Ferdinand de la Cerda (1275–1322)
Encyclopedia
Fernando de la Cerda was the younger son of Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile
and his wife Blanche of France
. His paternal grandparents were Alfonso X of Castile
and Violant of Aragon
. His maternal grandparents were Louis IX of France
and Marguerite of Provence
. His elder brother was Alfonso de la Cerda
.
, his elder brother should have ascended the throne on his grandfather's death. In 1282 their uncle, Sancho
assembled a coalition of nobles to declare for him against Fernando's elder brother, then took control of the kingdom when Alfonso X of Castile
died in 1284. This was all against the wishes of the boys grandfather, but Sancho was crowned in Toledo
nevertheless.
Sancho was recognised and supported by the majority of the nobility and the cities, but a sizable minority opposed him throughout his reign and worked for Alfonso and Fernando. One of the leaders of the opposition was Don Juan, his uncle, who united to his cause the lord of Vizcaya, Lope Díaz III de Haro. Sancho responded by executing the lord of Vizcaya and incarcerating his uncle.
, who is also known as Lady of Lara. The couple had three daughters and a son,
Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile
Don Ferdinand de la Cerda was the Crown Prince of Castile, eldest son of King Alfonso X of Castile and Violant of Aragon. His nickname, de la Cerda, means "of the bristle" in Spanish, a reference to being born with a strand of thick hair running down his chest.In November 1268 he married Princess...
and his wife Blanche of France
Blanche of France (1253–1323)
Blanche of France was a daughter of King Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence, and sister of King Philip III of France and Queen Isabella of Navarre.-Biography:...
. His paternal grandparents were Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
and Violant of Aragon
Violant of Aragon
Violant or Violante of Aragon, also known as Yolanda of Aragon , was Queen consort of Castile and León from 1252 to 1284 as the wife of King Alfonso X.- Life :...
. His maternal grandparents were Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
and Marguerite of Provence
Marguerite of Provence
Margaret of Provence was Queen of France as the consort of King Louis IX of France.She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy.-Family:...
. His elder brother was Alfonso de la Cerda
Alfonso de la Cerda (1270-1333)
Alfonso de la Cerda, , called "the disinherited,, was the elder son of Ferdinand de la Cerda and his wife Blanche of France, and was a grandson of Alfonso X of Castile. Alfonso and his brother Fernando were candidates for the Castilian-Leonese crown during the reigns of Sancho IV of Castile,...
.
The fight for the throne
Fernando's father died before inheriting CastileCrown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, his elder brother should have ascended the throne on his grandfather's death. In 1282 their uncle, Sancho
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
assembled a coalition of nobles to declare for him against Fernando's elder brother, then took control of the kingdom when Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
died in 1284. This was all against the wishes of the boys grandfather, but Sancho was crowned in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
nevertheless.
Sancho was recognised and supported by the majority of the nobility and the cities, but a sizable minority opposed him throughout his reign and worked for Alfonso and Fernando. One of the leaders of the opposition was Don Juan, his uncle, who united to his cause the lord of Vizcaya, Lope Díaz III de Haro. Sancho responded by executing the lord of Vizcaya and incarcerating his uncle.
Marriage and issue
Fernando was married to Juana Núñez de LaraJuana Núñez de Lara
Juana Núñez de Lara was a daughter of Juan Núñez de Lara “el Mayor” and his wife Teresa Diaz de Haro of the lordship of Biscaye. Juana is also known as la Palomilla or Lady of Lara.-Marriages:...
, who is also known as Lady of Lara. The couple had three daughters and a son,
- Juan Núñez de LaraJuan Núñez de LaraJuan Núñez de Lara , Lord of Lara and Vizcaya, son of Ferdinand de la Cerda and Juana Núñez de Lara the Little Dove...
(1313–1350), married Maria de Haro - Blanche Núñez de LaraBlanca de La Cerda y LaraBlanca Fernanda de la Cerda y Lara was a Spanish noblewoman.She was the daughter of Fernando de la Cerda and Juana Núñez de Lara, called "la Palomilla"....
(1311–1347), married Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena and was mother of Juana Manuel of CastileJuana Manuel of CastileJuana Manuel was from 1369 the Queen consort of Castile. She also was the heiress of Escalona, Villena, Peñafiel and Lara as well as the sovereign lady of Biscay .- Family :...
, consort of Henry II of Castile and mother of John I of CastileJohn I of CastileJohn I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
. - Margaret Núñez de Lara, a nun
- Maria Núñez de Lara, married Charles II of AlençonCharles II of AlençonCharles II of Alençon, called the Magnanimous was the second son of Charles of Valois and his first wife Margaret, and brother of Philip VI, King of France...
and was mother of Charles III of AlençonCharles III of AlençonCharles III of Alençon was the eldest son of Charles II of Alençon and Maria de la Cerda.He succeeded his father as Count of Alençon in 1346, but resigned the county to his brother Peter II of Alençon in 1361 to take up an ecclesiastical career.On 13 July 1365, he was made Archbishop of Lyon...
.