Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII (
November 11,
1155 –
October 5,
1214); called
the Noble or, in
Spanish,
el Noble; also known as
He of Las Navas (
El de las Navas); was the
king of Castile and grandson of
Alfonso VII. He led the coalition of Christian princes and foreign crusaders who broke the power of the
Almohades in the
battle of the Navas de Tolosa in
1212.
His early life resembled that of other medieval kings. He succeeded to the throne as a child on the death of his father,
Sancho. Though proclaimed king, he was regarded as a mere name by the unruly nobles to whom a minority was convenient. Since his mother was also dead, Alfonso did not have closer relatives than his uncle Ferdinand, king of Leon, who wanted power in Castile. 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 of
Castro and
Lara, or of his uncle Ferdinand of León, who claimed the regency.
The loyalty of the town of Ávila protected his youth. He was barely fifteen when 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. His marriage with
Eleanor of England (Sp: Leonora), daughter of
Henry II of England and
Eleanor of Aquitaine (Aquitaine having old ties with Castile), brought him under the influence of the greatest governing intellect of his time. Alfonso VIII was the founder of the first Spanish university, the
studium generale of
Palencia, which, however, did not survive him.
During his reign, Castile annexed the
province of Logroño.
In 1176, Alfonso married Leonora of England and Aquitaine. They had 12 children:
*
Berenguela, or Berengaria, Queen of Castile (1180-1246), married to Conrad of
Hohenstaufen, Duke of
Swabia, and then to
Alfonso IX, King of
León; succeeded her brother, Henry I
* Sancho, prince of Castile (1181)
* Sancha, princess of Castile (1182-1184)
* Urraca, princess of Castile (1186-1220), married to
Alfonso II of Portugal * Blanca, also known as
Blanche of Castile, princess of Castile (1188-1252), married to
Louis VIII of France* Ferdinand, prince of Castile (1189-1211), on whose behalf
Diego of Acebo and the future
Saint Dominic travelled to
Denmark in 1203 to secure a bride
* Mafalda, princess of Castile (1191-1204)
* Henry, prince of Castile (1192 - 1190s)
* Constance or Constanza, princess of Castile (1196 - late 1190s)
*
Eleonor or Eleanor, princess of Castile (1202-1244), married to
James I of Aragon*
Henry I of Castile (1204-1217) succeeded his father.
* Constance or Constanza, princess of Castile (?-1243), abbess of
Las Huelgas 
