ALFONSO IIL 



ALFONSO V. 



. to Castile. AUonwdUdinllM; tod 

 I 10 hit Arajroo and kU Spanish dominions \>j his eldest 

 no, Pwlro II. (Kodwfen Toletanu. ; Man.na, xt S-13.) 



ALK).N>0 III. was tbe sou of Pedro lit, king of Aragon. At 

 Uw dssua of bil f.U^r in 1S8S, be wmi at Majoro*, where be bad 

 tea MB by his father to dethrone hit uncle Jaime, who bad usurped 

 the sovereignty of that ulsnd. Having succeeded in bin expedition, 

 be iibminiTtn Aragon. ami found the Cortes assembled at Saragossa, 

 Tkia bod* sent a deputation to meet him at Valencia, to express 

 r tonriM at hi* baring aeeumed the title of king previous to hu 

 the ooetonuunr oath before the Cortei of tbe realm. Not 



ifieulty, and after many tnmultaoui debate*, Alfun<o 

 was acknowledged king, upon submitting to all the conditions 

 required by that body. His reign wa occupied with wan against 

 Franc* the Pope, and the dethroned King of Majorca, productive of 

 oo other result than the distress of the people. He died at Barcelona 

 in 1191, aad was soceeedrd by his brother, Jaime II. (Zurits, AnaUt 

 dt Arayom,.; Mariana, xiv.) 



Al.rUNSO IV., son of Jaime II., ascended the throne of Aragon 

 in 1327. The Genoese not only fomented distension in his new 

 (jmximaU of Sardinia, but ereo dared to attack him iu Ms own king- 

 dom. They made various descents on Catalonia and Valencia, but 

 were repulsed. At boioe, his son and successor Pedro mised the 

 standard of revolt against him, because his father had given some 

 peaMtsioo* to bis half-brother Alfonso. These dissensions were in a 

 great msmrare the cause of his death, which took place in Barcelona 

 in 1536. He was succeeded by his ton, Pedro IV. (Zurita, Analet, 

 TIL ; Mariana, xvi.) 



ALFONSO V. of Aragon, and I. of Sicily, succeeded, in 1416, his 

 lather, Ferdinand L, who had annexed the crown of Sicily to that of 

 Aragon. To these two Alfonso added that of Naples. Queen 

 Joanna II. baring adopted him for her heir and successor, Alfonso 

 repaired to Naples, but was driven away by the party of the Angevin*, 

 tadtrl by tbe fsmous Sfona Attendolo, and the Queen was compelled, 

 in 1423, to name as her successor Louis III. of Anjou. At the death 

 of Joanna, in 1435, Alfonso renewed his claims, but was opposed by 

 Reno' of Anjou, who after Louis's death had been called to the throne 

 by the last will of the Queen. The court of Rome declared for Ken<5. 

 Alfonso's fleet was attacked near the island of Ponza by the Genoese, 

 who had taken Rene"* part, and was totally defeated, Alfonso him- 

 self being taken prisoner. The Genoese sent him to Philip Maria 

 Viaconti, duke of Milan, who was then also lord of Genoa. Alfonso 

 found favour with his keeper, who was pleased with his acuteness of 

 mind and bit superior address, and who, being also jealous of the 

 French dominion at Naples, not only restored him to liberty, but 

 made an alliance with him. Alfonso repaired to Gaeta, which his 

 fleet bad taken by surprise, and thence he went into the Abruzzi and 

 Poglia, where he found partisans among the nobility. The war 

 between him and Hun 1 was carried on in those remote provinces for 

 several yean, till at last the treachery of the younger Caldora, a con- 

 doUieri chief, rained the affairs of Rend, and Alfonso advanced 

 against Naples in 1442. Hit soldiers entered the city through an old 

 aqueduct, and Ren<! scaped by sea to Provence, where he reigned till 

 hi> death, tbe last king of the house of Anjou. Alfonso now fixed his 

 residence at Naples, and for the first time since the Sicilian Vespers, 

 Sicily and Naples were united under the same monarch. Alfonso 

 applied himself to re-establish order and justice throughout the king- 

 dom, which hod long bn a prey to misgovernment and confusion 

 under tbe weak and corrupt reign of Joanna 1 1. In order to strengthen 

 linsslf with the noble*, whose power was very great, he extended 

 their feudal privileges, and he also increased Urgely the number of 

 the feudatories of the crown. In return he obtained of them parlia- 

 mentary grants of money, or gifts, as they were called, and fresh taxes 

 to supply his expenditure. 



Alfonso was engaged in frequent disputes with the Popes, which 

 were terminated by the treaty of Terracina in 1443, when he joined 

 the Papal troops against Francesco Sforxa, the son of bis old anta- 

 gonist, and di]>ostessed him of the Marches. Sfona having after- 

 wards become, nnt, general, and then Duke of Milan, Alfonso joined 

 tbe Venetians against him and bin allies, the Florentine". The most 

 fcvourabts feature of Alfonso's reign is his patronage of letters. He 

 alto was fond of the arts, and to him Naples owed teveral embellish- 



Alfonso bad no legitimate children, having early separated from 

 Ms wife. For bis natural son, Ferdinand, be procured the Pope's 

 ball of legitimacy, and left him as bis successor to the throne of 

 Kin Its; hii brother John remaining heir to the crowns of Aragon, 

 ValsBtta, Hardmla, and Hicily. This John was afterward, succeeded 

 by Ferdinand, called tho Catholic, who reconquered the kingdom of 

 Naples, which continued to be a dependency of Spain for several 

 omturUa. 



In 1 467 Alfonso tent a fleet against Genoa, to favour the party of 

 th Adorai faction, whieh l.ad bt*n exiled ; tlie city w hard preated 

 by tiM titltgin, when Alfunso died at Naples, on the 17th June, 



ONS<> III . of Castile (previous to the union of Castile and 

 LSOB) WM only three yars of age at the death of his father, Sancho III., 

 in 1IM. Hit Minority WM a Ttry stormy one. The two families of 



Castros and Laras quarrelled for the guardianship of the young king, 

 and caused much blood to be shed. Alfonso married Eleanor, daughter 

 of Henry II. of England, in 1170, and from that time he exercised 

 the regal authority without control In 1195 he was defeated by the 

 Altnobadet at Alarcos, but he avenged this affront iu the famous 

 battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, where he destroyed the most nume- 

 rous army that ever crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, after the fir.-t 

 invasion. [ALMOHADKS.] Shortly after this memorable victory, be 

 died at Garci Muhoz, in 1214 ; he was succeeded by his son Knr. 

 (Mariana. XL, xii.) 



ALFONSO 1., king of Portugal, was the ton of Honry, count of 

 Besanron, who held 1'ortugal in fief with the title of count. .' 

 fathers death, in 1006, Alfonso being only two years old, his mother 

 governed the state in his minority, and he was forced to apply to arms 

 before he could wrest the sovereignty from her. 



After a short war with Castile, he assembled his army at Coimbro, 

 with a view to attack the InfideU. The King of Badajoz and four 

 other Moorish chieftains also mustered an army, far superior iu num- 

 bers to that of the Portuguese. The struggle was severe on both 

 sides,' and at hut victory declared for the Christians. An incredible 

 multitude of Africans remained dead on the field, the uumber of 

 which is estimated by the Portuguese historians at 200,000. 1 

 exultation of victory, the Count was proclaimed King by his followers, 

 which title be assumed from that day. This battle was fought in the 

 plains of Ourique, in the province of Alemtejo, in the year 1139. 



In 1146 Alfonso took by assault the fortress of Santurem from tbe 

 Saracens, and put to the sword all its inhabitants without distinction 

 of age or sex. In the next year he took Lisbon, when the fleet of 

 Euglixh crusaders, who were going to the Holy Land, rendered him 

 very effectual assistance. He afterwards reduced Cintra, crossed the 

 Tagus, and possessed himself of several towns in Kstremadura and 

 Alemtejo. In 1158 he reduced Alcazar-do-Sal after a siege of two 

 months. In abort, Alfonso almost freed all Portugal from the yoke of 

 the Saracens. 



This king, the founder of the Portuguese monarchy, was not a 

 warrior only he was also a legislator. Under his reign a code of 

 laws was promulgated at the Cortes of Lamego. These laws chiefly 

 treated on the succession to the crown, the duties of the nobles oiid 

 the people, and the independence of the kingdom. 



Alfonso died in 1185, at Coimbra. He was succeeded by his son 

 Sancho I. 



(Braudaon, Monarchic Lueitana; Chrmicm Lutitanvm ; Mariana, 

 x., xi. ; Lemoa, ix.) 



ALFONSO II. ascended the throne of Portugal in 1211, on tho 

 death of his father Sancho I. The principal event of his reign was 

 his dispute with the church by attempting to subject tho clergy to 

 personal military service, and their possessions to contribute the 

 same as the laity towards the support of the state. The consequence 

 of these measures was that Pope Honorius III. placed the kingdom 

 under an interdict. Alfonso was forced to yield, and was pardoned on 

 his promise of making ample satisfaction for his past offences. Before 

 he could fulfil his promise he died, in 1223, and was succeeded by his 

 son, Sancho II. (Kodericus Toletanus, viii. ; Letnos, xii.) 



ALFONSO III. succeeded his brother Sancho II.. in 12(8. ) 

 his accession, he was a poor exile in France. His brother having 

 been deprived by a decree of the Pope, Alfonso railed for Lisbon, and 

 on his arrival was received with enthusiasm by all classes of the 

 nation. Sancbo finding himself deserted by his subjects, reth 

 Toledo, where he died in 1248. Alfonso made some few conquests 

 from the Mohammedans, and died in 1279; he was succeeded by hb 

 MMI 1 Minis. (Ckronicon Conimbrieciuc ; Mariano, xiii. ; Lemos, xiii.) 



ALFONSO IV., surnamed the Brave, asci-nded thu throne of 

 Portugal on the death of his father Dennis iu 1325, against whom he 

 had been in rebellion several times. Through the intrigues of the 

 Infante Juan Manuel, he became embroiled with his son -iu-luw 

 Alfonso XI. of Castile ; and scarcely was his dispute with the Castiliaii 

 settled, when he had to encounter disturbances of a more serious 

 nature, in the unlawful intercourse of his son Pedro with li 

 Castro his mistress. His own weakness, and a mistaken zeal fir the 

 welfare of his kingdom, induced him to give his con 

 barbarous murder of that unfortunate lady, which plunged the state 

 into a civil war. Pedro raised thu standard of rebellion again t IIH 

 father, and possessed himself of almost all the north of Portugal. 

 After much bloodshed a reconciliation was i If.-cted b-twuen father and 

 son, and not long after Alfonso died, tormented by tho remembrance 

 of his murderous deed. His death took place in 1 X>7, and he was suc- 

 ceeded by his son, Pedro 1. (C'Anmicon C'onimbrtccnic ; Lemos, xvii.) 



ALFONSO V. was tho son of Duarte. At tho death of his father 

 in 1488 he was only six years of ngi>. His minority was very disturbed 

 and eventful. In 1446, Alfonso baring reached his fourteenth year, 

 seized the reins of govcrmin-nt, and suppressed a rebellion raised by 

 bis uncle Pedro the late regent In 1457 Alfonso fitted out an expe- 

 dition against the Moors. He landed in Africa with 20,000 mm 

 took Alcazar, Reguer, and Tangier. II" a].-o engaged man unfortunate 

 war with Castile; and not long after, having concluded a peace with 

 that nation, died of the plagu in it 7!'. Ho was succeeded !>y hi. 

 son Joao II. (Kuiz de Pino, Ckronica do Scnhor Jtey Don A/onto V. ; 

 Mariana, xxl ; Lemos, xxvi.) 



