Introduction to Alfonso
Alfonso, the name of a number of rulers of various Spanish kingdoms and of Portugal. Among the more important historically are the following.
Aragon
Alfonso V (1396?-1458) was king of Aragon and Sicily from 1416 to 1458. He succeeded his father, Ferdinand I. Queen Joanna II of Naples promised to make Alfonso her heir, but after a quarrel she left her kingdom to René I of Anjou. Alfonso seized Naples from René in 1442 and was acknowledged its ruler by Pope Eugenius IV. Leaving his wife and later his brother, John II, to rule Aragon, Alfonso moved his court to Naples. He did much to beautify that city and encouraged art and literature.
León and Castile
Alfonso VI (1030-1109) was king of León from 1065 to 1109, and of Castile from 1072 to 1109. He inherited León from his father, Ferdinand I, and Castile from his elder brother, Sancho II, who was assassinated in 1072. Alfonso seized Galicia from his younger brother Garcia in 1073.
Alfonso's reign is notable for the impetus given the Christian campaign to reconquer Spain from the Moors. Aided by Rodrigo Díaz de Bivar (the Cid), Alfonso advanced the Christian frontier to the Tagus River by capturing Toledo in 1085.
Alfonso X (1221-1284) was king of León and Castile from 1252 to 1284. He succeeded his father, Ferdinand III. Alfonso was a historian, poet, and patron of learning, and was known as Alfonso the Learned. He directed the compilation of a code of laws, Las Siete Partidas , and a collection of astronomical information, the Alfonsine Tables.
Alfonso wanted to become the Holy Roman Emperor, but the German states, the pope, and Alfonso's own nobles opposed him. He gave up his campaign in 1275 in return for his opponents' pledge to help finance Spain's ongoing wars with the Moors. In 1282 Alfonso's son Prince Sancho led a rebellion. Alfonso retreated to Seville, the only city that remained loyal to him, and remained king in name only.
Spain
Alfonso XII (1857-1885) was king of Spain from 1874 to 1885. He was the son of Queen Isabella II of the House of Bourbon. An uprising against Isabella in 1868 forced Alfonso and his mother into exile and a republic was formed. After six years of political unrest culminating in the failure of the republic in 1874, General Arsenio Martínez de Campos gained the support of the army for Alfonso and proclaimed him king. Alfonso returned to Madrid in 1875.
Spain had some stability during the rest of Alfonso's reign, largely due to the efforts of his prime minister, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. A new constitution was adopted in 1876, providing for a legislature of two chambers, limited suffrage, and religious toleration. Under a system arranged by Cánovas, political power alternated between two parties, both supporting the crown.
Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) was king of Spain from 1886 to 1931. Born after the death of his father, Alfonso XII, he became king as an infant. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was regent until he formally succeeded to the throne in 1902. During her regency Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War.
Alfonso's reign was marked by repeated attempts on his life, native uprisings in Spanish Morocco, and agitation for autonomy in Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain. In 1921 a large Spanish force was defeated by Rif tribesmen in Morocco. An investigation to fix responsibility for the defeat revealed corruption among high-ranking officials. Before the report of the investigation could be published, General Miguel Primo de Rivera staged a successful coup, establishing a military dictatorship. Alfonso, who remained in Spain as king, supported the dictatorship (1923-30) and was held responsible for some of its evils.
Following an overwhelming Republican victory in the municipal elections of 1931, Alfonso left Spain and the Second Republic was established. He formally abdicated in favor of his son, Don Juan, a few weeks before his death in Rome in 1941.
Portugal
Alfonso I (Alfonso Henriques) (1112?-1185) was the first king of Portugal, reigning from 1139 to 1185. Alfonso became count of Portugal while still a child. He succeeded his father, Henry of Burgundy, who had been given the county by Alfonso VI of León and Castile. Portugal at that time extended from the Minho River to Coimbra, covering the northern third of what is now Portugal.
Alfonso's mother, Teresa of Castile, ruled as regent until he sent her into exile in 1128. The young count began to fight both the Moors and his cousin, Alfonso VII of León and Castile, for Portuguese independence. Following victory over the Moors in the battle of Ourique in 1139, Alfonso declared himself king of Portugal. The Treaty of Zamora (1143) between Portugal and Castile established Portugal's independence.
Alfonso extended Portugal's southern boundary by defeating the Moors at Santarém and Lisbon in 1147 and at Beja and Evora in the 1160's. These conquests expanded the kingdom to cover about half of what is now Portugal.