Alfonso VIII (El De Las Navas) of Castile, King of Castille and King of Toledo

1155 - 1214  (58 years)

• Name	Alfonso VIII (El De Las Navas) of Castile
  Suffix	King of Castille and King of Toledo
  Born	11 Nov 1155	Provincia de Soria Castilla y León, Spain
  Gender	Male
  Died	05 Oct 1214	Gutierre-Munoz Provincia de Ávila Castilla y León, Spain
  Buried	Monasterio de Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, Burgos, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain
  	Grave location, historical portrait, and photo of cathedral: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62553726
  Notes	Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VIII_of_Castile He was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquest and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarcos against the Almohads in 1195, he led the coalition of Christian princes and foreign crusaders who broke the power of the Almohads in the Battle of the Navas de Tolosa in 1212, an event which marked the arrival of a tide of Christian supremacy on the Iberian peninsula. His reign saw the domination of Castile over León and, by his alliance with Aragon, he drew those two spheres of Christian Iberia into close connection. Alfonso was born to Sancho III of Castile and Blanche, in Soria on 11 November 1155. He was named after his grandfather Alfonso VII of León and Castile, who divided his kingdoms between his sons. This division set the stage for conflict in the family until the kingdoms were re-united by Alfonso VIII's grandson, Ferdinand III of Castile. His early life resembled that of other medieval kings. His father died in 1158. Though proclaimed king when only two years of age, Alfonso was regarded as merely nominal by the unruly nobles to whom a minority was convenient. Immediately, Castile was plunged into conflicts between the various noble houses vying for ascendancy in the inevitable regency. The devotion of a squire of his household, who carried him on the pommel of his saddle to the stronghold of San Esteban de Gormaz, saved him from falling into the hands of the contending factions. The noble houses of Lara and Castro both claimed the regency, as did the boy's uncle, Ferdinand II of León. In March 1160 the Castro and Lara met at the Battle of Lobregal and the Castro were victorious, but the guardianship of Alfonso and the regency fell to Manrique Pérez de Lara. Alfonso was put in the custody of the loyal village Ávila. At barely fifteen, he came forth to do a man's work by restoring his kingdom to order. It was only by a surprise that he recovered his capital Toledo from the hands of the Laras. During the regency, his uncle Sancho VI of Navarre took advantage of the chaos and the king's minority to seize lands along the border, including much of La Rioja. In 1170, Alfonso sent an embassy to Bordeaux to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to seek the hand of their daughter Eleanor. Due to the bride's young age of 9, the marriage was finalized at Burgos, before 17 September 1177. The marriage treaty helped provide Alfonso with a powerful ally against his uncle. In 1176, Alfonso asked his father-in-law to arbitrate the disputed border territories. While Alfonso received back much which had been taken from him, he did have to pay significant monetary compensation. From Uclés, he began a campaign which culminated in the reconquest of Cuenca in 1177. The city surrendered on 21 September, the feast of Saint Matthew, ever afterwards celebrated by the citizens of the town. Alfonso took the initiative to ally all Christian kingdoms of the peninsula ? Navarre, León, Portugal, and Aragon ? against the Muslim Almohads. By the Treaty of Cazola of 1179, the zones of expansion of each kingdom were defined. For the next seventeen years, the frontier between Moor and Castilian was fixed in the hill country just outside Toledo. Finally, in 1212, through the mediation of Pope Innocent III, a crusade was called against the Almohads. Castilians under Alfonso, Aragonese and Catalans under Peter II, Navarrese under Sancho VII, and Franks under the archbishop of Narbonne, Arnaud Amalric, all flocked to the effort. The military orders also lent their support. Calatrava first, then Alarcos, and finally Benavente were captured before a final battle was fought at Las Navas de Tolosa near Santa Elena on 16 July. The caliph Muhammad al-Nasir was routed and Almohad power broken. Alfonso died at Gutierre-Muñoz and was succeeded by his surviving son, Henry I. Henry died young and his daughter Beregaria inherited the throne of Castille. She quickly abdicated in favor of her son Ferdinand III of Castile who would re-unite the kingdoms of Castile and León. With Eleanor Alfonso had 11 children: 1. Beregaria, the second wife of King Alfonso IX of León. 2. Sancho died in infancy. 3. Sancha died in infancy. 4. Henry died young. 5. Urraca married Alfonso II of Portugal. 6. Blanche married Louis VIII of France. 7. Ferdinand, heir to the throne, was returning through the San Vicente mountains from a campaign against the Muslims when he contracted a fever and died. 8. Mafalda betrothed in 1204 to Infante Ferdinand of Leon, eldest son of Alfonso IX and stepson of her oldest sister. 9. Eleanor married in Ágreda on 6 February 1221 with James I of Aragon. 10. Constance was a nun at the Cistercian monastery of Santa María la Real at Las Huelgas. 11. Henry was the only surviving son, he succeeded his father in 1214 aged ten under the regency firstly of his mother and later his oldest sister. He was killed when he was struck by a tile falling from a roof.
  Person ID	I36090	Master File
  Last Modified	12 Sep 2016

  
  

  Family	Eleanor Plantagenet, Queen of Castille,   b. 13 Oct 1162, Domfront Castle, Normandy ,   d. 31 Oct 1214, Burgos, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain  (Age 52 years)
  Children	1. Berengaria of Castile, Queen of Castile and Queen of Léon,   b. ca 1179, Burgos, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain ,   d. 08 Nov 1246, Las Huelgas, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain  (Age ~ 67 years)
  Last Modified	12 Sep 2016
  Family ID	F14880	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart