Parents: Sancho III, king of Castile, and Blanche of Navarre
Date of Birth: 11 November 1155
House: Burgundy
Spouse(s): Eleanor, daughter of Henry II, king of England, and Eleanor, duchess of Aquitaine
Predecessor: Sancho III
Reign: 1158 – 1214
Brief: Raised by a trouble regency alliance, Alfonso asserted himself at the age of fifteen and began to actively retake lands held by the Almohad Moors. He had his first victory in 1177 against the city of Vuenca, and he followed by forming an brief alliance between Navarre, León, Portugal, and Arágon against the southern Muslim empire. The Treaty of Cazola in 1179 defined which areas of the south would go to which countries. Open warfare between the Christians and the Almohads broke out in 1195 and at the Battle of Alarcos, Alfonso was defeated by Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Mansur. Castile went on the defensive and were pushed back to the hills just south of Toledo, Castile's capital. In 1212, the pope called a second crusade which Alfonso led. One-by-one, the cities of the Almohads were retaken and at Las Navas de Tolosa on July 16th, Caliph Muhammad an-Nasir fled and the Almohads left the peninsula. Alfonso died two years later and was succeeded by his son, Enrique.
Brief: Raised by a trouble regency alliance, Alfonso asserted himself at the age of fifteen and began to actively retake lands held by the Almohad Moors. He had his first victory in 1177 against the city of Vuenca, and he followed by forming an brief alliance between Navarre, León, Portugal, and Arágon against the southern Muslim empire. The Treaty of Cazola in 1179 defined which areas of the south would go to which countries. Open warfare between the Christians and the Almohads broke out in 1195 and at the Battle of Alarcos, Alfonso was defeated by Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Mansur. Castile went on the defensive and were pushed back to the hills just south of Toledo, Castile's capital. In 1212, the pope called a second crusade which Alfonso led. One-by-one, the cities of the Almohads were retaken and at Las Navas de Tolosa on July 16th, Caliph Muhammad an-Nasir fled and the Almohads left the peninsula. Alfonso died two years later and was succeeded by his son, Enrique.
Date of Death: 5 October 1214
Successor: Enrique IOther Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Justin II, emperor of Constantinople (578)
- Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (1056)
- Philippe III, king of France (1285)
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