was compelled to abdicate his throne, and was imprisoned in the monastery of Sahagun, probably with the intention of making him become a monk; but escaping from this place of confinement, he sought refuge with Almamun, the Moorish king of Toledo, who received him with great hospitality. Sancho having taken possession of Leon, advanced into Galicia against Garcia. The two brothers met at Santarem, when the Galicians were defeated with great slaughter, and Garcia himself captured and thrown into prison. Sancho was assassinated in 1073, and Alphonso, after making a solemn declaration that he was guiltless of his brother's death, was reinstated in his own dominion, besides receiving his brother's kingdom of Castile. Garcia, who had been liberated on the death of his brother, was preparing to recover his throne, when Alphonso, having treacherously invited him to his court, shut him up in the castle of Luna, where he died ten years afterwards. Being now the undisputed master of nearly all his father's kingdom, Alphonso was at liberty to turn his arms against the Moors. His first expedition, in 1074, was in defence of Almamun of Toledo, who had befriended him in his adversity, and whose kingdom was now invaded by the Cordovans. Some years later, however, disregarding the ties of gratitude, he himself laid waste the territories of Yahia ben Ismail, the son and successor of Almamun, and ended by taking the city of Toledo itself in 1085. Many parts of Spain, hitherto subject to the Moors, were now added to the empire of Alphonso; and it is not improbable that he would have reduced the entire peninsula to his sway, had not a new and formidable power arisen, which threatened to undo all he and his predecessors had accomplished. A large army of Moors from Africa, under Yussef ben Tashfyn, one of the Almoravides, entered Spain, and, with the assistance of Ben Abad, king of Seville, inflicted a terrible defeat upon Alphonso near Zalaca, in the year 1080. Fortunately for the Christian cause, the Moorish chiefs began to quarrel among themselves, and Alphonso
was enabled not only to recover his position, but even to extend his conquests in some directions. In 1108, however, the Almoravides made another serious attempt to destroy the power of Alphonso. A bloody battle was fought at Ucles, in which the Leonnese army was completely defeated, and Sancho, Alphonso's only son, who commanded in place of his father, slain. Alphonso died at Toledo in 1109, and was succeeded by his daughter Urraca, whose husband, Alphonso I. of Aragon, is by some historians enumerated among the kings of Leon as Alphonso VII. Through his illegitimate daughter Teresa, whom he gave in marriage to Henry of Burgundy, Alphonso became an ancestor of the kings of Portugal.
Alphonso VII., the same as Alphonso I. of Aragon (q.v.)
Alphonso VIII. of Leon (or VII., according to those who do not consider Alphonso of Aragon as properly a king of Leon) and II. (or III.) of Castile, often called Alphonso Raymond and “The Emperor,” was born in the year 1106. He was the son of Urraca, daughter of Alphonso VI., and Raymond of Burgundy, her first husband. In 1112 he was proclaimed king of Galicia, by whom it does not clearly appear; in 1122 he was associated with his mother in the government of Leon and Castile; and on her death in 1126 he became sole monarch. Soon after this event he made war upon his stepfather, Alphonso of Aragon, in order to recover the territories, properly belonging to Leon and Castile, which had been lost owing to his mother's misgovernment. The two kings came to an agreement about the year 1129, Alphonso of Leon having regained most of his possessions. In 1135, Alphonso, elated by the homage of the king of Navarre and the counts of Barcelona and Toulouse, caused himself to be solemnly crowned emperor of Spain. This dignity was, however, little more than a name, for Alphonso Henriquez of Portugal and Garcia Ramiro of Navarre declared war upon the new emperor almost immediately after his elevation. Intestine feuds between the various Christian princes of Spain, which resulted in no very definite gain to any of them, lasted until the advance of large Moorish armies under the Almohades compelled the Christians to turn against their common foe. Alphonso invaded Andalusia in 1150, and gained several victories, which contributed greatly to the extension of Christian territory in Spain. He died in 1157 at Tremada, on his return from an indecisive battle with Cid Yussef at Jaen; and was succeeded by his elder son, Sancho, in the throne of Castile, and by his younger, Fernando, in that of Leon. In 1156 he instituted the order of St Julien, afterwards so celebrated under the name Alcantara (q.v.)
Alphonso IX. (VIII.), King of Leon only, succeeded his father Fernando in 1188. In 1190 he sought to strengthen his position by marrying his cousin Teresa of Portugal. This marriage, being within the forbidden degrees, was pronounced null by the pope (Celestine III.), who excommunicated Alphonso and his queen until 1195, when they agreed to separate. In 1197 Alphonso a second time defied the papal authority by marrying his cousin Berengaria, daughter of Alphonso III. of Castile, with a view of putting a stop to the frequent quarrels between the two kingdoms. As before, the pope (Innocent III.) prevailed, and in 1204 the separation took place, Innocent, however, granting that the children already born should be recognised as legitimate. After the dissolution of the marriage the old chronic state of feud between the two kings returned, and was kept up, although with little actual warfare, until the death of Alphonso of Castile in 1214. In 1217, Fernando, the eldest son of Alphonso and Berengaria, became king of Castile. Alphonso, thinking that his own claims had been unjustly passed over, declared war upon his son; but finding that the people preferred Fernando, he relinquished his claims. The remainder of Alphonso's reign was chiefly spent in campaigns against the Moors. Along with his son, he captured Merida, Badajoz, and other cities; and in 1230 gained a brilliant victory over Mohammed Ibn Hud at Merida. He died in the same year, and was succeeded by his son Fernando, who thus finally united the kingdoms of Leon and Castile.
