List of Castilian monarchs
Encyclopedia
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- See also List of Castilian consorts
This is a list of kings and queens of the Kingdom
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and Crown of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts.
Jiménez DynastyJiménez dynastyThe Jiménez or Ximenes were an Iberian ruling family from the 10th century to the 13th century. They were the first Europeanisers of Spain and brought her back within the wider European political scene while also giving her the political character and division that persisted until the end of the...
| Monarch | Image | Nickname | Began | Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand I | The Great | 1037 | 27 December 1065 | also King of León | |
| Sancho II Sancho II of Castile Sancho II , called the Strong, or in Spanish, el Fuerte, was King of Castile and León .He was the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Castile and Sancha of León, the eventual heiress to the Leonese crown... |
The Strong | 27 December 1065 | 6 October 1072 | ||
| Alfonso VI Alfonso VI of Castile Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia... |
 |
The Brave | 6 October 1072 | 30 June 1109 | also King of León |
| Urraca Urraca of Castile Urraca was Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia, and claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains from 1109 until her death in childbirth, as well as Empress of All Galicia.- Childhood :... |
30 June 1109 | 8 March 1126 | also Queen of León |
House of Burgundy
The follow dynasts are descendants, in the male line, of Urraca's first husband, Raymond of BurgundyRaymond of Burgundy
Raymond of Burgundy was the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy, and was Count of Amous. He came to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time during the period 1086–1087 with Odo I, Duke of Burgundy...
.
| Monarch | Image | Nickname | Began | Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso VII |  |
The Emperor | 10 March 1126 | 21 August 1157 | also King of León |
| Sancho III Sancho III of Castile Sancho III was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. During the Reconquista, in which he took an active part, he founded the Order of Calatrava... |
The Desired | 21 August 1157 | 31 August 1158 | ||
| Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII of Castile Alfonso VIII , called the Noble or el de las Navas, was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquista and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate... |
The Noble | 31 August 1158 | 6 October 1214 | ||
| Henry I Henry I of Castile Henry I of Castile was king of Castile. He was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor Plantagenet, .... |
6 October 1214 | 6 June 1217 | |||
| Berengaria |  |
The Great | 6 June 1217 | 30 August 1217 | abdicated in favor of her son, Ferdinand III Ferdinand III of Castile Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the... ; died 1246 |
| Ferdinand III Ferdinand III of Castile Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the... |
 |
The Saint | 30 August 1217 | 30 May 1252 | also King of León from 1230; all later kings were King of León as well |
| Alfonso X Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death... |
The Wise | 30 May 1252 | 4 April 1284 | elected King of the Romans King of the Romans King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany... in 1257, a title which he claimed until he renounced it in 1275 |
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| Sancho IV Sancho IV of Castile Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:... |
The Brave | 4 April 1284 | 25 April 1295 | ||
| Ferdinand IV Ferdinand IV of Castile Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia... |
 |
The Summoned | 25 April 1295 | 7 September 1312 | |
| Alfonso XI Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313... |
The Just | 7 September 1312 | 26 March 1350 | ||
| Peter | The Cruel | 26 March 1350 | 23 March 1369 |
Claimants as King of Castile and Léon
John of Gaunt claimed the title of King of Castile and Léon by virtue of his marriage to Constance, daughter of Peter of Castile. He conducted several military actions, borrowing heavily from London merchants, to solidify his title, without success.House of Trastámara
Henry II was the illegitimate son of Alfonso XI. He was made duke of TrastámaraTrastámara
The House of Trastámara was a dynasty of kings in the Iberian Peninsula, which first governed in Castile beginning in 1369 before expanding its rule into Aragón, Navarre and Naples.They were a cadet illegitimate line of the House of Burgundy....
.
| Monarch | Image | Nickname | Began | Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry II | The Bastard | 23 March 1369 | 29 May 1379 | also claimed the throne from 1366 | |
| John I John I of Castile John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile... |
29 May 1379 | 9 October 1390 | |||
| Henry III Henry III of Castile Henry III KG , sometimes known as Henry the Sufferer or Henry the Infirm , was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon, and succeeded him as King of the Castilian Crown in 1390.... |
The Infirm | 9 October 1390 | 25 December 1406 | ||
| John II John II of Castile John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of... |
 |
25 December 1406 | 21 July 1454 | ||
| Henry IV Henry IV of Castile Henry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile... |
 |
The Impotent | 21 July 1454 | 11 December 1474 | |
| Isabella I Isabella I of Castile Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor... |
 |
The Catholic | 11 December 1474 | 26 November 1504 | reigned jointly with her husband, Ferdinand V Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of... |
| Ferdinand V Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of... |
 |
The Catholic | 15 January 1475 | 26 November 1504 | jure uxoris Jure uxoris Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband.... king, jointly with his wife Isabella I Isabella I of Castile Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor... |
| Joanna I Joanna of Castile Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain... |
The mad | 26 November 1504 | 12 April 1555 | in name, with her husband Philip I Philip I of Castile Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile... (1504–1506). in confinement, with regent Regent A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu... Archbishop Cisneros (1506–1516). in confinement, with her son Charles I Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As... (1516–1555) |
House of Habsburg
| Monarch | Image | Nickname | Began | Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip I Philip I of Castile Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile... |
 |
The handsome | 26 November 1504 | 25 September 1506 | jure uxoris Jure uxoris Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband.... king ruling on behalf of his wife, Joanna I Joanna of Castile Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain... |
| Charles I Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As... |
13 March 1516 | 16 January 1556 | jointly with his mother Joanna I Joanna of Castile Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain... in confinement to 1555, abdicated in favor of his son 1556, died 21 September 1558 |
For later monarchs of Castile, see List of Spanish monarchs. The first monarch to style himself King of Spain was Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, son of Charles, who was King of Castile and Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, among other possessions. Nevertheless the kingdom of Castile existed on its own right within the Spanish crown and with its own law until the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
after the War of Spanish Succession.
Suggested Reading
- Barton, Simon. The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Appendix I: "The Counts of Twelfth Century León and Castile", pp. 235–302.
See also
- List of Aragonese monarchs
- List of Majorcan monarchs
- List of Valencian monarchs
- List of Asturian monarchs
- List of Galician monarchs
- List of Leonese monarchs
- List of Navarrese monarchs
- List of Spanish monarchs
- List of Castilian consorts
- Kings of Spain family treeKings of Spain family treeThis is a collection of the family trees of the kingdom of Spain. The former kingdoms of Aragon, Castile and Navarre were independent kingdoms that unified in the 15th century to become the Kingdom of Spain....
- Lists of incumbents