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Alfonso VI

Type Figure Region Castile Time 1040–1109 Also known as Alfonso VI (León and Castile)

King of León and Castile, a key driver of the Reconquista. Captured Toledo in 1085; defeated by the Almoravids at Sagrajas in 1086.…

Timeline

  1. 1040–1072León · Castile and LeónSon of Ferdinand I, he became joint ruler of León and Castile in 1072 after a succession dispute among his brothers, beginning to integrate the Christian territories of Iberia.
  2. 1073–1084Castile · CastileHe pushed the Reconquista southward, wooing the taifa kingdoms to divide the Muslim powers, and relied on commanders such as El Cid in his campaigns, preparing the way for the capture of Toledo.
  3. 1085–1086Toledo · Castile-La ManchaCaptured Toledo in May 1085, a milestone of the Reconquista; suffered a crushing defeat at Sagrajas in October 1086 against Almoravid reinforcements led by Yusuf ibn Tashfin.
  4. 1087–1109Central Iberian Peninsula · CastileAfter the defeat at Sagrajas, the Christian southward advance stalled; Alfonso's relations with El Cid fluctuated, and in his later years he relied on French reinforcements and local nobles to withstand Almoravid pressure until his death in 1109.

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