List of Castilian monarchs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Royal arms of Castile

This is a list of kings regnant and queens regnant of the Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts.

Kings and Queens of Castile[edit]

Jiménez dynasty[edit]

Monarch Image Epithet Reign began Reign ended Notes
Sancho II the Strong 27 December 1065 6 October 1072 also King of Leon (January- October 1072)
Alfonso VI the Brave

the Valient

6 October 1072 30 June 1109 also King of León
Urraca the Reckless 30 June 1109 8 March 1126 also Queen of León

House of Ivrea[edit]

The Royal Bend of Castile, adopted since Alfonso XI in 1332 as a personal standard of the monarchs

The following dynasts are descendants, in the male line, of Urraca's first husband, Raymond of Burgundy.

Monarch Image Epithet Began Ended Notes
Alfonso VII The Emperor 10 March 1126 21 August 1157 also King of León
Sancho III The Desired 21 August 1157 31 August 1158  
Alfonso VIII The Noble 31 August 1158 6 October 1214

16 July 1212 won a decisive victory for the Reconquista at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

Henry I   6 October 1214 6 June 1217  
Berengaria The Great 6 June 1217 30 August 1217 abdicated in favor of her son, Ferdinand III; died 1246
Ferdinand III 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 The Wise The Wise 30 May 1252 4 April 1284 elected King of the Romans in 1257, a title which he claimed until he renounced it in 1275
Sancho IV The Brave 4 April 1284 25 April 1295  
Ferdinand IV The Summoned 25 April 1295 7 September 1312  
Alfonso XI The Just 7 September 1312 26 March 1350 Infected and killed by the Black Death during the Fifth Siege of Gibraltar (1349–1350)
Peter The Cruel 26 March 1350 23 March 1369 Killed by Henry II of Castile

Succession crisis[edit]

Following the death of Peter, a succession crisis arose between Peter's illegitimate half-brother Henry of Trastámara and the Englishman John of Gaunt, a great great grandson of Ferdinand III of Castile, who claimed the title of King of Castile and Léon by virtue of his marriage to Constance, daughter of Peter. Henry took the throne by force, and faced several military actions by John of Gaunt, who had forged an alliance with John I of Portugal in an attempt to enforce his claim, however John of Gaunt was unsuccessful in his campaigns, and Henry established the House of Trastámara as the new ruling dynasty of Castile.

House of Trastámara[edit]

Royal arms of the Crown of Castile by the time of John II

Henry II was the illegitimate son of Alfonso XI. He was made count of Trastámara.

Monarch Image Epithet Began Ended Notes
Henry II The Bastard 23 March 1369 29 May 1379 also claimed the throne from 1366
John I   29 May 1379 9 October 1390  
Henry III The Infirm 9 October 1390 25 December 1406  
John II   25 December 1406 21 July 1454  
Henry IV The Impotent 21 July 1454 11 December 1474  
Isabella I The Catholic 11 December 1474 26 November 1504 After ruling for a month on her own, Isabella was then joined by her husband, Ferdinand, who ruled Castile jure uxoris as Ferdinand V.
Ferdinand V The Catholic 15 January 1475 26 November 1504 In Concordia de Segovia, Archbishop Carrillo and Cardinal Mendoza wrote the opinion on 15 January 1475 that Ferdinand was jure uxoris King of Castile.

Succeeding to the throne of Aragon as Ferdinand II on 19 January 1479, Ferdinand then ruled all of non-Portuguese Iberia except Granada (added in 1492) and Navarre (added in 1515) effectively creating a de facto united realm of España.

Joanna The mad 26 November 1504 12 April 1555 in name, with her husband Philip I (1504–1506).
with regent Archbishop Cisneros (1506-1508).
in confinement from 1509, with her father Ferdinand V (1508–1516).
in confinement, with her son Charles I (1516–1555)

House of Habsburg[edit]

Coat of arms of Philip I
Monarch Image Epithet Began Ended Notes
Philip I The Handsome 26 November 1504 25 September 1506 jure uxoris king ruling on behalf of his wife, Joanna I
Charles I The Emperor 13 March 1516 16 January 1556 jointly with his mother Joanna I in confinement to 1555,
abdicated in favor of his son 1556, died 21 September 1558.
Philip II The Prudent 16 January 1556 13 September 1598 son of Charles I and Isabella of Portugal
Philip III The Pious 13 September 1598 31 March 1621 son of Philip II and Anna of Austria
Philip IV The Great 31 March 1621 17 September 1665 son of Philip III and Margaret of Austria
Charles II The Bewitched 17 September 1665 1 November 1700 son of Philip IV and Mariana of Austria

House of Bourbon[edit]

Coat of arms of Philip V
Monarch Image Epithet Began Ended Notes
Philip V 1 November 1700 1715 (Nueva Planta decrees dissolve the Crown of Castile) Duke of Anjou, half-grandnephew of Charles II (via Maria Theresa of Castile)

The Crown of Castile existed in its own right within the Spanish crown and with its own law until the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty after the War of Spanish Succession.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Barton, Simon. The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Appendix I: "The Counts of Twelfth Century León and Castile and Aragon, pp. 235–302.