| Bermudo III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Miniature from theTumbo A manuscript,c. 1129–1255 | |||||
| King of León | |||||
| Reign | 1028–1037 | ||||
| Predecessor | Alfonso V | ||||
| Successor | Ferdinand I | ||||
| Born | c. 1015 | ||||
| Died | 4 September 1037 (aged 22) Tamarón | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Consort | Jimena Sánchez | ||||
| Issue | Alfonso | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Astur-Leonese dynasty | ||||
| Father | Alfonso V of León | ||||
| Mother | Elvira Menéndez | ||||
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity | ||||
Bermudo III orVermudo III (c. 1015– 4 September 1037) was theking of León from 1028 until his death. He was a son ofAlfonso V of León by his first wifeElvira Menéndez, and was the lastscion of Peter of Cantabria to rule in theLeonese kingdom. Like several of his predecessors, he sometimes carried the imperial title: in 1030 he appears asregni imperii Ueremundo principis; in 1029/1032 asimperator domnus Veremudius in Gallecia; and in 1034 asregni imperii Veremundus rex Legionensis.[1] He was a child when he succeeded his father. In 1034 he was chased from his throne by KingSancho III of Pamplona and forced to take refuge inGalicia. He returned to power, but was defeated and killed fighting against his brother-in-law,Ferdinand of Castile, in thebattle of Tamarón.
Bermudo III was the son of Alfonso V of León by his first wife Elvira Menéndez.[2] He succeeded to the throne of León in 1027. Bermudo married Jimena Sánchez, who was a daughter of KingSancho III of Pamplona.[3]
In 1029, CountGarcía Sánchez of Castile was about to be married toSancha of León, the elder sister of Bermudo, an arrangement apparently sanctioned by theking of Navarre, when the count was murdered in the city ofLeón by the Velas, a party of Castilian nobles exiled from their own country, who had taken refuge in León. León and Navarre disputed the succession to the Countship of Castile thus left vacant.[4]
Sancho III of Pamplona was married toMuniadona, daughter of Sancho García of Castile, and sister to the murdered count. Sancho claimed the county of Castile in his wife's name and installed in it their son,Ferdinand, as the newcount of Castile. He seized the borderlands between theCea and thePisuerga rivers, right above León's capital, long a bone of contention between León and Castile. In 1032 Sancho of Pamplona forced a marriage between his son, Fernando of Castile, and Sancha of León,[4] and those lands went to Castile as part of herdowry.
In 1034, Sancho wrested the city of León itself from his son-in-law, Bermudo, who retreated into Galicia. By the time Sancho died in 1035, themeseta north of theDuero was dominated by thePyrenean pocket kingdom ofNavarre. After Sancho's death, Bermudo III was immediately received back into León and soon began a campaign to recover the disputed territory between the Cea and Pisuerga from Castile and his brother-in-law Ferdinand. Bermudo III was killed at theBattle of Tamarón on 4 September 1037.[5] Autopsy of his remains shows that he may have suffered death from infantry spears or pikes, after falling from his horse.
Since the latter died without an heir, the kingdom of León now recognized Sancha and her husband as its rulers, and Ferdinand was anointed king in the royal city on 22 June 1038. The united realm ofLeón and Castile, with its rimlands ofAsturias and Galicia, would become the political center of the north IberianChristian society.
By his wifeJimena, daughter ofSancho III of Pamplona, Bermudo had one child, a son named Alfonso, who was born and died in 1030.
Bermudo III of León Born: circa 1017 Died: 4 September 1037 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of León 1027–1037 | Succeeded by |
| Suebian kings |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Astur-Leonese dynasty | ||
| House of Jiménez | ||
| House of Burgundy | ||
| Portuguese House of Burgundy | ||
| House of Lancaster | ||
| House of Trastámara | ||
| House of Habsburg | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
