| Alfonso XI | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Detail of a contemporary depiction in theBook of the Coronation of the Kings of Castile (14th century) | |
| King of Castile and León | |
| Reign | 7 September 1312 –26 March 1350 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand IV |
| Successor | Peter |
| Born | 13 August 1311 Salamanca,Crown of Castile |
| Died | 26 March 1350 (aged 38) Gibraltar,Emirate of Granada |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue among others... | |
| House | Castilian House of Ivrea |
| Father | Ferdinand IV of Castile |
| Mother | Constance of Portugal |
| Signature | .svg) |
Alfonso XI (11 August 1311 – 26 March 1350), calledthe Avenger (el Justiciero), was King ofCastile andLeón. He was the son ofFerdinand IV of Castile and his wifeConstance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313.
Once Alfonso was declared an adult in 1325, he began a reign that would serve to strengthen royal power and became known for his victory in theBattle of Rio Salado. While leading asiege againstYusuf I ofGranada, he died of theplague inGibraltar.
Born on 13 August 1311 inSalamanca,[1] he was the son of KingFerdinand IV of Castile[2] andConstance of Portugal.[3] His father died when Alfonso was one year old.[4] His grandmother,María de Molina, his mother Constance, his granduncle InfanteJohn of Castile, son of KingAlfonso X of Castile and uncle InfantePeter of Castile, son of KingSancho IV assumed the regency. His mother died first on 18 November 1313, followed by Infantes John and Peter during a military campaign againstGranada in 1319 at theDisaster of the Vega, which left Dowager Queen María as the only regent until her death on 1 July 1321.[citation needed]
Alfonso inherited the throne at a time of instability within the region, decline in populations, reductions in the royal treasury and increasingly ambitious regents caused numerous problems during his young reign.[4]
After the death of the Infantes John and Peter in 1319,Philip (son of Sancho IV and María de Molina, thus brother of Infante Peter),Juan Manuel (the king's second-degree uncle by virtue of being Ferdinand III's grandson) andJuan the One-eyed (his second-degree uncle, son of John of Castile who died in 1319) split the kingdom among themselves according to their aspirations for regency, even as it was being looted by Moors and the rebellious nobility.[citation needed]
A 14th century chronicle mentioned his appearance as "...King Alfonso was not very tall but well proportioned, and he was rather strong and had fair skin and hair."[5]
His effective reign began in August 1325 when he was sworn in as king as he was proclaimed to have reached theage of majority in the Cortes ofValladolid.[6] Following a ritual that took him toSantiago de Compostela and to themonastery of Las Huelgas inBurgos, his self-crowning took place in 1332.[7]
As soon as he took the throne, he began working hard to strengthen royal power by dividing his enemies. His early display of ruthless rulership skills included the unhesitant execution of possible opponents. Alfonso XI ordered the assassination of Juan the One-eyed inToro in the 1326 feast of All Saints, along with two of the latter's knights, luring the former with promises of reconciliation.[8]
He managed to extend the limits of his kingdom to the Strait of Gibraltar after the important victory at theBattle of Río Salado against theMarinid dynasty in 1340 and the conquest ofAlgeciras in 1344. Once that conflict was resolved, he redirected all hisReconquista efforts to fighting the Moorish king of Granada.[citation needed]
During his reign a political reform in the municipal government took place, with the substitution of theconcejos abiertos by theregimientos.[9] He fostered the issuance ofcartas pueblas as strategy for the demographic strengthening in the borderland areas.[9]
He is variously known among Castilian kings as the Avenger or the Implacable, and as "He of Río Salado." The first two names he earned by the ferocity with which he repressed the disorders caused by the nobles during his long minority; the third by his victory in theBattle of Río Salado over the last formidableMarinid invasion of theIberian Peninsula in 1340.[citation needed]
Alfonso XI never went to the extreme lengths of his sonPeter of Castile, but he could be bloody in his methods. He killed for reasons of state without any form of trial. He openly neglected his wife,Maria of Portugal, and indulged a scandalous passion forEleanor of Guzman, who bore him ten children.[citation needed]
Stricken withplague during the1349–1350 siege of Gibraltar, Alfonso died in the night of 25–26 March 1350 (some sources put the date wrongfully at 27 March) becoming one of the most prominent victims of theBlack Death.[10][11] The Castilian forces withdrew from Gibraltar, with some of the defenders coming out to watch.[12] Out of respect, Alfonso's rivalYusuf I of Granada ordered his army and his commanders in the border regions not to attack the Castilian procession as it traveled with the king's body to Seville.[13]
Alfonso XI first marriedConstanza Manuel in 1325, but had the union annulled two years later. His second marriage, in 1328, was to his double first cousinMaria of Portugal, daughter ofAlfonso IV of Portugal.[14] They had:
By his mistress,Eleanor of Guzmán, he had ten children:
After Alfonso's death, his widow Maria had Eleanor arrested and later killed.[18]
He was depicted in the 1802 playAlfonso, King of Castile by the British writerMatthew Lewis. It was first staged at London'sCovent Garden Theatre withCharles Murray in the title role.[19]
| Ancestors of Alfonso XI of Castile[20] |
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hannay, D. (1911). "Alphonso". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.Alfonso XI of Castile Cadet branch of theHouse of Ivrea Born: 13 August 1311 Died: 26 March 1350 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Castile andLeón 1312–1350 | Succeeded by |
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