Alfonso IX of Leon
| Alfonso IX | |
|---|---|
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Depiction on the Tumbo A cartulary of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
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| King of León and Galicia | |
| Reign | 22 January 1188 – 24 September 1230 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand II |
| Successor | Ferdinand III |
| Born |
15 August 1171 Zamora |
| Died | 23/24 September 1230 (aged 59) Villanueva de Sarria |
| Burial | Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela |
| Consort |
Theresa of Portugal Berengaria of Castile |
| Issue among others... |
Fernando Sancha Dulce Constance, Abbess of Las Huelgas Ferdinand III Alfonso of Molina Berengaria, Latin Empress |
| House | House of Ivrea |
| Father | Ferdinand II of León |
| Mother | Urraca of Portugal |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Alfonso IX (15 August 1171 – 23 or 24 September 1230) was king of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. According to Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), he is said to have been called the Baboso or Slobberer because he was subject to fits of rage during which he foamed at the mouth.
He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salamanca in 1212. In 1188 he summoned the first parliament reflecting full representation of the citizenry ever seen in Western Europe, the Cortes of León.
He took a part in the work of the Reconquest, conquering the area of Extremadura (including the cities of Cáceres and Badajoz).
Alfonso was born in Zamora. He was the only son of King Ferdinand II of León and Urraca of Portugal. His father was the younger son of Alfonso VII of León and Castile, who divided his kingdoms between his sons, which set the stage for conflict in the family until the kingdoms were re-united by Alfonso IX's son, Ferdinand III of Castile.
Alfonso IX had great difficulty in obtaining the throne through his given birthright. In July 1188 his cousin Alfonso VIII of Castile required the younger Alfonso to recognize the elder as overlord in exchange for recognizing the younger's authority in León.
The convening of the Cortes de León in the cloisters of the Basilica of San Isidoro would be one of the most important events of Alfonso's reign. The difficult economic situation at the beginning of his reign compelled Alfonso to raise taxes on the underprivileged classes, leading to protests and a few towns revolts. In response the king summoned the Cortes, an assembly of nobles, clergy and representatives of cities, and subsequently faced demands for compensatory spending and greater external control and oversight of royal expenditures. Alfonso's convening of the Cortes is considered by many historians, including Australia's John Keane, to be instrumental to the formation of democratic parliaments across Europe. Note that Iceland had already held what may have been what is Europe's first parliament, the Þingvellir, in 930 CE. However, the Cortes' 1188 session predates the first session of the Parliament of England, which occurred in the thirteenth century.
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