Alfonso de la Cerda


Alfonso de la Cerda,, called "the disinherited," was the elder son of Ferdinand de la Cerda and his wife Blanche of France, and was a grandson of Alfonso X of Castile. Alfonso and his brother Fernando were candidates for the Castilian-Leonese crown during the reigns of Sancho IV of Castile, Ferdinand IV of Castile and Alfonso XI of Castile. In 1331, Alfonso renounced his rights and swore allegiance to Alfonso XI of Castile.

Biography

When Ferdinand de la Cerda died in 1275, Alfonso's grandmother, Violant of Aragon, took him and his newborn brother Fernando to Aragon. They were kept there 13 years in the fortress of Xàtiva.
Alfonso's grandfather, King Alfonso X of Castile, established a division of his realm. Sancho was to inherit Castile and Alfonso was to inherit León, according to historian Joaquín Cuevas Aller. After Alfonso X's death in 1284, the Leonese throne was usurped by Sancho, who would reign as Sancho IV. In September 1288, King Alfonso III of Aragon released Alfonso de la Cerda and proclaimed him king of Castile and Leon. Despite this support from the King of Aragon, Alfonso was unable to regain the throne. In 1304, as part of the Treaty of Torrellas, James II of Aragon and Ferdinand IV of Castile Alfonso agreed to resign all claims on the throne of León. In return, he was appointed Lord of Alba, Bejar and Gibraleón, and other manors, possessions and revenues, distributed throughout the Castilian-Leonese territory, in order that Alfonso de la Cerda could not form a large independent dominion.
Later, Charles IV of France gave Alfonso de la Cerda the title of Baron de Lunel, a municipality located in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

Death

On the death of Alfonso de la Cerda, his body was buried in the Monastery of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas de Burgos.

Marriage and offspring

In 1290, Alfonso married Matilde of Brienne, daughter of John I of Brienne. They had seven children:
He also had a natural child by an unknown mother: