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68-457: His reign saw the domination of Castile over León and, by his alliance with Aragon, he drew those two spheres of Christian Iberia into close connection. Alfonso was born to Sancho III of Castile and Blanche , in Soria on 11 November 1155. He was named after his grandfather Alfonso VII of León and Castile , who divided his kingdoms between his sons. This division set the stage for conflict in

136-440: A key part of the religion. These new ideas enabled the amassing and translation of Greek concepts to disseminate like never before. During the 12th century, Europe enjoyed great advances in intellectual achievements, sparked in part by the kingdom of Castile's conquest of the great cultural center of Toledo (1085). There Arabic classics were discovered, and contacts established with the knowledge and works of Muslim scientists. In

204-583: A major initiative to unite the Castilian nobility around the Reconquista. In 1195, after the treaty with the Almohads was broken, he came to the defence of Alarcos on the river Guadiana , then the principal Castilian town in the region. At the subsequent Battle of Alarcos , he was roundly defeated by the caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur . The reoccupation of the surrounding territory by the Almohads

272-411: A permanent capital (neither did Spain until the 16th century), so the cortes were celebrated in whichever city the king chose to stay. In the earliest Leonese and Castilian Cortes, the inhabitants of the cities (known as "laboratores") formed a small group of the representatives and had no legislative powers, but they were a link between the king and the general population, something that was pioneered by

340-532: A personal union, creating for the first time since the 8th century a single political unit, referred to as España (Spain) . "Los Reyes Católicos" started policies that diminished the power of the bourgeoisie and nobility in Castile, and greatly reduced the powers of the Cortes (General Courts) to the point where they became rubber-stamps for the monarch's acts. They also brought the nobility to their side. In 1492,

408-487: A plan to divide Navarre, which caused Sancho VII to ally himself with Yaqub al-Mansur . War was inevitable and in the year 1196, hostilities began. Abu Yaqub Yusuf , taking advantage of the fact that Castile was still recovering from the battle of Alarcos, began a campaign with Leonese support in the spring of the same year. He entered through Extremadura , conquering Escalona , Santa Olalla and Talavera de la Reina . After taking these towns, he besieged Toledo but

476-597: A treaty in Seligenstadt , which made clear that she was the heiress of Castile after any sons of Alfonso and that Conrad would only co-rule as her spouse. That became relevant in her ultimate succession to the throne even though the marriage to Conrad was never consummated and later annulled. The treaty also documented traditional rights and obligations between the sovereign and the nobles in Castile. In July 1188, Alfonso convened his court in Carrión de los Condes to allow

544-529: A truce with Alfonso VIII of Castile and Alfonso IX, seeing that he was abandoned by his ally and his kingdom now was being invaded, had to ask for peace. Alfonso IX married Alfonso VIII's daughter, Berengaria of Castile , which eventually led to a peace between both kingdoms. After the Castilian–Leonese War (1188–1194) , the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Leon , with papal mediation, signed

612-476: A vast sheep pasturage; the fact that the greater part of Spanish sheep-rearing terminology was derived from Arabic underscores the debt. The 8th and 9th centuries was preceded by a period of Umayyad conquests, as Arabs took control of previously Hellenized areas such as Egypt and Syria in the 7th century. It was at this point they first encountered Greek ideas, though from the beginning, many Arabs were hostile to classical learning. Because of this hostility,

680-552: A war with his brother-in-law Vermudo. At the Battle of Tamarón Vermudo was killed, leaving no surviving heirs. In right of his wife, Ferdinand then assumed the royal title as king of León and Castile, for the first time associating the royal title with the rule of Castile. When Ferdinand I died in 1065, the territories were divided among his children. Sancho II became King of Castile, Alfonso VI , King of León and García, King of Galicia, while his daughters were given towns: Urraca

748-630: The Conquest of Cuenca in 1177. The city surrendered on 21 September, the feast of Saint Matthew , ever afterwards celebrated by the citizens of the town. Alfonso took the initiative to ally all Christian kingdoms of the peninsula— Navarre , León , Portugal , and Aragon —against the Almohads . By the Treaty of Cazola of 1179, the zones of expansion of each kingdom were defined. After founding Plasencia ( Cáceres ) in 1186, he embarked on

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816-504: The Cordoban Caliphate , the oldest sources refer to it as Al-Qila, or "the castled" high plains past the territory of Alava , further south than it and the first encountered in their expeditions from Zaragoza . The name reflects its origin as a march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias , protected by castles, towers , or castra , in a territory formerly called Bardulia . The County of Castile, bordered in

884-505: The Kingdom of León , successor state to Asturias, and achieved an autonomous status, allowing the county to be inherited by his family instead of being subject to appointment by the Leonese king. The minority of Count García Sánchez led Castile to accept Sancho III of Navarre , married to the sister of Count García, as feudal overlord. García was assassinated in 1028 while in León to marry

952-399: The Kingdom of León . During the 10th century, the Castilian counts increased their autonomy, but it was not until 1065 that it was separated from the Kingdom of León and became a kingdom in its own right. Between 1072 and 1157, it was again united with León, and after 1230, the union became permanent. Throughout that period, the Castilian kings made extensive conquests in southern Iberia at

1020-655: The Palacio de los Vivero in Valladolid began the familial union of the two kingdoms. They became known as the Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos) . Isabella succeeded her brother as Queen of Castile and Ferdinand became jure uxoris King of Castile in 1474. When Ferdinand succeeded his father as King of Aragon in 1479, the Crown of Castile and the various territories of the Crown of Aragon were united in

1088-658: The Treaty of Tordehumos  [ es ] , which also led to an alliance between both kingdoms and the Kingdom of Navarre to attack the Almohad Caliphate . In 1195, Alfonso VIII of Castile launched a campaign against the Almohad Caliphate. The Almohad caliph , Yaqub al-Mansur , landed in the Iberian Peninsula in July of the same year to repel the invaders. The Kingdom of León and

1156-518: The synagogue of the town on July 25, enslaving its population the next day. He continued his campaign by conquering Castroverde de Campos , Valencia de Don Juan and Ardón , approaching Benavente and reaching as far as El Bierzo , near Portugal . However, he was not able to take Astorga . While León and Castile were fighting in Tierra de Campos, Sancho VII of Navarre took the opportunity and started another campaign against Castile. He ravaged

1224-582: The 6th century King of Persia, Anushirvan (Chosroes I) the Just was the introduction of many Greek ideas into his kingdom. Aided by this knowledge and the juxtaposition of beliefs, the Abbasids considered it valuable to look at Islam with Greek eyes, and to look at the Greeks with Islamic eyes. Abbasid philosophers also advanced the idea that Islam had, from the very beginning, stressed the gathering of knowledge as

1292-504: The Almohads, launched another campaign against León, this time invading the south. He took Alba de Tormes , Barruecopardo , Bolaños de Campos , Paradinas de San Juan , Carpio de Azaba , Monreal and Alpalio while Sancho I of Portugal conquered Tui and Pontevedra . Finally, both kings agreed to a marriage between the Leonese monarch and Berengaria of Castile (daughter of Alfonso VIII ) at Valladolid in October 1197, which

1360-521: The Council of Burgos in 1080 the traditional Mozarabic rite was replaced by the Roman one. Upon his death, Alfonso VI was succeeded by his daughter, the widowed Urraca, who then married Alfonso I of Aragon, but they almost immediately fell out. Alfonso tried unsuccessfully to conquer Urraca's lands, before he repudiated her in 1114. Urraca also had to contend with attempts by her son from her first marriage,

1428-668: The Ebro river, which offered an easier defense from the Muslim military expeditions and command of the main highway, still functional from the Roman Empire , passing by, south of the Cantabrian ridge all the way to Leon. Subsequently, the region was subdivided, separate counts being named to Alava, Burgos, Cerezo & Lantarón, and a reduced Castile. In 931 the county was reunified by Count Fernán González , who rose in rebellion against

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1496-545: The Kingdom of Castile conquered the last Moorish state of Granada, thereby ending Muslim rule in Iberia and completing the Reconquista. On Isabella's death in 1504 her daughter, Joanna I , became Queen (in name) with her husband Philip I as King (in authority). After his death Joanna's father was regent, due to her perceived mental illness, as her son Charles I was only six years old. On Ferdinand II's death in 1516, Charles I

1564-555: The Kingdom of León from his father Alfonso IX , having previously received the Kingdom of Castile from his mother Berenguela of Castile in 1217. In addition, he took advantage of the decline of the Almohad empire to conquer the Guadalquivir Valley whilst his son Alfonso X took the taifa of Murcia . The Courts from León and Castile merged, an event considered as the foundation of the Crown of Castile, consisting of

1632-597: The Kingdom of León, invading Galicia in the same year. After a year of his last campaign, Yaqub al-Mansur decided to start another one. He left Córdoba and, upon reaching Castilian territory, attacked Talavera de la Reina and Maqueda , followed by another siege in Toledo that also failed. He continued his campaign by attacking Madrid , Guadalajara , Oreja , Uclés , Huete , Cuenca and Alarcón . This time, most of these cities were defended by Fernando Ruiz de Azagra, Lord of Albarracín . Some sources say that it

1700-497: The Kingdom of Navarre, since they had an alliance with Alfonso VIII, offered to send an army commanded by their respective monarchs, Alfonso IX of León and Sancho VII of Navarre , which he accepted. But Alfonso VIII, seeing that they were taking too long to arrive, decided to face the Almohads alone at the castle of Alarcos , thus breaking the treaty they had signed a year earlier in Tordehumos . However, Alfonso VIII lost

1768-512: The Kingdom of Navarre. Eventually, Navarre lost the war and had to cede much of its territory, including Guipúzcoa and Vitoria , to Castile and Aragon. The peace between Alfonso VIII and his cousin Alfonso IX did not last long: they went to war between 1204 and 1206 and again in 1212 , but this last war was short-lived as Alfonso VIII was in a crusade against the Almohads and Pope Innocent III forced them to make peace. The crusade

1836-510: The Meseta a few decades earlier, and taken refuge in the much denser and more intractable woods of the Atlantic valleys, so they were not that foreign to them. A mix of settlers from the Cantabrian and Basque coastal areas, which were recently swelled with refugees, was led under the protection of Abbot Vitulus and his brother, Count Herwig, as registered in the local charters they signed around

1904-495: The battle , which was very disastrous for his kingdom. Following the defeat of Castile, Alfonso IX, Sancho VII and Sancho I of Portugal tried to make an alliance with the Almohad Caliphate while the Crown of Aragon decided to support Alfonso VIII of Castile . The Pope tried to avoid this war by calling them to an alliance against the Almohad Caliphate . Although Navarre was initially willing to help Castile and Aragon, they made

1972-426: The cousins Alfonso continued to be filled with conflict. In 1194, the papal legate negotiated a treaty between them to temporarily end the conflict. However, after Castile was defeated at the Battle of Alarcos , the younger Alfonso seized the opportunity to again attack his cousin . Castille defended itself with papal support. A more lasting peace was achieved finally by the older Alfonso's daughter Berengaria marrying

2040-415: The disputed border territories. While Alfonso received back much that had been taken from him, he had to pay significant monetary compensation. In 1186, he recuperated part of La Rioja from the Kingdom of Navarre . In 1187, Alfonso negotiated with Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor , who was seeking to marry his son Conrad to Alfonso's eldest child and heiress, Berengaria . In April 1188, they agreed on

2108-544: The effort. The military orders also lent their support. Calatrava first, then Alarcos, and finally Benavente were captured before a final battle was fought at Las Navas de Tolosa near Santa Elena on 16 July. The caliph Muhammad al-Nasir was routed and Almohad power broken. Alfonso was the founder of the first Spanish university, a studium generale at Palencia , which, however, did not survive him. His court also served as an important instrument for Spanish cultural achievement. Alfonso and his wife Eleanor of England were

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2176-539: The expense of the Islamic principalities . The Kingdoms of Castile and of León, with their southern acquisitions, came to be known collectively as the Crown of Castile , a term that also came to encompass overseas expansion. According to the chronicles of Alfonso III of Asturias , the first reference to the name "Castile" (Castilla) can be found in a document written during AD 800. In the Al-Andalus chronicles from

2244-433: The family until the kingdoms were re-united by Alfonso VIII's grandson, Ferdinand III of Castile . His early life resembled that of other medieval kings. His father died in 1158. Though proclaimed king when only two years of age, Alfonso was regarded as merely nominal by the unruly nobles to whom a minority was convenient. Immediately, Castile was plunged into conflicts between the various noble houses vying for ascendancy in

2312-550: The first half of the century a translation program , called the "School of Toledo", translated many philosophical and scientific works from the Classical Greek and the Islamic worlds into Latin. Many European scholars, including Daniel of Morley and Gerard of Cremona , travelled to Toledo to gain further knowledge. The Way of St. James further enhanced the cultural exchange between the kingdoms of Castile and León and

2380-453: The first to make the Alcázar of Segovia as their residence when this fortress was still at its early stages. Alfonso died at Gutierre-Muñoz and was succeeded by his surviving son, Henry I . Alfonso was the subject for Lion Feuchtwanger 's novel Die Jüdin von Toledo ( The Jewess of Toledo ), in which is narrated an affair with a Jewish subject in medieval Toledo in a time when Spain

2448-426: The first years of the 800s. The areas that they settled did not extend far from the Cantabrian southeastern ridges, and not beyond the southern reaches of the high Ebro river valleys and canyon gores. The first count of a wider and more united Castile was Rodrigo in 850, under Ordoño I of Asturias and Alfonso III of Asturias . He settled and fortified the ancient Cantabrian hill town of Amaya , west and south of

2516-527: The hands of the Laras. During the regency, his uncle Sancho VI of Navarre took advantage of the chaos and the king's minority to seize lands along the border, including much of La Rioja . In 1170, Alfonso sent an embassy to Bordeaux to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to seek the hand of their daughter Eleanor . The marriage treaty helped provide Alfonso with a powerful ally against his uncle. In 1176, Alfonso asked his father-in-law to arbitrate

2584-426: The inevitable regency. The devotion of a squire of his household, who carried him on the pommel of his saddle to the stronghold of San Esteban de Gormaz , saved him from falling into the hands of the contending factions. The noble houses of Lara and Castro both claimed the regency, as did the boy's uncle, Ferdinand II of León . In 1159 the young Alfonso was put briefly in the custody of García Garcés de Aza , who

2652-449: The innocence of Alfonso in the matter of the murder of his brother is well known. During the first years of the 12th century, Sancho, the only son of Alfonso VI, died, leaving only his daughter. Because of this, Alfonso VI took a different approach from other European kingdoms, including France . He gave his daughters, Elvira, Urraca, and Theresa in marriage to Raymond of Toulouse, Raymond of Burgundy, and Henry of Burgundy respectively. In

2720-636: The king of Galicia, to assert his rights. When Urraca died, this son became king of León and Castile as Alfonso VII . During his reign, Alfonso VII managed to annex parts of the weaker kingdoms of Navarre and Aragón which fought to secede after the death of Alfonso I of Aragon. Alfonso VII refused his right to conquer the Mediterranean coast for the new union of Aragón with the County of Barcelona (Petronila and Ramón Berenguer IV). The centuries of Moorish rule had established Castile's high central plateau as

2788-451: The kingdom of León, in which Castile almost re-joined, this time supporting Alfonso IX. Tui and Pontevedra were recovered by the Leonese probably in 1199 and Alfonso IX launched an invasion of Portugal in the same year, besieging Bragança without success. Both kingdoms eventually signed a peace treaty in 1200. The war between Navarre and Castile also continued. Alfonso VIII and Peter II, supported by Alfonso IX from 1200, agreed to divide

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2856-546: The kingdoms of Castile and León. Eventually the representatives of the cities gained the right to vote in the Cortes, often allying with the monarchs against the great noble lords. During the reign of Alfonso VIII, the king began to use the canting arms of Castile as its emblem, in its blazons and banners , which were gules, a three towered castle or masoned sable and ajouré azure. Castilian%E2%80%93Leonese War (1196%E2%80%931197) The Castilian–Leonese War of 1196–1197

2924-515: The kingdoms of Castile, León, taifas and other domains conquered from the Moors , including the taifa of Córdoba , taifa of Murcia, taifa of Jaén and taifa of Seville . The House of Trastámara was a lineage that ruled Castile from 1369 to 1504, Aragón from 1412 to 1516, Navarre from 1425 to 1479, and Naples from 1442 to 1501. Its name was taken from the Count (or Duke) of Trastámara. This title

2992-468: The lands of Logroño and reached the towns of Soria , Medinaceli and Almazán . On 31 October 1196, Pope Celestine III accused Alfonso IX of León of allying himself with the Muslims to fight a Christian kingdom and ordered the archbishops of Toledo and Santiago de Compostela to publish the excommunication of the Leonese monarch. After seeing this, Sancho I of Portugal declared war on

3060-407: The monarch " by the grace of God ", as the legal formula explained. Nevertheless, rural and urban communities began to form assemblies to issue regulations to deal with everyday problems. Over time, these assemblies evolved into municipal councils, known as variously as ayuntamientos or cabildos , in which some of the inhabitants, the property-owning heads of households ( vecinos ), represented

3128-429: The nobles to review and ratify the treaty. At that court, Alfonso knighted both Conrad and Alfonso IX of León , who would ultimately marry Berengaria. The younger Alfonso had come to seek the support and acknowledgement of his ascent to the throne of León from his older cousin. The elder Alfonso granted that in exchange for acknowledgement that the king of Castile was overlord of the king of León. The relationship between

3196-399: The princess Sancha, sister of Bermudo III of León . Sancho III, acting as feudal overlord, appointed his younger son (García's nephew) Ferdinand as Count of Castile, marrying him to his uncle's intended bride, Sancha of León. Following Sancho's death in 1035, Castile returned to the nominal control of León, but Ferdinand, allying himself with his brother García Sánchez III of Navarre , began

3264-516: The religious Caliphs could not support scientific translations. Translators had to seek out wealthy business patrons rather than religious ones. Until Abbasid rule in the 8th century, however, there was little work in translation. Most knowledge of Greek during Umayyad rule was gained from scholars of Greek who remained from the Byzantine period, rather than through widespread translation and dissemination of texts. A few scholars argue that translation

3332-469: The rest of Europe. The 12th century saw the establishment of many new religious orders, like the rest of Europe, such as Calatrava , Alcántara and Santiago ; and the foundation of many Cistercian abbeys . Alfonso VII restored the royal tradition of dividing his kingdom among his children. Sancho III became King of Castile and Ferdinand II , King of León. The rivalry between both kingdoms continued until 1230 when Ferdinand III of Castile received

3400-515: The rest. By the 14th century these councils had gained more powers, such as the right to elect municipal magistrates and officers ( alcaldes , speakers, clerks, etc.) and representatives to the parliaments ( Cortes ). Due to the increasing power of the municipal councils and the need for communication between these and the King, cortes were established in the Kingdom of León in 1188, and in Castile in 1250. Unlike other kingdoms, Castile didn't have

3468-493: The south by the northern reaches of the Spanish Sistema Central mountain system, was just north of modern-day Madrid province. It was re-populated by inhabitants of Cantabria , Asturias , Vasconia and Visigothic and Mozarab origins. It had its own Romance dialect and customary laws. From the first half of the 9th century until the middle of the century, in which it came to be paid more attention, it

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3536-524: The town, but the Castilian king was assassinated in 1072 by Bellido Dolfos, a Galician nobleman. The Castilian troops then withdrew. As a result, Alfonso VI recovered all his original territory of León, and became the king of Castile and Galicia. This was the second union of León and Castile, although the two kingdoms remained distinct entities joined only in a personal union . The oath taken by El Cid before Alfonso VI in Santa Gadea de Burgos regarding

3604-539: The younger Alfonso in 1197. The annulment of this marriage by the pope drove the younger Alfonso to again attack his cousin in 1204, but treaties made in 1205, 1207, and 1209 each forced him to concede further territories and rights. The treaty in 1207 is the first existing public document in the Castilian dialect . Around 1200 when his brother in law John was on the English throne, Alfonso began to claim that Gascony

3672-403: Was a conflict between the kingdoms of Leon , Navarre and the Almohad Caliphate against the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon . In the middle of the conflict, Alfonso IX of León was accused by pope Celestine III of allying himself with a Muslim to fight against a Christian kingdom and was excommunicated , causing Portugal to join the war against León. In the end, the Almohads signed

3740-501: Was administered and defended by the monarchs of Leon, due to the increased incursions from the Emirate of Córdoba . Its first repopulation settlements were led by small abbots and local counts from the other side of the Cantabrian ridge neighbor valleys, Trasmiera and Primorias and smaller ones, from the contiguous maritime valleys of Mena and Encartaciones in nearby Biscay ; some of those settlers had abandoned those exposed areas of

3808-571: Was allegedly approved by Pope Celestine III who had already annulled the marriage between the Leonese monarch and Theresa of Portugal . According to the English chronicler Roger of Howden , the Pope connived this marriage as Pro bono pacis , "For the sake of peace". However, a letter from Innocent III confirms Celestine never knew about this marriage. Although this marriage brought peace between Alfonso VIII of Castile , Peter II of Aragon and Alfonso IX of León , Portugal continued at war with

3876-570: Was defended successfully by Alfonso VIII and 1,000 Aragonese men led by Peter II of Aragon . However, this did not make him give up and shortly after the siege of Toledo, he attacked Madrid , Talamanca de Jarama , Alcalá de Henares , Mount Angio and Turgelo but was unsuccessful in Madrid and Alcalá de Henares, which were defended by Diego López II de Haro . On the way back to Africa , he raided Guadalajara , Cuenca , Oreja  [ es ] , Huete and Uclés . Seeing that Alfonso VII

3944-413: Was given Zamora, and Elvira was given Toro . Sancho II allied himself with Alfonso VI of León and together they conquered, then divided, Galicia. Sancho later attacked Alfonso VI and invaded León with the help of El Cid , and drove his brother into exile, thereby reuniting the three kingdoms. Urraca permitted the greater part of the Leonese army to take refuge in the town of Zamora. Sancho laid siege to

4012-447: Was known to be the land of tolerance and learning for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The titular Jewish woman of the novel is based on Alfonso's paramour, Rahel la Fermosa . Scholars continue to debate the historical truth of this relationship. The 1919 film The Jewess of Toledo by Franz Höbling is also based on this relationship. With Eleanor of England , Alfonso had 11 children: Through his daughters, Berengaria and Blanche, he

4080-560: Was more widespread than is thought during this period, but this remains the minority view. The main period of translation was during Abbasid rule. The 2nd Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur moved the capital from Damascus to Baghdad. Here he founded a great library, containing Greek Classical texts. Al-Mansur ordered this collection of world literature translated into Arabic. Under al-Mansur, and by his orders, translations were made from Greek, Syriac, and Persian. The Syriac and Persian books themselves were translations from Greek or Sanskrit. A legacy of

4148-417: Was not such a disastrous campaign and that no towns were captured, while others say the opposite. In any case, Alfonso VIII signed a ten-year truce with Yaqub on June, which meant he could focus on his war against León . Alfonso IX found himself in a difficult situation: his ally, Yaqub al-Mansur, had abandoned him and now he had no support from anyone. So Alfonso VIII and Peter II, now at peace with

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4216-462: Was not wealthy enough to support him. In March 1160 the Castro and Lara met at the Battle of Lobregal and the Castro were victorious, but the guardianship of Alfonso and the regency fell to Manrique Pérez de Lara . Alfonso was put in the custody of the loyal village Ávila . At barely fifteen, he began restoring his kingdom to order. It was only by surprise that he recovered his capital Toledo from

4284-555: Was occupied fighting with the Almohads, Alfonso IX and Pedro Fernández de Castro , with Almohad and Navarrese troops, invaded Castile from Tierra de Campos and reached Carrión de los Condes and Villasirga . Alfonso VIII, after defending Toledo from the Almohads, responded by invading the Kingdom of León from the same region. He had again the support of Peter II of Aragon. Alfonso VIII started his campaign by taking Coyanza and unsuccessfully besieging León between July 23 and 25. He took Castro de los Judíos de Mayorga and burned

4352-464: Was part of Eleanor's dowry, though there was nothing in the marriage treaty to indicate this. In 1205, he invaded, hoping to make good on his claim. By 1208, he gave up on the venture, though his heirs would come back to this claim generations later. In 1174, he ceded Uclés to the Order of Santiago and afterwards this became the order's principal seat. From Uclés, he began a campaign which culminated in

4420-518: Was proclaimed as king of Castile and of Aragon (in authority) jointly with his mother Joanna I as the Queen of Castile (in name). As the first monarch to reign over Castile and Aragon, Charles I may be considered as the first operational King of Spain . Charles I also became Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1519. As with all medieval kingdoms, supreme power was understood to reside in

4488-458: Was quickly commenced with Calatrava falling first. For the next seventeen years, the frontier between Moor and Castilian was fixed in the hill country just outside Toledo. Finally, in 1212, through the mediation of Pope Innocent III , a crusade was called against the Almohads. Castilians under Alfonso, Aragonese and Catalans under Peter II , Navarrese under Sancho VII , and Franks under the archbishop of Narbonne, Arnaud Amalric , all flocked to

4556-584: Was the grandfather of two monarchs who became saints of the Roman Church . Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile ( / k æ ˈ s t iː l / ; Spanish : Reino de Castilla : Latin : Regnum Castellae ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages . It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile ( Spanish : Condado de Castilla , Latin : Comitatus Castellae ), as an eastern frontier lordship of

4624-463: Was used by Henry II of Castile , of the Mercedes, before coming to the throne in 1369, during the civil war with his legitimate brother, King Peter of Castile . John II of Aragón ruled from 1458 to 1479 and upon his death, his daughter became Queen Eleanor of Navarre and his son became King Ferdinand II of Aragon . The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile , in 1469 at

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