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Notes for Ferdinand I "the Great" , King of Castile
General Note
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Ferdinand I King of Castile, born 1016/18, Spain; died 27 Dec 1065,Leon, Spain; King of Castile
1033-1065; Killed in Battle. Ref. WurtsPg. 208. Spain, 1065. Ferdinand falls ill while attacking
the King of Valencia at Paterna, and dies. His Kingdom is divided between his three sons. eria,
1055 Great progress has been made by Ferdinand in his campaign to regain Moslem terrotories
in Spain for the Christians. After a six-month siege the King, who is 40, has just captured
Coimbra, which means that he has enough territory under his control in Portugal and the south
to exchange his title of "King" for that of "Emperor". Ferdinand's campaign of reconquest got
under way when he imposed his authority over the old Leonise empire, ruling Galicia, Leon,
Castile and the Rioja. He has not set out to conquer the territories merely by force of arms,
prefering to get his way by extracting tribute from them in return for protection. Coimbra,
however, resisted his overtures, and it took battering rams to bring it to its knees. The conduct
of the siege could have important consequences for the future. It suggests that if the citizens
of a Moslem city surrendered immediately they would be allowed to stay and carry on as normal.
If they surrendered during the siege they could depart with their lives and what they could
take away with them. But if they went on fighting their city would be stormed and they themselves
killed or enslaved. Ferdinand is also demonstrating that he is not trying to force the Moslems
to change their religion. Instead, he is showing himself to be a reconquerer wishing to spread
the political power of a Christian community rather than belief in the religion.
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Marriage Note
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By this marriage the crowns of Castile, Leon, Galicia and Asturias were united.
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