Alfonso IX of León

Alfonso IX
Alfonso IX
	Depiction on the Tumbo A cartulary of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
King of León and Galicia
Reign	22 January 1188 – 24 September 1230
Predecessor	Ferdinand II
Successor	Sancha and Dulce (de jure); Ferdinand III (de facto)
Born	15 August 1171; Zamora
Died	23/24 September 1230 (aged 59); Villanueva de Sarria
Burial	Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Spouse	; Theresa of Portugal; (m. 1191; ann. 1196) Berengaria of Castile; (m. 1197; ann. 1204)
Issue; among others...	Sancha I, Queen of León; Fernando, Infante of León; Dulce I, Queen of León; Ferdinand III, King of Castile; Alfonso, Lord of Molina and Mesa; Berengaria, Latin Empress;
House	Castilian House of Ivrea
Father	Ferdinand II of León and Galicia
Mother	Urraca of Portugal

Alfonso IX (15 August 1171 – 23 or 24 September 1230) was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death.

He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salamanca in 1212. In 1188 he summoned the first parliament reflecting the fullest representation of the citizenry ever seen in Western Europe, the Cortes of León.

Alfonso took part in the Reconquista, conquering several territories within Extremadura, capturing Mérida and Badajoz in 1230, which allowed for the eventual conquest of Seville during the reign of his son Ferdinand III. He was also involved in numerous conflicts with Pope Celestine III, being interdicted on account of the nature of his marriages.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.