Editing Alfonso VII of León and Castile

{{Short description|King of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1126 to 1157}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Alfonso VII
| image        = File:Alfonso-Privilegium.jpg
| caption      = Alfonso as emperor, from a ''Privilegium Imperatoris'' issued by him.
| succession = [[King of León]] and [[King of Castile|Castile]]
| reign        = 1126–1157
| predecessor  = [[Urraca of León and Castile|Urraca]]
| successor    = [[Sancho III of Castile|Sancho III]] (Castile)<br />[[Ferdinand II of León|Ferdinand II]] (León)
| succession1 = [[King of Galicia]]
| reign1        = 1111–1157
| predecessor1  = [[Urraca of León and Castile|Urraca]]
| successor1    = [[Ferdinand II of León|Ferdinand II]]
| succession2 = [[Imperator totius Hispaniae|Emperor of All Spain]]
| reign2       = 1126–1157
| coronation2 = 26 May 1135{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=60}}
| predecessor2  = [[Urraca of León and Castile|Urraca]]
| successor2    = ''Position abolished''
|regent2          = [[Alfonso the Battler]] (1126–1134)<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wA4tFv2xRxQC&pg=PA178 |page=178|title=Momenti e figure della civiltà europea. Saggi storici e storiografici, vol. I–II |publisher=Ed. di Storia e Letteratura |language=it}}</ref>
|reg-type2        = Anti-emperor
| spouses      = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|[[Berenguela of Barcelona]]|1128|1149|end=d}}
*{{marriage|[[Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile|Richeza of Poland]]|1152}}
}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*[[Sancho III, King of Castile]]
*[[Ferdinand II, King of León]]
*[[Constance of Castile|Constance, Queen of France]]
*[[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Sancha, Queen of Navarre]]
*[[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon|Sancha, Queen of Aragon]]
*Illegitimate:
*[[Urraca of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Urraca, Queen of Navarre]]
*[[Stephanie Alfonso of Castile|Stephanie Alfonso]]
}}
| issue-link   = #Family
| issue-pipe   = among others...
| house        = [[Castilian House of Ivrea]]
| father       = [[Raymond, Count of Galicia]]
| mother       = [[Urraca of León and Castile]]
| birth_date   = 1 March 1105
| birth_place  = [[Caldas de Reis]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1157|08|21|1105|03|01|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Sierra Morena]]
| burial_date  =
| burial_place = [[Cathedral of Toledo]]
}}

'''Alfonso VII''' (1 March 1105{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=59}}{{snd}}21 August 1157), called '''the Emperor''' (''el Emperador''), became the [[King of Galicia]] in 1111{{sfn|Fletcher|1984|p=133}} and [[King of León]] and [[King of Castile|Castile]] in 1126. Alfonso, born '''Alfonso Raimúndez''', first used the title [[Emperor of All Spain]], alongside his mother Urraca, once she vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116.{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=59}} Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the imperial title. He was the son of [[Urraca of León]] and [[Raymond of Burgundy]],{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=59}} the first of the [[Anscarids|House of Ivrea]] to rule in the [[Iberian Peninsula]].

Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. His rule was characterised by the renewed supremacy of the western kingdoms of Christian [[Iberia]] over the eastern ([[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]] and [[Kingdom of Aragón|Aragón]]) after the reign of [[Alfonso 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, [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] became ''de facto'' independent in 1128 and was recognized as independent ''de jure'' in 1143. He was a patron of poets, including, probably, the [[troubadour]] [[Marcabru]].

==Succession to three kingdoms==
In 1111, [[Diego Gelmírez]], [[Bishop of Compostela]] and the [[count of Traba]], crowned and anointed{{sfn|Fletcher|1984|p=133}} Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of [[Santiago de Compostela]].{{sfn|Stroll|2004|p=239}} 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.{{sfn|Reilly|1998|p=12}}{{sfn|Waag|2022|p=83}} By 1119 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]],{{sfn|García-Osuna y Rodríguez|2012|p=108}} where he had become the protégé of its [[Cluny Abbey|Cluniac]] archbishop, [[Bernard of Sédirac]].{{sfn|Reilly|1982|p=361}} On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in [[León, León|León]]{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=59}} and immediately began the recovery of the [[Kingdom of Castile]], which was then under the domination of Alfonso the Battler. By the [[Peace 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]] and [[King of Aragon|Aragón]], died without descendants in 1134, he willed his kingdom to the [[Knights Templar]] and the [[Knights Hospitaller]].{{sfn|France|2005|p=122}} The aristocracy of both kingdoms rejected this. [[García Ramírez of Navarre|García Ramírez]], Count of [[Monzón]] was elected in Navarre{{sfn|Lourie|1975|p=635}} while Alfonso pretended to the throne of Aragón. The nobles chose another candidate in the dead king's brother, [[Ramiro II of Aragon|Ramiro II]].{{sfn|Lourie|1975|p=635}} Alfonso responded by reclaiming [[La Rioja (autonomous community)|La Rioja]] and "attempted to annex the district around Zaragoza and Tarazona".{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=60}}

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 the [[Pyrenees]], who held lands as far as the [[River Rhône]]. In the end, however, the combined forces of the Navarre and Aragón were too much for his control. At this time, he helped [[Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona]], in his wars with the other [[Catalan counties]] to unite the old ''[[Marca Hispanica]]''.

==Imperial rule==
[[File:Alfonso VII of Castile, 13th c.jpg|thumb|13th-century miniature of Alfonso VII of León from the codex Tumbo A. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral]]
A vague tradition had always assigned the title of emperor to the sovereign who held León.  [[Sancho the Great]] considered the city the ''imperiale culmen'' and minted coins with the inscription {{Lang|la|Imperator totius Hispaniae}} after being crowned in it. Such a sovereign was considered the most direct representative of the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] kings, who had been themselves the representatives of the [[Roman Empire]]. But though appearing in charters, and claimed by [[Alfonso VI of León]] and [[Alfonso the Battler]], the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

On 26 May 1135, Alfonso was crowned "Emperor of Spain" in the [[Cathedral of León]].{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=60}} By this, he probably wished to assert his authority over the entire peninsula and his absolute leadership of the [[Reconquista]]. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity which [[Spain]] had never possessed since the fall of the [[Visigothic]] kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. After [[Afonso I of Portugal|Afonso Henriques]] recognised him as [[Feudalism|liege]] in 1137, Alfonso VII lost the [[Battle of Valdevez]] in 1141 thereby affirming Portugal's independence in the [[Treaty of Zamora (1143)]].{{sfn|Reilly|1998|p=309}} In 1143, he himself recognised this ''status quo'' and consented to the marriage of [[Petronila of Aragon]] with [[Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona|Ramon Berenguer IV]], a union which combined Aragon and Catalonia into the [[Crown of Aragon]].

===War against Al-Andalus===
Alfonso was a pious prince. He introduced the [[Cistercians]] to [[Iberia]] by founding a monastery at [[Fitero]]. He adopted a militant attitude towards the [[Moors]] of [[Al-Andalus]], especially the [[Almoravids]]. From 1138, when he [[Siege of Coria (1138)|besieged Coria]], Alfonso led a series of [[crusades]] subjugating the Almoravids. After [[Siege of Oreja|a seven-month siege]], he took the fortress of [[Castle of Oreja|Oreja]] near [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] and, as the ''[[Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris]]'' tells it:
{{blockquote|…  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, Alfonso [[Siege of Coria (1142)|besieged Coria a second time]] and took it.{{sfn|Powers|2010|p=432}} In 1144, he advanced as far as [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]]. Two years later, the [[Almohads]] invaded and he was forced to refortify his southern frontier and come to an agreement with the Almoravid [[Yahya ibn Ghaniya]] for their mutual defence. When [[Pope Eugene III]] preached the [[Second Crusade]], Alfonso VII, with García Ramírez of Navarre and Ramon Berenguer IV, led a mixed army of [[Catalan people|Catalans]] and [[Franks]], with a [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]]–[[Republic of Pisa|Pisan]] navy, in a crusade against the rich port city of [[Almería]], which was occupied in October 1147.{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=60}} A third of the city was granted to Genoa and subsequently leased out to [[Otto de Bonvillano]], a Genoese citizen. It was Castile's first [[Mediterranean]] seaport.{{sfn|Riley-Smith|1990|p=48}} In 1151, Alfonso signed the [[Treaty 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 the [[Sierra Morena]].{{sfn|Reilly|2003|p=60}}

==Legacy==
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 to [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], occurred in circumstances which showed that no man could be what he claimed to be – "[[Emperor of the Two Religions|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.

==Family==
In November 1128, he married [[Berenguela of Barcelona|Berenguela]],{{sfn|Barton|1997|p=286}} daughter of [[Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona]].{{sfn|Graham-Leigh|2005|p=table 4}} She died in 1149. Their children were:
* Ramón, living 1136, died in childhood{{sfn|Reilly|1998|pp=27–28}}
* [[Sancho III of Castile]] (1134–1158){{sfn|Barton|1997|p=13}}
* [[Ferdinand II of León]] (1137–1188){{sfn|Barton|1997|p=13}}
* [[Constance of Castile|Constance]] (c. 1138–1160), married [[Louis VII of France]]{{sfn|Hanley|2019|p=233}}
* [[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Sancha]] ({{circa|1139}}–1179), married [[Sancho VI of Navarre]]{{sfn|Bryson|1999|p=29}}
* García ({{circa|1142}}–1145/6)
* Alfonso (1144/1148–{{circa|1149}})

In 1152, Alfonso married [[Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile|Richeza of Poland]], the daughter of [[Wladislaus II the Exile of Poland|Ladislaus II the Exile]].{{sfn|Reilly|1998|p=114}} They had:
* Ferdinand (1153–1157){{sfn|Reilly|1998|p=307}}
* [[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon|Sancha]] (1155–1208), the wife of [[Alfonso II of Aragón]].

Alfonso also had two mistresses, having children by both. By an [[Asturia]]n noblewoman named [[Gontrodo Pérez]], he had an illegitimate daughter, [[Urraca of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Urraca]] (1132–1164), who married [[García Ramírez of Navarre]], the mother retiring to a convent in 1133.{{sfn|Reilly|1998|p=143}} 

Later in his reign, he formed a liaison with Urraca Fernández, widow of count [[Rodrigo Martínez]] and daughter of [[Fernando García de Hita]], having a daughter, [[Stephanie the Unfortunate]] (1148–1180), who was killed by her jealous husband, [[Fernán Ruiz de Castro]].

==Family tree==
{{chart/start|align=center}}
{{chart|border=0| | | | | | | Con |v| Alf | | | | | |Alf=[[Alfonso VI of León and Castile|Alfonso VI<br />of León & Castile]]|Con=[[Constance of Burgundy|Constance<br />of Burgundy]]}}
{{chart|border=0| |,|-|-|-|.| | | |!| |L|~|~|~|~|7| }}
{{chart|border=0| Cal | | Ray |v| Urr |-| Alf | Ter |v| Hen |Urr=[[Urraca of León|Urraca<br />of León]] |Ter=[[Theresa, Countess of Portugal|Teresa<br />of Portugal]]|Ray=[[Raymond of Burgundy|Raymond<br />of Burgundy]]|Hen=[[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry<br />of Burgundy]]|Alf=[[Alfonso the Battler|Alfonso I<br />of Pamplona<br />& Aragon]]|Cal=[[Pope Callixtus II|Pope<br />Callixtus II]]}}
{{chart|border=0| | |,|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|.| | | | | | | |!| }}
{{chart|border=0| | San | | Ber |v| Alf |v| Ric | | Afo | Ber=[[Berengaria of Barcelona|Berengaria<br />of Barcelona]]|Ric=[[Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile|Richeza<br />of Poland]]|Alf='''Alfonso VII<br /> of León & Castile'''|Afo=[[Afonso I of Portugal|Afonso I<br />of Portugal]]|San=[[Sancha Raimúndez|Sancha<br />Raimúndez]]}}
{{chart|border=0| |,|-|v|-|-|v|-|(| |:| |`|-|-|-|-|.|}}
{{chart|border=0| |!| San | Fer |!| Ura |-| Gar | |!| | | San=[[Sancho III of Castile|Sancho III<br />of Castile]]|Fer=[[Ferdinand II of León|Ferdinand II<br />of León]]|Ura=[[Urraca of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Urraca]]|Gar=[[García Ramírez of Navarre|García Ramírez<br />of Navarre]]|Afo=[[Afonso I of Portugal|Afonso I<br />of Portugal]]}}
{{chart|border=0| |!| | | | | | |`|-|.| | | |!| | |!| | |}}
{{chart|border=0| Con |-| Lou | | | San |-| SVI | SaA |-| Alf | Lou=[[Louis VII of France|Louis VII<br />of France]]|Con=[[Constance of Castile|Constance]]|San=[[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Sancha]]|SVI=[[Sancho VI of Navarre|Sancho VI<br />of Navarre]]|SaA=[[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon|Sancha]]|Alf=[[Alfonso II of Aragon|Alfonso II<br />of Aragon]]}}
{{chart/end}}

== In fiction==
A parody version of king Alfonso and queen Berengaria is presented in the tragicomedy ''La venganza de Don Mendo'' by [[Pedro Muñoz Seca]].
In [[Don Mendo's Revenge|its film version]], [[Antonio Garisa]] played Alfonso.<ref name="Historia">{{cite book |last1=Juan Payán |first1=Miguel |title=La historia de España a través del cine |date=2007 |publisher=Cacitel |isbn=978-84-96613-10-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TOMaAQAAIAAJ&q=%22alfonso+vii%22+%22antonio+garisa%22 |access-date=31 December 2020 |language=es}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Barton|first=Simon|publisher=Cambridge University Press|title =The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile|year= 1997|location= Cambridge|isbn = 9780521497275}}
*{{cite book |title=Queen Jeanne and the Promised Land: Dynasty, Homeland, Religion and Violence in Sixteenth-Century France |first=David |last=Bryson |publisher=Brill |year=1999 }}
* {{cite book|last=Fletcher|first=R.A.|title=Saint James's catapult : the life and times of Diego Gelmírez of Santiago de Compostela|year=1984|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford [Oxfordshire]|isbn=978-0198225812|url=http://libro.uca.edu/sjc/sjc.htm}}
*{{cite book |title=The Crusades and the Expansion of Catholic Christendom, 1000–1714 |first=John |last=France |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 }}
* {{cite journal|first=José María Manuel|last=García-Osuna y Rodríguez|year=2012|title=El rey Alfonso VII «El Emperador» de León|journal=Anuario Brigantino|volume=35}}
*{{cite book |title=The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade |first=Elaine |last=Graham-Leigh |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2005 }}
*{{cite book |title=Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior |first=Catherine |last=Hanley |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2019  }}
*{{cite journal |title=The Will of Alfonso I, "El Batallador," King of Aragon and Navarre: A Reassessment |first=Elena |last=Lourie |journal=Speculum |volume=50| issue =  4 Oct |year=1975 |pages=635–651 |doi=10.2307/2855471 |jstor=2855471 |s2cid=159659007 }}
* {{cite book|first=Bernard F.|last=Reilly |chapter=Alfonso VII, King of León and Castile|title= Medieval Iberia: An encyclopedia|year=2003|pages=59–60|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781351665780 |oclc= 701323223|editor=E. Michael Gerli |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OzArDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|first=Bernard F.|last=Reilly |title=The Kingdom of León-Castilla Under King Alfonso VII, 1126–1157|year=1998 |location=Philadelphia |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=9780812234527}}
* {{cite book|first=Bernard F.|last=Reilly |year=1982|title=The Kingdom of León-Castilla under Queen Urraca, 1109–1126|url=http://libro.uca.edu/urraca/urraca.htm|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|isbn=0-691-05344-8}}
* {{cite book|first=Jonathan|last=Riley-Smith|title=Atlas of the Crusades|year=1990|location=New York|publisher=Facts on File|isbn=9780816021864|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofcrusadesc00jona}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |first=James F. |last=Powers |title=Coria, Siege of |editor-last=Rogers |editor-first=Clifford J. |year=2010 |encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology |volume=1 |publisher=Oxford University Press }}
* {{cite book|first=Mary|last=Stroll|title=Calixtus II, 1119–1124|year=2004|location=Leiden; Boston|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004139879}} 
* {{cite book|first=Anaïs|last=Waag |chapter=Rulership, Authority, and Power in the Middle Ages: The Porprietary Queen as Head of Dynasty|title= Anglo-Norman Studies XLIV|year=2022|pages=71–104|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=9781800106314}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Alfonso VII of León and Castile}}
*Arnaldo, [[Bishop of Astorga]], wrote an account of Alfonso VII's life and reign known as the ''[http://libro.uca.edu/lipskey/chronicle.htm Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris]''.

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Castilian House of Ivrea]]|1 March|1105|21 August|1157|[[House of Ivrea]]}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|rows=4|before=[[Urraca of León and Castile|Urraca]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Galicia]]|years=1111–1157}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Ferdinand II of León|Ferdinand II]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of León]]|years=1126–1157}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Castile]]|years=1126–1157}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sancho III of Castile|Sancho III]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=''[[Imperator totius Hispaniae|Emperor of All Spain]]''|years=1126–1157|regent1=[[Alfonso I of Aragon]]|years1=1126–1134}}
{{s-aft|after=Title abandoned}}
{{s-end}}

{{Galician monarchs}}
{{Leonese monarchs}}
{{Castilian monarchs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfonso 07 Of Leon And Castile}}
[[Category:1105 births]]
[[Category:1157 deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century Castilian monarchs]]
[[Category:Castilian House of Burgundy]]
[[Category:Leonese infantes]]
[[Category:12th-century Leonese monarchs]]
[[Category:12th-century Galician monarchs]]
[[Category:People of the Reconquista]]
[[Category:Patrons of literature]]
[[Category:Christians of the Second Crusade]]
[[Category:Castilian infantes]]
[[Category:Sons of queens regnant]]
[[Category:Sons of empresses regnant]]