso II of Castile/Pierre-Raimund.

Sources:

The book, 'Kings & Queens of Great Britain'

The book, 'The Oxford History of Medieval Europe'

The book, 'Kings & Queens of Europe'
--------------------
Full Tittle

Alfonso VII "Pierre-Raimund" King Of CASTILE AND LEON AND GALICIA
--------------------
Alfonso VII, Rey de Castilla was born in 1105.1 He is the son of Raimond, Duc de Bourgogne and Urraca, Reina de Castilla.1 He married, firstly, Berengaria de Provence, daughter of Raimond Berengar III, Conde de Barcelona and Douce de Provence, in 1128.1 He married, secondly, Richenza of Poland, daughter of Wladislaw II, Duke of Poland and Agnes Babenberg, in 1152.1 He died on 21 August 1157.
Alfonso VII, Rey de Castilla was a member of the House of Burgundy.2 He gained the title of Roi Alfonso VII de Galice in 1112.1 He succeeded to the title of Rey Alfonso VII de Castilla in 1126.1
Children of Alfonso VII, Rey de Castilla and Berengaria de Provence

* Sanchia de Castilla+3 d. 5 Aug 1179
* Fernando II, Rey de León+4 b. bt 1128 - 1149, d. 21 Jan 1188
* Sancho III, Rey de Castilla+4 b. c 1134, d. 31 Aug 1158
* Constanza de Castilla+5 b. a 1140, d. 1160

Child of Alfonso VII, Rey de Castilla and Richenza of Poland

* Sanchia de Castilla+1 b. 21 Sep 1154, d. Nov 1208

http://thepeerage.com/p10679.htm#i106782

URL:
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Individual Record FamilySearch™ Pedigree Resource File

Search Results | Print

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Alfonso VII Raymundez Compact Disc #135 Pin #3766622 Pedigree
Sex: M

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event(s)
Birth: 1 Mar 1105

,,CASTILLA,Spain
Death: 21 Aug 1157

,,CASTILLA,Spain

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents
Father: Pedro Raymundo DE BURGUNDIA Disc #135 Pin #3766643
Mother: Urraca de LEON, CASTILLA y ZAMORA Disc #135 Pin #3766644

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marriage(s)
Spouse: Berenguela Berengar de CASTILLA Disc #135 Pin #3766623
Marriage: 1128
,,CASTILLA,Spain

Spouse: RYKSA RIQUILDA DE SILESIA DE POLONIA Disc #135 Pin #3766754
Marriage: abt 1145
,,CASTILLA,Spain

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes and Sources
Notes: Available on CD-ROM Disc# 135
Sources: None

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Submitter
Ruben F. VERGARAY
763 E 50 South Provo UT 84606
He was also Alfonso VII, king of León.
Afonso VII de Leão e Castela, o Imperador (Caldas de Reis, 1 de Março de 1105 - Viso del Marqués?, 21 de Agosto de 1157), foi o primeiro rei da casa de Borgonha na Espanha: rei da Galiza a partir de 1111, rei de Leão a partir de 1126, rei de Castela e de Toledo a partir de 1127, e imperador da Hispânia a partir de 1135.

Baptizado como Afonso Raimundes, era filho da rainha Urraca de Leão e Castela e de Raimundo de Borgonha. O seu reinado, o primeiro da dinastia de Borgonha nesses reinos, caracterizou-se pela tentativa de hegemonia de toda a Península Ibérica, fracassada pela independência de Portugal, pela criação da Coroa de Aragão e pela resistência moura ao invasor cristão.

(mais em http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_VII_de_Le%C3%A3o_e_Castela )
REY ALFONSO VII DE CASTILLA Y LEON Nació in 1105. He Murió in 1157. Reinó del 1104 al 1157. Coronado Emperador en 1135. Guerreó largo tiempo con los moros, venciéndoles en Jaén. Fundó la Orden de Alcántara en 1156.-
!Name & title; Alfonso VII, King Of /CASTILE GALICIA AND LEON/
Rey de Castilla y León (1126-1257)
Monarca al que prestaron vasallaje los de Aragón y Navarra, los condes de Barcelona, Gascuña y Provenza, por lo cual tomo el título de Emperador de toda España.
FGRA
_P_CCINFO 1-20792
ALPHONSO VII, "The Emperor" (1126-1157), is a dignified and somewhatenigmatical figure. A vague tradition had always assigned the title ofemperor to the soverign who held Leon as the most direct representativeof the Visigothic kings, who were themselves the representatives of theRoman empire. But though given in charters, and claimed by Alphonso VIand the Battler (Alphonso I, King of Aragón), the title had been littlemore than a flourish of rhetoric. Alphonso VII was crowned emperor in1135, after the death of the Battler. The weakness of Aragón enabled himto make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for theformation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since thefall of the Visigoth kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could notbe welded together. Alphonso was at once a patron of the Church and aprotector if not a favourer of the Mohammedans, who formed a part of hissubjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the risingpower of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death inthe Pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on his way back toToledo, occurred in circumstances which showed that no man could be whathe claimed to be---"king of the men of the two religions." His personalcharacter does not stand out with the emphasis of those of Alphonso VI orthe Battler. Yet he was a great king, the type and, to some extent, thevictim of the confusions of his age---Christian in creed and ambition,but more than half oriental in his household. [Encyclopaedia Britannica,1961 ed., Vol. 1, pg. 687, ALPHONSO VII]
Alfonso VII began the struggle with the Moorish Caliphs
King of Castile
Kejsare av Spanien.
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105 - 21 August 1157), called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. He was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in 1135. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Burgundy to rule in Hispania.

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian Hispania over the eastern (Navarre and Aragón) after the reign of Alfonso the Battler. He also sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice, though his attempts to rule over both Christian and Muslim populations was even less successful. His hegemonic intentions never saw fruition, however. During his tenure, Portugal became de facto independent, in 1128, and was recognized as de jure independent, in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the troubadour Marcabru.

CSuccession to three kingdoms
In 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela, and the count of Traba crowned Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was but a child at the time, but his mother had already (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession. By 1125 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León 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, King of Navarre and Aragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the military orders. The aristocracy of both kingdoms did not accept this and García Ramírez, Count of Monzón was elected in Navarre while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, Ramiro II. Alfonso responded by occupying La Rioja, conquering Zaragoza, and governing both realms in unison. From this point, the arms of Zaragoza began to appear in those of León.

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 Pyrenees, who held lands as far as the River Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the other Catalan counties to unite the old Marca Hispanica.

Imperial rule
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León. Sancho the Great considered the city the imperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscription Imperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the Visigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of León and Alfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of All the Spains" in the Cathedral of León. By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the Reconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which Hispania had never possessed since the fall of the Visigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective, although Afonso I of Portugal never recognised him as liege, thereby affirming Portugal's independence. In 1143, he himself recognised this status quo and consented to the marriage of Petronila of Aragon with Ramon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon.

Reconquista
Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the Cistercians to Hispania by founding a monastery at Fitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards the Moors of Al-Andalus, especially the Almoravids. From 1139, Alfonso led a series of crusades subjugating the Almoravids. He took the fortress of Oreja near Toledo and, as the Chronica Adefonsis 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 1144, Alfonso advanced as far as Córdoba. Two years later, the Almohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid Ibn Ganiya for their mutual defence. When Pope Eugene III preached the Second Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of Catalans and Franks, with a Genoese-Pisans navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of Almería, which was occupied in October 1147. It was Castile's first Mediterranean seaport.[1] 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 returining from an expedition against them when he died in pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, possibly at Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real).

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, daughter of Ramon Berenguer III. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158)
Ramon, living 1136, died in infancy
Ferdinand II of León (1137-1188)
Constance (c.1138-1160), married Louis VII of France
Sancha (c.1139-1179), married Sancho VI of Navarre
García (c.1142-1145/6)
Alfonso (c.1144-by 1149)
In 1152, Alfonso married Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Ladislaus II the Exile. They had:

Ferdinand, (1153-1157)
Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragón.
Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an Asturian noblewoman named Guntroda Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca (1132-1164), who married García Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133. Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count Rodrigo Martínez and daughter of Fernando García of Hita, an apparent grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre, having a daughter Stephanie 'the Unfortunate' (1148-1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, Fernan Ruiz de Castro.

Notes
^ Riley-Smith (1990) p.48.

References
Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1990). Atlas of the Crusades. New York: Facts on File.




Image of King Alfonso VII de Castilla

King Alfonso VII de Castilla


King of Castile and Leon and Galicia.
For more information see the Our Folk - Hart family Web Site


from "Our Folk" by Albert D Hart, Jr.
KING OF CASTILE
"RAMON"; EMPORER OF SPAIN; KING OF LEON & CASTILE
Alfonso VII de Borgoña, el Emperador (Caldas de Reis, 1 de marzo 1105 - Paraje de La Fresneda, 21 de agosto de 1157), fue rey de León, Galicia y Castilla, el primero de la Casa de Borgoñaen dichos reinos. Era hijo de Urraca I y de su primer mari
do, Raimundo de Borgoña.

Retomando la vieja idea imperial de Alfonso III y Alfonso VI, el 26 de mayo de 1135 fue coronado Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperador de todas las Españas) en la Catedral de León, recibiendo homenaje, entre otros, de su cuñado Ramón Berenguer IV
, conde de Barcelona.
Tabla de contenidos
ocultar

* 1 Rey de León
* 2 Aspiraciones territoriales
* 3 Reconquista
* 4 Matrimonio y descendencia
* 5 Véase también
* 6 Enlaces externos

Rey de León editar

En 1111 fue coronado rey de Galicia por el obispo Gelmírez y el conde de Traba, en la catedral de Santiago de Compostela. El 10 de marzo de 1126, tras la muerte de su madre, fue coronado rey de León y de inmediato emprendió la recuperación del Re
ino de Castilla que estaba bajo el dominio de Alfonso I de Aragón. Con las Paces de Támara de 1127 se puso fin a la disputa entre los dos reyes.

Alfonso tuvo que enfrentarse a diversas rebeliones suscitadas en los territorios más próximos a Aragón, debido a la larga autonomía que estas regiones habían conseguido desde la muerte desu abuelo, el rey Alfonso VI de León.

Aspiraciones territoriales editar

Tras la muerte, sin descendencia, del rey navarro-aragonés Alfonso I el Batallador (1134), Alfonso VII pretendió el trono, sin éxito ya que, finalmente, la sucesión recayó en el hermano de Alfonso I, Ramiro II el Monje. A pesar de ello, Alfonso o
cupó La Rioja, conquistó Zaragoza y dictaminó de hecho los gobiernos de ambos reinos en adelante. En escaramuzas varias, derrotó al ejército navarro-aragonés sometiendo el reino a su vasallaje. Apoyado por nobles del norte de los Pirineos, contro
ló amplios territorios del sur de Francia, llegando hasta el río Ródano.

Ayudó en las luchas del conde de Barcelona, Ramón Berenguer IV, contra los condados catalanes, consiguiendo unificar la Marca Hispánica.

En 1135 fue coronado por el obispo Arriano ante Guido de Vico, legado del papa Inocencio II, Emperador en los Reinos Hipánicos en la catedral de León, expresando así su pretensión de hegemonía peninsular y de exclusividad en la reconquista. Asist
en entre otros, rindiéndole pleitesía, su primo García Ramírez de Navarra, su cuñado conde Raimundo de Barcelona (señor consorte de Aragón), el conde Alfonso Jordán de Tolosa y otros señores y embajadores de Gascuña y del Midi (sur de Francia), A
rmengol de Urgel, y representantes de varios de los principales linajes musulmanes, como el caudillo ismaelita Zafadola. No lo hace su también primo Alfonso Enríquez hijo de la Condesa dePortucale, que terminará reconociéndole dos años después,
y al que será concedido el Reino de Portugal en 1143 en calidad vasallo.

Con la Corona de Aragón acordaría los límites del avance de cada una de los dos estados en el Tratado de Tudilén de 1151.

Reconquista editar

Desde 1139 llevó a cabo expediciones y ataques de saqueo incitando las sublevaciones de las poblaciones almorávides. La invasión de los almohades a partir de 1146 obligó a Alfonso VII a fortificar la frontera y pactar con el almorávide Ibn Ganiya
para organizar la resistencia.

En 1144 llegó hasta Córdoba y en 1147 tomó Almería junto con el rey de Aragón y Navarra y el conde de Barcelona.

En 1157, los almohades recuperaron el control de la ciudad de Almería y Alfonso VII murió el 21 de agosto cuando regresaba a León queda constancia de que el monarca pasó noche en el pueblo de El Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real) y se especula que su
muerte pudo tener lugar allí. Sus dos hijos se repartieron el reino que, nuevamente, quedó dividido en dos: el Reino de León y el Reino de Castilla.

Matrimonio y descendencia editar

En 1128 se casa, en Saldaña (Palencia), con Berenguela de Barcelona, hija del conde Ramón Berenguer III y, por tanto, hermana de Ramón Berenguer IV. De esta unión nacieron:

* Sancho el Deseado (1134 - 1158), rey de Castilla con el nombre de Sancho III
* Ramón (1136 - 1151)
* Sancha (1137 - 1179), casada en 1157 con el rey Sancho VI de Navarra
* Fernando (1137 - 1188), rey de León con el nombre de Fernando II
* Constanza (1141 - 1160), casada en 1154 con el rey Luis VII de Francia
* Garcia (1142 - 1146)
* Alfonso (1145 - 1149).

En julio de 1152 se casa con Riquilda de Polonia, hija del duque Ladislao II el Desterrado. Tuvieron dos hijos:

* Fernando (1153 - 1155)
* Sancha (1156 - 1208), casada en 1174 con el rey Alfonso II de Aragón.

De sus amoríos con Gontrada Pérez (o Guntroda Díaz) nació:

* Urraca Alfonso (1126 - 1189), casada en 1144 con el rey García Ramírez de Navarra el Restaurador.

De sus amoríos con Sancha Fernández nació:

* Estefania (1150 - 1180), casada con Fernán Ruiz de Castro.

Véase también editar

* Pedro Froilaz
* Diego Gelmírez
* Tabla cronológica de reinos de España

Enlaces externos editar

* La coronación de Alfonso VII de León, por la Fundación Saber.

Predecesor:
Urraca I Rey de Galicia
1111 - 1157 Sucesor:
Fernando II
Predecesor:
Urraca I Rey de León
1126 - 1157 Sucesor:
Fernando II
Predecesor:
Urraca I Rey de Castilla
1127 - 1157 Sucesor:
Sancho III
Alfonso VII (Alfonso the Emperor), 1104-57, Spanish king of Castile and Leon (1126-57), son and successor of Urraca. He recovered the places in Castile which his stepfather, Alfonso I of Aragon, had occupied. Soon he gained supremacy over the other Christian states in Spain. In 1135, he had himself crowned emperor in Leon. His many victories over the Moors had no permanent results; the most famous were the conquests of Córdoba (1146) and Almería (1147). Alfonso left Castile to his son Sancho III (reigned 1157-58) and Leon to his son Ferdinand II. [The Illustrated Columbia Encyclopedia, 1969]

Alfonso VII "Pierre-Raimund." [GADD.GED]
1st Cousin 31 generations removed
Not Married
House of Castile
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=1eb6ba89-c9ea-48c8-b888-794e2f9ac941&tid=10145763&pid=-335404335
House of Castile
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=1eb6ba89-c9ea-48c8-b888-794e2f9ac941&tid=10145763&pid=-335404335
He reigned from 1126 to 1157. Despite the war waged by his mother, he happily took her throne and nine years later pronounced himself Emperor of Spain.
Rey de Castilla y León (1126-1257)
Monarca al que prestaron vasallaje los de Aragón y Navarra, los condes de Barcelona, Gascuña y Provenza, por lo cual tomo el título de Emperador de toda España.

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Timeline Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León

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Ancestors (and descendant) of Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' de Castilla y León

Constance de Bourgogne
± 1046-± 1093

Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' de Castilla y León
1105-1157

(1) 1128
(2) ± 1152

Ryksa Piastówna
± 1135-1176


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    Historical events

    • The average temperature on March 24, 1934 was 5.0 °C. There was 0.5 hours of sunshine (4%). The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the west. Source: KNMI
    • Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
    • In The Netherlands , there was from May 26, 1933 to July 31, 1935 the cabinet Colijn II, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
    • In the year 1934: Source: Wikipedia
      • The Netherlands had about 8.3 million citizens.
      • January 15 » The 8.0 Mw  Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.
      • February 2 » The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
      • February 6 » Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.
      • April 12 » The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
      • May 21 » Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
      • September 18 » The Soviet Union is admitted to the League of Nations.
    

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    About the surname De Castilla y León


    The Family tree Homs publication was prepared by .contact the author
    When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin:
    George Homs, "Family tree Homs", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-homs/I6000000001610389741.php : accessed April 25, 2024), "Alfonso VII 'el Emperador' "el" de Castilla y León rey de Castilla y León (1105-1157)".