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| Alfonso VII | |
|---|---|
 Alfonso as emperor, from aPrivilegium Imperatoris issued by him. | |
| King of León andCastile | |
| Reign | 1126–1157 |
| Predecessor | Urraca |
| Successor | Sancho III (Castile) Ferdinand II (León) |
| King of Galicia | |
| Reign | 1111–1157 |
| Predecessor | Urraca |
| Successor | Ferdinand II |
| Emperor of All Spain | |
| Reign | 1126–1157 |
| Coronation | 26 May 1135[1] |
| Predecessor | Urraca |
| Successor | Position abolished |
| Anti-emperor | Alfonso the Battler (1126–1134)[2] |
| Born | 1 March 1105 Caldas de Reis |
| Died | 21 August 1157(1157-08-21) (aged 52) Sierra Morena |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue among others... | |
| House | Castilian House of Ivrea |
| Father | Raymond, Count of Galicia |
| Mother | Urraca of León and Castile |
Alfonso VII (1 March 1105[3] – 21 August 1157), calledthe Emperor (el Emperador), became theKing of Galicia in 1111[4] andKing of León andCastile in 1126. Alfonso, bornAlfonso Raimúndez, first used the titleEmperor of All Spain, alongside his mother Urraca, once she vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116.[3] Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the imperial title. He was the son ofUrraca of León andRaymond of Burgundy,[3] the first of theHouse of Ivrea to rule in theIberian Peninsula.
Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of ChristianIberia over the eastern (Navarre andAragón) after the reign ofAlfonso the Battler. Though he sought to make the imperial title meaningful in practice to both Christian and Muslim populations, his hegemonic intentions never saw fruition. During his tenure,Portugal becamede facto independent in 1128 and was recognized as independentde jure in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, thetroubadourMarcabru.
In 1111,Diego Gelmírez,Bishop of Compostela and thecount of Traba, crowned and anointed[4] Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral ofSantiago de Compostela.[5] He was a child, but his mother had (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and wished to retain sole rulership of the kingdom.[6][7] By 1119 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom ofToledo,[8] where he had become the protégé of itsCluniac archbishop,Bernard of Sédirac.[9] On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned inLeón[3] and immediately began the recovery of theKingdom of Castile, which was then under the domination of Alfonso the Battler. By thePeace 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 andAragón, died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to theKnights Templar and theKnights Hospitaller.[10] The aristocracy of both kingdoms rejected this.García Ramírez, Count ofMonzón was elected in Navarre[11] while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother,Ramiro II.[11] Alfonso responded by reclaimingLa Rioja and "attempted to annex the district around Zaragoza and Tarazona".[1]
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 thePyrenees, who held lands as far as theRiver Rhône. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helpedRamon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, in his wars with the otherCatalan counties to unite the oldMarca Hispanica.
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León.Sancho the Great considered the city theimperiale culmen and minted coins with the inscriptionImperator totius Hispaniae after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of theVisigothic kings, who had been themselves the representatives of theRoman Empire. But though appearing in charters, and claimed byAlfonso VI of León andAlfonso the Battler, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.
On 26 May 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of Spain" in theCathedral of León.[1] By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of theReconquista. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity whichSpain had never possessed since the fall of theVisigothic kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. AfterAfonso Henriques recognised him asliege in 1137, Alfonso VII lost theBattle of Valdevez in 1141 thereby affirming Portugal's independence in theTreaty of Zamora (1143).[12] In 1143, he himself recognised thisstatus quo and consented to the marriage ofPetronila of Aragon withRamon Berenguer IV, a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into theCrown of Aragon.
Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced theCistercians toIberia by founding a monastery atFitero. He adopted a militant attitude towards theMoors ofAl-Andalus, especially theAlmoravids. From 1138, when hebesieged Coria, Alfonso led a series ofcrusades subjugating the Almoravids. Aftera seven-month siege, he took the fortress ofOreja nearToledo and, as theChronica Adefonsi Imperatoris tells it:
… early in the morning the castle was surrendered and the towers were filled with Christian knights, and the royal standards were raised above a high tower. Those who held the standards shouted out loud and proclaimed "Long live Alfonso, emperor of León and Toledo!"
In 1142, Alfonsobesieged Coria a second time and took it.[13] In 1144, he advanced as far asCórdoba. Two years later, theAlmohads invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the AlmoravidYahya ibn Ghaniya for their mutual defence. WhenPope Eugene III preached theSecond Crusade, Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army ofCatalans andFranks, with aGenoese–Pisan navy, in a crusade against the rich port city ofAlmería, which was occupied in October 1147.[1] A third of the city was granted to Genoa and subsequently leased out toOtto de Bonvillano, a Genoese citizen. It was Castile's firstMediterranean seaport.[14] In 1151, Alfonso signed theTreaty of Tudilén with Ramon Berenguer. The treaty defined the zones of conquest in Andalusia in order to prevent the two rulers from coming into conflict. Six years later, Almería entered into Almohad possession. Alfonso was returning from an expedition against them when he died on 21 August 1157 in Las Fresnedas, north of theSierra Morena.[1]
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 toToledo, 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 November 1128, he marriedBerenguela,[15] daughter ofRamon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona.[16] She died in 1149. Their children were:
In 1152, Alfonso marriedRicheza of Poland, the daughter ofLadislaus II the Exile.[21] They had:
Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By anAsturian noblewoman namedGontrodo Pérez, he had an illegitimate daughter,Urraca (1132–1164), who marriedGarcía Ramírez of Navarre, the mother retiring to a convent in 1133.[23]
Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of countRodrigo Martínez and daughter ofFernando García de Hita, having a daughter,Stephanie the Unfortunate (1148–1180), who was killed by her jealous husband,Fernán Ruiz de Castro.
A parody version of king Alfonso and queen Berengaria is presented in the tragicomedyLa venganza de Don Mendo byPedro Muñoz Seca.Inits film version,Antonio Garisa played Alfonso.[24]
Alfonso VII of León and Castile Cadet branch of theHouse of Ivrea Born: 1 March 1105 Died: 21 August 1157 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Galicia 1111–1157 | Succeeded by |
| King of León 1126–1157 | ||
| King of Castile 1126–1157 | Succeeded by | |
| Emperor of All Spain 1126–1157 withAlfonso I of Aragon (1126–1134) | Succeeded by Title abandoned | |
| Suebian kings |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Astur-Leonese dynasty | ||
| House of Jiménez | ||
| House of Burgundy | ||
| Portuguese House of Burgundy | ||
| House of Lancaster | ||
| House of Trastámara | ||
| House of Habsburg | ||
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