CASTILLA Alfonso

Abt 1039 - Abt 1109  (70 years)

• Name	CASTILLA Alfonso
  Birth	Abt 1039	Compostela, Galicia
  Gender	Male
  Death	Abt 30 Jun 1109	Toledo, Castilla
  Notes	Alfonso, later King Alfonso VI ("el Bravo"), Rey de Castilla y León, was born in about 1039 (1038-40) in Compostela, Galicia (now Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain) as the second son of King Fernando I ("el Magno"), Rey de Castilla y León and Sancha de León. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Accession to the Throne Although Alfonso was the second of three sons, his father Fernando (King Ferdinand I) established that his consolidated Christian kingdoms in the North of Spain (above the Islamic "taifas" to the South) would be divided among his sons upon his death, which occurred in 1065: [1] [2] [3] [5] The Kingdom of Castilla was created out of the former county (Condado de Castilla) for Fernando's eldest son Sancho [6] The Kingdom of León was given to second son Alfonso [7] The Kingdom of Galicia was given to youngest son García [8] Consolidation of Kingdoms and the "Reconquista" Relations among Fernando's three sons - each of whom became an independent king - led to conflicts between the kingdoms, including the imprisonment of youngest son García (after which control of Galicia was shared by the two elder brothers), and eventually a Castilian attack on the Leonese city of Zamora during which eldest son Sancho was killed. Ultimately these events led to the consolidation of the three kingdoms under Alfonso, who took the Latin title of Rex Spaniae (King of Spain) in 1072. [1] [3] [5] [7] Following Alfonso's consolidation of three of the kingdoms of Northern Spain, he was increasingly recruited by the popes to engage in the Reconquista (Reconquest) of Spain from the Islamic leaders who still occupied much of the Iberian Peninsula as al-Andalus. In many cases, however, the Muslim emirs who were then ruling various "taifas" (individually a taïfa or Ta'ifah and collectively a Ta'waif) were paying tributes in the form of "parias" (essentially taxes for protection) to the Spanish kings, including both Fernando I and Alfonso VI. [1] [5] [9] [10] [11] A key event of the early Reconquista was King Alfonso's siege and eventual conquest in 1085 of the powerful taïfa of Toledo, which was a Northern stronghold of the Islamic territories, leading to Alfonso's renown across the Christian world - following which he adopted the title of Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all Hispania, referring to all of the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula). [1] [5] [9] [10] Conjugal Relationships and Descendants Six children of King Alfonso VI are known and documented - but the nature and status of several of the relationships between the King and their mothers are subject to some uncertainties. As was not uncommon at the time, many if not most of Alfonso's relationships were of potential strategic significance (being with noblewomen of other powerful kingdoms or territories). However, another significant factor from the perspective of a king's succession was whether they led to an heir, particularly a male heir. [1] [3] [5] [12] While the conditions surrounding marriage were still evolving, divorce was generally considered impermissible - and so if a king entered into a new relationship while a spouse or other partner was still alive, questions regarding the status of subsequent children then depended on whether the prior relationship was considered properly consummated or not. Alternatives were for the prior relationship to be annulled or repudiated, or for the woman to be considered as a royal concubine (all of which scenarios occurred in the case of Alfonso). [1] [12] Further complicating the situation in the case of King Alfonso was that four of his relationships produced no children, and in the two or three which did, the resulting six descendants included five girls but only one son Sancho Alfónsez - and that was with an Islamic princess Zaïda (later "Isabel") who'd converted to Christianity. While King Alfonso nevertheless made that son his heir to the kingdoms in 1107, the boy was killed in a battle at Uclés the following year. [3] [5] [12] Agathe de Normandie (daughter of William the Conqueror) Agathe de Normandie (Agatha of Normandy) was the daughter of Guillaume de Normandie ("William the Conqueror") and she and Alfonso were betrothed in about 1067 when Agathe was still a young girl. Agathe was eventually sent to join Alfonso for their planned marriage but she died en route in 1079. [1] [3] [5] Agnes of Aquitaine, "Inés" (daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine) Agnes of Aquitaine (known in Castille as Inés) was the daughter of Guillaume de Poitou, duc d'Aquitaine ("William VIII, the Duke of Aquitaine"). Agnes was betrothed to King Alfonso in 1069 and they married in late 1073 or early 1074. They had no children and the marriage was repudiated in 1077. She died the following year. [1] [3] [5] [12] [13] Jimena Muñoz / Muñiz (Iberian noblewoman) Jimena Muñoz (alt. spellings Ximena Muñiz / Moñiz / Monnuiz) was a noblewoman from Iberia who was noted by Bishop Pelayo (lat. Palagius) of Oviedo as being "nobillissima" (most noble) and of "real generación" (royal descent)." [3] [5] [12] [14] While Jimena has often been referred to as a mistress or royal concubine, neither their relationship nor their children were generally treated as illegitimate - and recent historical evidence indicates that a key "epitaph" related to Jimena, suggesting that she and Alfonso were not spouses, was not actually contemporaneous with her death but was developed centuries later - potentially to justify the legitimacy of subsequent descendants who became heirs to the throne. [15] Jimena gave birth to Alfonso's first two children - both of whom were daughters - and who were later married into prominent families. Their younger daughter Teresa obtained the right to rule Portugal - and her son (Alfonso's grandson) would become Portugal's first king (Afonso I): Elvira (c. 1079 - aft. April 1157) - who was first married to Count Raymond IV of Toulouse and, after Raymond was killed in the Crusade, to Count Fernando Fernández de Carrión. Teresa (c. 1080 - 11 Nov 1130) - who married Count Henry of Portugal and - the couple having been given right to rule the county of Portugal - their eldest son Afonso Henriques (later Afonso I de Portugal) became the first King of Portugal. Constance de Bourgogne (daughter of the Duke of Burgundy) Constance de Bourgogne (Constance of Burgundy) was a childless widow who was the daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, and the granddaughter of King Robert II of France. King Alfonso married Constance in 1079 and they had six children, five of whom died, leaving a sole daughter (who would eventually become queen): [3] [5] [12] [16] Urraca de Castilla y León (c. 1080 - 8 Mar 1126) - who first married Raymond of Burgundy (producing a son who would later become king); and she later married Alfonso I, the King of Aragón and Navarre. [17] [18] [19] Urraca would eventually become Queen of Castilla y León, and her son Alfonso Raimúndez would later become king as King Alfonso VII. [20] Zaïda of Seville (later "Isabel") (Islamic Princess from Seville) Zaïda / Zaida of Seville, later "Isabel" was an Islamic princess who was the widow of Abu al-Fatah al-Ma'mun ibn Abbad (who had led the Islamic Taifa of Córdoba), and thus daughter-in-law of Muhammad al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad who was the third and last ruler of the "Abbadid" dynasty controlling the most powerful remaining Taifa of Seville and one of the emirs paying tribute to Alfonso. [9] [11] [12] [21] [22] When the Berber "Almoravid" dynasty from Morocco took Seville, the Emir al-Mu'tamid was overthrown and Princess Zaïda became the mistress / royal concubine of King Alfonso (and potentially later his wife, see below) after converting to Christianity and being baptised as "Isabel." It was this Christianized Moorish princess who bore King Alfonso VI his first and ultimately only son several years later: [1] [3] [5] [23] Sancho Alfónsez (c. 1094 - 29 May 1108) - as King Alfonso's only son, he was made his heir in 1107. An intervening marriage to a woman named Berta (who was associated with the House of Savoy, see below) did not lead to children. It is considered likely (although not certain) that the King's subsequent marriage in 1100 to a woman whose name was "Isabel" (of unclear origins, see below) - was in fact an official marriage to Zaïda (who had been christened as Isabel). Consistent with that, Sancho Alfónsez (who was the son of Zaïda, Christened as Isabel), was later named as King Alfonso's heir in 1107. [3] [23] [24] Unfortunately, the King's son and heir Sancho Alfónsez was killed at the battle of Uclés the following year, in 1108. King Alfonso died a year later (in 1109) without a male heir, after which the throne passed to the King's daughter Urraca who had married Raymond of Burgundy, and through her would pass to their son who became King Alfonso VII (see above). [1] [3] [5] [24] Berta (a noblewoman of the House of Savoy) Alfonso entered into a marriage contract with Berta, a noblewoman associated with the House of Savoy, on 25 Nov 1093, although her first recorded presence at court was in 1095. They had no children together and Berta died several years later, sometime between 17 Nov 1099 and 15 Jan 1100. [3] [5] [12] Isabel (possibly Zaïda who was Christened as Isabel) In early 1100, following the death of Berta of Savoy (who died childless), a marriage to "Isabel" was reflected. She is considered potentially, though not certainly, to be Zaïda (later christened Isabel) - in which case the marriage may have helped to solidify the status of their child Sancho Alfónsez - who was King Alfonso's only son (see above). Consistent with this, Sancho Alfónsez was later named as King Alfonso's heir to his kingdoms. King Alfonso and Isabel also had two children born after the marriage, both of whom were daughters: [3] [5] Sancha (c. 1102 - bef. 10 May 1125) - who married Rodrigo González de Lara, the Count of Liébana Elvira (c. 1103 - 8 Feb 1135) - who married King Roger II of Sicily Beatrice of Aquitaine In early 1108 Alfonso VI (then approaching 70), married Beatrice (Beatrix) of Aquitaine, who may have been a younger daughter of William VIII of Aquitaine (see Agnes of Aquitaine above). Alfonso died the following year and they had no children. [3] [5] [12] Death and Royal Succession Following the 1108 death in battle of King Alfonso's only son Sancho Alfónsez, the King selected his daughter Urraca to be his heir to the throne. At the time, Urraca already had a son named Alfonso Raimúndez born in 1105, with her first husband Raymond of Burgundy, and would soon marry Alfonso I, the King of Aragón and Navarre. [3] [5] [17] [12] King Alfonso VI died in Toledo on 30 Jun 1109 and was buried at the San Mancio chapel in the royal monastery of Santos Facundo y Primitivo in Sahagún, León. [3] [5] Queen Urraca's son Alfonso Raimúndez was named the King of Galicia in 1111 at age 6, but Urraca continued to rule the kingdoms during her son's minority until 1126, when he became King Alfonso VII, Rey de Castilla y León. [3] [5] [17] [20] Sources ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Reilly, Bernard F. The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065-1109. Princeton University Press, 1988. Available via Libro (The Library of Iberian Sources Online): The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065-1109 ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2024: Kings of Castile & León - Fernando de Navarra (See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2024: Kings of Castile & León - Alfonso de Castilla y León. (See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ Wikipedia - Ferdinand I of León (1015-1065) ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 Wikipedia - Alfonso VI of León and Castile (1040/1041-1109) ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wikipedia - Kingdom of Castile ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Wikipedia - Kingdom of Léon ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wikipedia - Kingdom of Galicia ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Ayala, Carlos de (2013). On the Origins of Crusading in the Peninsula: The Reign of Alfonso VI (1065-1109). Imago Temporis.Medium Aevum, VII: 225-269. Available online via Universidad Autónoma de Madrid On the Origins of Crusading in the Peninsula: The Reign of Alfonso VI (1065-1109) ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wikipedia - Reconquista ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wikipedia - Parias ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 Martin, George (2010). Hilando un reino. Alfonso VI y las mujeres in e-Spania: Revue interdisciplinaire d'études hispaniques médiévales et modernes. 10-décembre-2010. In Spanish, available via Open Edition Journals: Hilando un reino. Alfonso VI y las mujeres ↑ Wikipedia - Agnes of Aquitaine, Queen of León and Castile ↑ Wikipedia - Jimena Muñoz (d. 1108) ↑ Rodríguez González, Maria Carmen (2007) "Concubina o Esposa. Reflexiones sobre la unión de Jimena Muñiz con Alfonso VI." Studia Historica. Historia Medieval 25: pp 143-168; available online at Concubina o Esposa. Reflexiones sobre la unión de Jimena Muñiz con Alfonso VI ↑ Wikipedia - Constance of Burgundy (1046-1093) ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Wikipedia - Urraca of León and Castille (c. 1080-1126) ↑ Wikipedia - Raymond of Burgundy (c. 1070-1107) ↑ Wikipedia - Alfonso the Battler, King of Aragon and Navarre (c. 1073/74-1134) ↑ 20.0 20.1 Wikipedia - Alfonso VII of León and Castile (1105-1157) ↑ Wikipedia - Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad (1040-1095) ↑ Wikipedia - Abbadid Dynasty ↑ 23.0 23.1 Wikipedia - Zaida of Seville (c. 1070-1093/1107(?)) ↑ 24.0 24.1 Wikipedia - Sancho Alfónsez (c. 1093-1108) See also: The Peerage - A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe, including citations The Peerage 113313 Mortimer, L.R. (1993). Portugal, A Country Study. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
  Person ID	I59831	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	NAVARRA Fernando,   b. 18 Jun 1017, Burgos, Burgos, Castilla-Leon, Spain d. 27 Dec 1065, Leon, Castilla-Leon, Spain (Age 48 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	LEÓN Sancha Alfonso,   b. Abt 1014, León, León, Spain d. 07 Nov 1067, Frómista, Palencia, Leon (Age 53 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F26566	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	CAPET Constance,   b. Aft 1045, Dijon, Cote Dor, France d. 1093, Toledo, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain (Age < 46 years)
  Marriage	Abt Dec 1079	to 1093
  Children	1. CASTILLA Urraca,   b. 1082, Castile, Spain d. 06 Mar 1126, Saldaña, Catalonia, Spain (Age 44 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26565	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026