Alfonso VI

A detailed Summary of Alfonso VI

The following report is on a man named Alfonso VI the Brave, Alfonso VI of Leon, or simply. emperor of all the Spains. Alfonso was a king in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. In his lifetime he did many great things yet suffered many devastating losses. In the following pages his triumphs are noted as well as his mistakes. To some people he would seem like a cruel man; to others he was a great leader. He was the first king of Leon-Castile and the king who had a legendary feud with the Cid. Alfonso VI of Leon was a great military leader in his time as ruler.

Alfonso had one sister, Urraca, and two brothers Sancho and Garcia. Before his death in 1065, Alfonso's father, Ferdinand I, divided his kingdom among his three sons. The eldest, Sancho, became ruler of Castile. Alfonso, Ferdinand's second and favorite son, inherited Leon. Ferdinand left Galicia to his youngest son, Garcia.

Sancho and Alfonso always had a hostile relationship; in 1068 Sancho defeated Alfonso at Llantada. Being new rulers, both wanted to achieve fame through military skill. The brothers each wanted to expand their kingdoms, to make a better life for themselves and their subjects. For a brief time in 1071, Alfonso and Sancho united th

Alfonso was crowned King of Leon in 1065. He ruled Leon alone for only a few years. He arrested Garcia and took Galicia for his own in 1071, gaining himself two of his father's three kingdoms. He suffered a minor setback when Sancho exiled him, but after Sancho's death in 1072, Alfonso returned to his home and proclaimed himself ruler of Castile as well. That same year Alfonso united the two kingdoms of Leon and Castile. In doing so he became the first ruler of Leon-Castile. Alfonso was a fighting king of the Spanish Reconquest. The Reconquest began in 718 when a noble Visgoth was elected king and defeated a Muslim army in a Christian neighborhood. After his capture of Toledo, Alfonso fancied himself addressed "emperor of all the Spains" (Cantor 26).

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Alfonso was one of the great military leaders of his time. Whether it was against a rival king, a former military aide, or his own brothers, Alfonso excelled in

Very little is known about the youngest son, Garcia, because he only ruled for a short while. Garcia was king of Galicia from 1065 until 1071. The year Alfonso arrested him, aided by Sancho, he was imprisoned for the remaining years of his life. Thus, Alfonso gained control of Galicia and, upon Sancho's death , Castile. In only eight years Alfonso had defeated both his brothers and gained control of all his father's realm.

Alfonso wanted to bring Spain out of isolation and into European Christianity. He encouraged pilgrimages to Santiago de Compasta. He supported the pope in his wish to use the Roman rite in place of the Spanish Mozarb liturgy. Alfonso also encouraged French monks (Alfonso VI 149). In 1074, Alfonso gave Bishop Simeon, a church official, a church at Gamonal. Seven years later Alfonso gave the bishop a new cathedral church in Burgos. Alfonso had adopted a very aggressive policy towards the Moslems. This was possibly a result of his brief exile in Moslem Toledo.

Alfonso died in Toledo in 1109. The details of his death have not been disclosed in any work of literature. Upon his death, Alfonso's daughter, Urraca inherited his kingdom. Alfonso left his realm in a state of insecurity and vu

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Approximate Word count = 1503
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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