Kingdom of Castile

The kingdom of Castile (Latin Regnum Castellae) was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian
Peninsula. Castile emerged as an autonomous political entity in the 9th century under the form of a
county vassal of León, reaching the category of "kingdom" in the 11th century. Its name was due to
the large number of castles that were in the area.

During the 10th century, its counts increased their autonomy, but it was not until 1065 that it
separated from the Kingdom of León and became a kingdom in its own right. Between 1072 and
1157 it was reunited with Leon, and after 1230 this union became permanent. Throughout this
period, the Castilian kings made extensive conquests in southern Iberia at the expense of the Islamic
principalities. The kingdoms of Castilla y León, with their acquisitions from the south, became
collectively known as the Crown of Castilla, a term that also came to encompass overseas expansion.

History
Background: Castilla County (850-1065)

Church of San Juan Bautista de Bisjueces, statues of the Judges of Castile.

Main article: County of Castilla
The first mention of "Castilla" appears in a document from the year 800: "We have built a church in
honor of San Martín, in the Patrinian Area, in the territory of Castilla."

In the Chronicle of Alfonso III (king of Asturias, 9th century) it is said: "Las Vardulias are now called
Castile."
Eo tempore populantur Primorias, Lebana, Transmera, Supporta, Carranza, Bardulia quae nunc
appellatur Castella. 5
Chronicle of Alfonso III
The county of the mother of Castile is repopulated mainly by inhabitants of Cantabrian, Asturian and
Basque origin with their own Romance dialect, Castilian, and with different laws.

The first count of Castile is Rodrigo in 860 (under Ordoño I of Asturias and Alfonso III the Great). The
county of Castilla underwent a great expansion during the government of Count Rodrigo, which
went south until it reached Amaya (860) and at the expense of the Cordobes through La Rioja. In
addition, from the revolt of the Alava count Eglyón, Álava was incorporated into the county of
Castilla. In the year 931, the county of Castilla was unified with Count Fernán González, making his
domains a hereditary county behind the backs of the kings of León.

The division of the territories of Fernando I - son of Sancho III of Pamplona who had been Count of
Castile and later King of León - among his sons led to the creation for the first time of the Kingdom of
Castile, received by Sancho II.
In 1028, Sancho III, the Mayor of Pamplona, acquired the county of Castilla after the death of Count
García Sánchez, since he was married to his sister. As his inheritance, in the year 1035 he leaves a
diminished county of Castile to his son Fernando.

Creation of the independent kingdom and unions with Leon (1065-1230)

Monastery of San Salvador de Oña.

The testament of Ferdinand I the Great
Fernando Sánchez, who had inherited the county of Castilla in 1035 after the distribution of the
kingdom of Pamplona on the death of his father Sancho III, was married to Sancha, sister of
Bermudo III of León. The count provoked a war in which the Leonese sovereign died in the battle of
Tamarón against the Castilian-Pamplona coalition. As Bermudo III did not have descendants, his
brother-in-law Fernando took over the Leonese crown, claiming the rights of his wife and on June
22, 1038, he was anointed King of León —Fernando I—. On the death of Ferdinand I in 1065, his
testament maintained the Navarran tradition of dividing the kingdoms among the heirs: to the first-
born, Sancho II, he bequeathed Castile, officially raising his hereditary county to kingdom status;
Alfonso VI was granted the territory contributed by his mother: the kingdom of León; to his third
son, García, he gave the kingdom of Galicia; To his daughter, Urraca, he gave the plaza de Zamora
and to his other daughter Elvira, the city of Toro. Sancho II of Castile allied with Alfonso VI and
between them they conquered Galicia. Sancho attacked his brother and occupied.