Alfonso IX (15 August 1171,
Zamora-Geography:Ecuador* Zamora, Ecuador* Zamora-Chinchipe Province** Zamora RiverMexico* Zamora, Michoacán* Gutiérrez Zamora, VeracruzSpain* Zamora, Spain* Zamora United States* Zamora, CaliforniaVenezuela...
– 23 September or 24, 1230), was king of León and Galicia, from the death of his father
Ferdinand IIFerdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of Castile and León and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received the León and Galicia, whil ehis brother Sancho receiving Castile and...
in 1188 until his own death. According to
Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name, , , (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was a North African polymath — an astronomer, economist, historian, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, hafiz, jurist, lawyer,...
, he is said to have been called the
Baboso or
Slobberer because he was subject to fits of rage during which he foamed at the mouth.
Alfonso was the only son of King
Ferdinand II of LeónFerdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of Castile and León and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received the León and Galicia, whil ehis brother Sancho receiving Castile and...
and
Urraca of PortugalInfanta Urraca of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , daughter of Afonso I, 1st King of Portugal and his wife Maud of Savoy. She married Ferdinand II of León with whom she had Alfonso IX of León. This marriage didn't prevent her father Afonso I from declaring war on his son-in-law...
. He took a part in the work of the
reconquestThe Reconquista was a period of 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims...
, conquering the whole of
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
(including the cities of
CáceresCáceres may refer toPlaces* Cáceres in Spain**Cáceres which covers the province* Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province* Cáceres, Antioquia, municipality in Colombia...
and
BadajozBadajoz is the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257.Badajoz is the see of a bishopric...
).
Alfonso IX (15 August 1171,
Zamora-Geography:Ecuador* Zamora, Ecuador* Zamora-Chinchipe Province** Zamora RiverMexico* Zamora, Michoacán* Gutiérrez Zamora, VeracruzSpain* Zamora, Spain* Zamora United States* Zamora, CaliforniaVenezuela...
– 23 September or 24, 1230), was king of León and Galicia, from the death of his father
Ferdinand IIFerdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of Castile and León and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received the León and Galicia, whil ehis brother Sancho receiving Castile and...
in 1188 until his own death. According to
Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name, , , (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was a North African polymath — an astronomer, economist, historian, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, hafiz, jurist, lawyer,...
, he is said to have been called the
Baboso or
Slobberer because he was subject to fits of rage during which he foamed at the mouth.
Alfonso was the only son of King
Ferdinand II of LeónFerdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of Castile and León and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received the León and Galicia, whil ehis brother Sancho receiving Castile and...
and
Urraca of PortugalInfanta Urraca of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , daughter of Afonso I, 1st King of Portugal and his wife Maud of Savoy. She married Ferdinand II of León with whom she had Alfonso IX of León. This marriage didn't prevent her father Afonso I from declaring war on his son-in-law...
. He took a part in the work of the
reconquestThe Reconquista was a period of 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims...
, conquering the whole of
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
(including the cities of
CáceresCáceres may refer toPlaces* Cáceres in Spain**Cáceres which covers the province* Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province* Cáceres, Antioquia, municipality in Colombia...
and
BadajozBadajoz is the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257.Badajoz is the see of a bishopric...
). He was also the most modern king of his time, founding the
University of SalamancaThe University of Salamanca , located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid, is the oldest university in Spain , and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218 as a "General School"...
in 1212 and summoning in 1188 the first
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
with representation of the citizenry ever seen in Western Europe, the
Cortes of LeónThe Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
.
In spite of all the above - some of whose significance became evident only later - this king is often remembered mainly for the difficulties into which his successive marriages led him with the
PopeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
. He was first married in 1191 to his cousin
Teresa of PortugalInfanta Teresa of Portugal , also known as Tarasia of Portugal and later as the Infanta-Rainha , was the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce Berenguer...
, who bore him two daughters, and a son who died young.
The marriage was declared null by the Pope; however, Alfonso paid no attention until he was presumably tired of his wife. His next step was to marry his second cousin,
Berenguela of CastileBerengaria , was briefly queen of Castile and León. The eldest daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, she was briefly engaged to Conrad II, Duke of Swabia, but he was murdered in 1196 before they could be married.-Marriage:Berengaria married King Alfonso IX of León in 1198, but...
, in 1197. For this act of contumacy, the king and the kingdom were placed under
interdictIn the Roman Catholic Church, the word interdict usually refers to an ecclesiastical penalty. Interdicts may be real, local or personal. A personal interdict pertains to one or more persons. A real or local interdict, which is no longer a part of canon law, suspends all public worship and...
.
The Pope was, however, compelled to modify his measures by the threat that, if the people could not obtain the services of religion, they would not support the clergy, and that heresy would spread. The king was left under interdict personally, but to that he showed himself indifferent, and he had the support of his clergy. Berenguela left him after the birth of five children, and the king then returned to Teresa, to whose daughters he left his kingdom in his will.
Children
Alfonso's children by Teresa of PortugalInfanta Teresa of Portugal , also known as Tarasia of Portugal and later as the Infanta-Rainha , was the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce Berenguer...
were:
- 1) Fernando (ca. 1192-August 1214, aged around 22), unmarried and without issue
- 2) Blessed
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Sancha (ca. 1193-1270)
- 3) Dulce, also called Aldonza (1194/ca. 1195-ca./aft. 1243), unmarried and without issue
His eldest daughter, Sancha, was engaged to her cousin King
Henry I of CastileHenry I of Castile was king of Castile. He was the son ofAlfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor Plantagenet, ....
, but Henry died in 1217 before the marriage could be solemnized. Once the would be inheritor from his first marriage, named Fernando (de Leon y Portugal)who died in 1214, he apparently wanted to disinherit the eldest son from his second marriage, but born around the year 1200, also named Fernando (de Leon y Castilla) , King Alfonso IX invited the quite mature former King Consort of Jerusalem
John of BrienneJohn of Brienne was a French nobleman who became John I King of Jerusalem by marriage, and was later invited to become John I Latin Emperor of Constantinople....
to marry his daughter Sancha and thus inherit the Leonese throne through her.
However, his former second wife, ruling Queen Berenguela of Castile convinced
John of BrienneJohn of Brienne was a French nobleman who became John I King of Jerusalem by marriage, and was later invited to become John I Latin Emperor of Constantinople....
to marry one of her daughters, some 10 years younger than Sancha, instead, named
Berenguela of LeonBerengaria of Leon was the third wife but only empress consort of John of Brienne, Latin Emperor of Constantinople.-Family:...
, on account of her father the King of Leon and of her mother divorced Queen Bereguela of Castile .
Though unmarried and pious spinster Sancha was the nominal heiress of Leon-Galicia on her father's death in 1230, Sancha was easily set aside by negotiations, including a good single woman dowry between the former first wife and the former second wife, both divorced from the leonese. Sancha became a nun at Cozollos, where she died in 1270; she was later beatified. Her sister Dulce-Aldonza spent her life with her Consort Queen of Leon mother in Portugal.
Alfonso's children by Berenguela of Castile were:
- 4)Leonor (1198/1199-31 October 1210)
- 5)King Fernando III the Saint
Saint Ferdinand III , was the King of Castile from 1217 and King of Galicia and Leon from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and...
(1200-1252), named also Fernando III de Castilla y Leon after 1230 when his father Alfonso IX de Leon died.
- 6)Alfonso, 4th Lord of Molina
Alfonso of Leon, Lord of Molina was the second son of King Alfonso IX of Leon and Berenguela of Castile, and a younger brother of King Ferdinand III of Castile....
(1203-1272)
- 7)Berenguela of Leon
Berengaria of Leon was the third wife but only empress consort of John of Brienne, Latin Emperor of Constantinople.-Family:...
(1204-1237), married John of BrienneJohn of Brienne was a French nobleman who became John I King of Jerusalem by marriage, and was later invited to become John I Latin Emperor of Constantinople....
- 8)Constanza (1 May 1200 or 1205-7 September 1242), became a nun at Las Huelgas, Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,000 inhabitants in the city proper and another 15,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and Léon...
, where she died
Alfonso, father of 3 from his first void marriage and father of another 5 from his second void marriage, also fathered many illegitimate children, some 23 known (3 + 5 + perhaps 15 out of married life, all documented) :
Alfonso's children by Aldonza Martínez da Silva (daughter of Martim Gomes da Silva & Urraca Rodrigues and subsequently wife with issue of Diego Froilaz, Conde de Cifuentes, had issue):
- 9)Pedro Alfonso of León, 1st Lord of Tenorio (ca. 1196/ca. 1200-1226), Grand Master of Santiago, married N de Villarmayor, and had issue
- 10)Alfonso Alfonso of León, died yong
- 11)Fernando Alfonso of León, died young
- 12)Rodrigo Alfonso of León (ca. 1210-ca. 1267), 1st Lord of Aliger and Governor of Zamora
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km/30mi downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier. With its 24 Romanesque...
, married ca. 1240 to Inés Rodriguez de Cabrera (ca. 1200-), and had issue
- 13)Teresa Alfonso of León (ca. 1210-), wife of Nuno Gonzalez de Lara, el Bueno, señor de Lara
- 14)Aldonza Alonso of León (ca. 1212/ca. 1215-1266), wife, first, of Diego Ramírez Froilaz, nephew of her stepfather, without issue, and, second, of Pedro Ponce de Cabrera, (ca. 1210-), and had issue, ancestors of the notorious Ponce de León
Ponce de León may refer to:* Juan Ponce de León , Spanish conquistador* Juan Ponce de León II , the first Puerto Rican to assume the governorship of Puerto Rico...
family.
Alfonso's child by Inés Iñíguez de Mendoza (ca. 1180-) (daughter of Lope Iñiguez de Mendoza, 1st Lord of Mendoza (ca. 1140-1189) and wife Teresa Ximénez de los Cameros (ca. 1150-)):
- 15)Urraca Alfonso of León (ca. 1190/ca. 1197-), first wife ca. 1230 of Lopo II Díaz de Haro (1192-15 December 1236), 6th Sovereign Lord of Viscaya, and had issue
Alfonso's child by Estefánia Pérez de Limia, daughter of Pedro Arias de Limia and wife, subsequently wife of Rodrigo Suárez,
Merino mayor of Galicia, had issue):
- 16)Fernando Alfonso of León (ca. 1211-), died young
Alfonso's children by Maua, of unknown origin:
- 17)Fernando Alfonso of León (ca. 1215/1218/1220-Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community of Castile and Leon...
, 1278/1279), Archdean of Santiago, married to Aldara de Ulloa and had issue
Alfonso's children by Dona Teresa Gil de Soverosa (ca. 1170-) (daughter of Dom Gil Vasques de Soverosa & first wife Maria Aires de Fornelos):
- 18)María Alfonso of León (ca. 1190/1200/1222-aft. 1252), married as his second wife Soeiro Aires de Valadares (ca. 1140-) and had issue and Álvaro Fernández de Lara (ca. 1200-) and had female issue, later mistress
A mistress is a man's long-term female lover and companion who is not married to him, especially used when the man is married to another woman. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of her nephew Alfonso X of CastileAlfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
- 19)Sancha Alfonso of León (1210/ca. 1210-1270), a Nun
A Nun, or also known as a Sister in some cases, is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
after divorcing without issue Simón Ruíz, Lord of Los Cameros
- 20)Martín Alfonso of León
Martín Alfonso de León was a Spanish nobleman.-Life:Martín Alfonso de León was an illegitimate son of Alfonso IX of León by Teresa Gil de Soverosa....
(ca. 1210/ca. 1225-1274/ca. 1275)
- 22)Urraca Alfonso of León (ca. 1210/1228-aft.1252, married twice, first to García Romeu of Tormos, without issue, then Pedro Guillén de Guzmán y González Girón
Alfonso's other illegitimate child, mother unknown:
- 23)Mayor Alfonso de León, married Rodrigo Gómez de Trava, without issue
Alfonso VIII of León was the first King in Western Europe who summoned the citizens to the ParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
(León's Cortes of 1188). He also founded the University of SalamancaThe University of Salamanca , located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid, is the oldest university in Spain , and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218 as a "General School"...
in 1208.