The Unofficial Spanish Royal Family Pages
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The Unofficial Spanish Royal Family Pages
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Any additions or errors? Please let know!
| Abt. 410 AD to 711 AD: |
Visigothic Period Leading up to and following
the fall of the Roman Empire, Iberia was dominated by the
Visigoth’s, one of the two main branches of the Goths – an East
Germanic tribe that conquered various parts of the Roman Empire.
There were some 34 Visigothic kings in Iberia during this period. |
| 711: | On 19 July, the last Visigothic king, Rodrigo (Roderic),
is defeated and killed by Muslim forces at the Battle of Guadalete. |
| 718: |
Muslims control most of the Iberian Peninsula, which becomes known
under Muslim rule as Al-Andalus. This term would continue to
signify lands in Iberia that were ruled by Muslims (or, Moors) until
the completion of the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest) in
1492. Modern day Andalucía (Andalusia), a region covering the
southernmost portion of Spain, derives its name from Al-Andalus.
The Reconquest of Iberia officially
begins when a Visigothic nobleman, Pelayo of Asturias, defeats the
Muslim army at Alcama and is named king of Asturias, one of the few
areas on the Iberian Peninsula not under Muslim rule. |
| 742: |
The city of León is wrested from the Moors and becomes part of the
kingdom of Asturias. |
| 756: |
In May, Abd-ar-Rahman I becomes the first Emir of Córdoba, ruler of
all of Muslim Iberia and founder of the
Ummayad dynasty that ruled the declining empire until 1031. |
| 913: |
The Christian kingdom of León is created. |
| 924: |
The kingdom of Asturias becomes part of the kingdom of León. |
| 925: |
Through the marriage of Andregota Galíndez, Countess of Aragón
(Aragon), to García Sánchez, King of Pamplona, the county of Aragon
is ruled under the kingdom of Pamplona, which would be called
Navarra (Navarre) in the very near future. |
| 929: |
Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III
of Córdoba
elevates himself to Caliph
of Córdoba. |
| 987: |
Sancho II Garcés, King of Pamplona and count of Aragon since 970,
titles himself “King of Navarre.” |
| 1028: |
Sancho III of Navarre makes his son Fernando (Ferdinand)
ruler of the County of
Castilla
(Castile). |
| 1031: |
Caliph Hisham III
of Córdoba
dies, ending the Umayyad dynasty and fracturing the Caliphate into
various independent Muslim-ruled kingdoms. This development gave the
Christians the leverage to reconquer increasing portions of Spain. |
| 1035: |
On
the death of Sancho III of Navarre, his will, which calls for his
domains to be divided among his sons, is carried out. His illegitimate son
Ramiro, count of Aragon (which is elevated to a
kingdom) becomes Ramiro I of Aragon. On Sancho’s death, his son García
becomes king of Navarre as García III, while another son, Ferdinand,
count of Castile, becomes King Ferdinand I of Castile. |
| 1037: |
Ferdinand I of Castile becomes king of León. |
| 1056: |
Ferdinand I of Castile and León proclaims himself emperor of
Hispania, which included Castile, Navarre, Galicia, Asturias, and
León. |
| 1065: |
On 24 June, Ferdinand, “Emperor of Hispania,” dies, dividing his
lands between his sons. |
| 1085: |
On 25 May, Alfonso VI of Castile (and king of León) took the city of
Toledo from the Moors – a major step in the Reconquest. |
| 1094: |
In May, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, “El Cid,” conquers Valencia,
on the east coast of Spain, wresting it from the Moors. |
| 1102: |
The Almoravids – a Muslim dynasty – take back Valencia from the
Christians. |
| 1126: |
Died: Queen Urraca of Castile (08 March) |
| 1130: |
Died: Teresa of Leon, illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VI of
Castile and Leon (11 November) |
| 1134: |
With the death in September of Alfonso I “The Battler,” king of
Navarre and Aragon in September, the two kingdoms are separated. |
| 1137: |
Petronila of Aragon, heiress to the kingdom of Aragon, is betrothed
to Ramón Berenguer IV “The Saint,” Count of Barcelona – a union
intended to unite the rule of Aragon and Catalonia (of which
Barcelona was the seat) under joint rule. |
| 1155: |
Born: King Alfonso VIII of Castile (11 November) |
| 1157: |
Death of King Alfonso VII of Castile |
| 1158: |
Died: King Sancho III of Castile (30 August) |
| 1161: |
On 7 August, Alfonso II “The Chaste” becomes ruler of both Aragon
and Catalonia, uniting the two kingdoms and creating a new powerbase
in Iberia. |
| 1208: |
Born: King James I of Aragon (2 February) |
| 1212: |
Alfonso VIII of Castile leads a coalition of Christian kings and
drives the Muslims from Central Spain at Las Navas de Tolosa. |
| 1213: |
King Peter II of Aragon dies at the Battle of Muret (12 September) |
| 1214: |
Died: King Alfonso VIII of Castile (5 October) |
| 1221: |
Born: King Alfonso X of Castile (23 November) |
| 1230: |
The kingdoms of León and Castile are merged when Ferdinand III
becomes joint king of the two kingdoms. |
| 1234: |
The kingdom of Navarre comes under the rule of the French, although
it would continue to be claimed by the kings of Aragon. |
| 1236: |
The city of Córdoba in southern Spain is taken from the Moors by
Spanish Christians – a major victory for the Reconquest. |
| 1238: |
On 28 September, James I of Aragon reconquers the city of Valencia
and makes it the kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon.
The city of Granada in southern Spain becomes the seat of Moorish
power with the increasing defeats of its land by the Christian
Reconquest of Spain. |
| 1243: |
Spanish Christians take the city of Murcia in southeastern Spain
from the Moors. |
| 1248: |
The city of
Sevilla
(Seville) in southern Spain is wrested from the Moors by the Spanish
Christians. |
| 1252: |
Died: Queen Blanche of Castile, wife of King Louis VIII of France |
| 1267: |
Born: King James II of Aragon (10 August) |
| 1270: |
Died: Theobald V of Champagne, King of Navarre (4
December) |
| 1271: |
Died: Isabella of Aragon (28 January, born 1247) |
| 1284: |
Died: King Alfonso X of Castile (4 April, born 1221) |
| 1285: |
Died: King Peter III of Aragon (11 November) Born: King Ferdinand IV of Castile (6 December) |
| 1290: |
Died: Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I of England (28
November) |
| 1295: |
Died: King Sancho IV of Castile (25 April) |
| 1309: |
Spanish Christians reconquer Gibraltar, wresting it from the Moors,
although the two powers would continue to battle over it until the
15th century. |
| 1311: |
Born: King Alfonso XI of Castile (13 August) |
| 1312: |
Died: King Ferdinand IV of Castile (7 September) |
| 1327: |
Died: King James II of Aragon (2 November) |
| 1334: |
Born: King Henry II of Castile (13 January, died 1379)
Born: King Peter I of Castile (30 August) |
| 1350: |
Died: King Alfonso XI of Castile (27 March, born 1212) |
| 1358: |
Born: Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of King John I of Castile (Died 1382)
Born: King John I of Castile (24 August) |
| 1366: |
Died: King Alfonso IV of Aragon (24 January, born 1299) |
| 1379: |
Born: King Henry III of Castile (4 October) |
| 1382: |
Born: Queen Eleanor of Aragon, wife of King John I of Castile (13
August) |
| 1384: |
Died: King Charles II of Navarre (1 January) |
| 1405: |
Born: King John (Juan) II of Castile (6 March) |
| 1425: | Died: King Charles III of Navarre (8 September) |
| 1451: |
Born: Queen Isabella of Castile and Leon (22 April, died 1504) |
| 1452: |
Born: King Ferdinand II of Aragon (10 March) |
| 1460: |
On 6 March, Portugal and Castile agree to the Treaty of Alcaçovas,
which transfers ownership of the Canary Islands to Castile. |
| 1469: |
On 17 October, Fernando de Aragón (Ferdinand) marries
Isabel de Castilla (Isabella of Castile). After both
succeeded to their respective kingdoms, they ruled them jointly,
although they were not officially united until after the deaths of
both rulers. |
| 1474: |
On 12 December, Henry IV “The Impotent” of Castile dies, leaving
questions as to who will succeed him – his daughter Juana
(Joan) or his sister, Isabella. With stronger immediate support,
Isabella quickly makes her way to the Alcázar of Segovia, where she
is proclaimed queen of Castile and León, at the same time making her
husband Ferdinand V. |
| 1479: |
On 20 January, King John II of Aragon dies and Ferdinand becomes Ferdinand II of Aragon.
Born: Queen Joanna of Castile, mother of Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor
(6 November) |
| 1481: |
Isabella and Ferdinand appoint Tomás de Torquemada to
investigate and punish Jews and Moors who converted to Catholicism
but are believed to be secretly practicing their old religion, thus
beginning the Spanish Inquisition. |
| 1485: |
Born: Catherine of Aragon, 1st wife of King Henry
VIII of England (16 December) |
| 1492: |
On 2 January, Boabdil, king of Granada – the last Muslim territory
on the Iberian Peninsula – surrenders to an army of Spanish
Christians, completing the Reconquest of Spain under the rule of
Isabella and Ferdinand.
On 30 March, Isabella and Ferdinand sign a decree stating that all Jews will be expelled from Spain unless they convert to Roman Catholicism.
On 3 August, Christopher Columbus’ first expedition to the Americas,
sponsored by Isabella and Ferdinand, begins. Also, the Jews who have
not converted are officially expelled from Spain. |
| 1493: |
In the Papal Bull Inter Caetera dated 4 May, Pope Alexander
VI – who was born in Valencia, Spain – first referred to Isabella
and Ferdinand as
Reyes Católicos
(Catholic Kings). (An English translation of the Bull can be found
at
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0214a.htm.) |
| 1494: |
On 7 June, Spain and Portugal agree to the Treaty of Tordesillas,
which divided the discoveries of the New World between them,
essentially defining the geographical boundary that gives the east
side of the boundary to the Portuguese and the west side to the
Spanish. |
| 1500: |
Born: King Charles V of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor (February 24) |
| 1502: |
Muslims in Spain are told to convert to Christianity or leave the
kingdom. |
| 1504: |
On 26 November, Isabella of Castile dies, leaving the kingdom of
Castile to her daughter, Juana “La Loca” (Joan “The Mad”)
under a regency headed by Joan’s husband, Philip of Austria (as
Philip I of Castile). |
| 1506: |
Ferdinand of Aragon, widower of Isabella of Castile, marries
Germaine de Foix, with an eye toward Navarre into the Crown of
Aragon. Disenchanted with the Castilian nobility and his son-in-law,
who was ruling Castile, Ferdinand’s other motive may have been to
produce an heir who could potentially break the alliance between
Aragon and Castile.
On 25 September, Philip I of Castile dies and Ferdinand of Aragon
returns to Castile to act as regent for his daughter, Joan. |
| 1511: |
In November, Ferdinand and Henry VIII of England sign the Treaty of
Westminster, which allied Spain and England against France. |
| 1515: |
Ferdinand annexes Spanish Navarre (the land south of the Pyrenees)
into Castile, citing his marriage to Germaine de Foix and
taking advantage of the power of the Holy League. The area known as
Lower Navarre stayed with the French. (Some sources state that this
took place in 1511.) |
| 1516: | On 23 June, Ferdinand dies, leaving the kingdom of Aragon to his grandson, Charles of Austria. Charles also takes over the regency of Castile for his mother, Joan. As Carlos (Charles) I, he is now effectively the first modern ruler of both Castile and Aragon. |
Go to Royal Timeline: 1517 to Today
This timeline is intended to address the major events of Spanish history as they relate to the monarchy and does not propose to include every date of some significance.
Primary Sources:
Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe by Michael Maclagan and Jiří Louda
The Concise Guide to Kings & Queens: A Thousand Years of European Monarchy by Peter Gibson
A History of Spain and Portugal, Volume 1 by Stanley G. Payne
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org)
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