Ferdinand (the Saint) III of Castile ¹

  General Notes:

Ferdinand III (of Castile and León), called The Saint, king of Castile (1217-52) and of León (1230-52); he was the son of King Alfonso IX of León and Castile. In 1217 Ferdinand's mother, Berengaria, renounced her title to the Castilian throne in favor of her son. Alfonso, who had himself expected to acquire Castile, was angered at his wife's action, and, aided by a group of Castilian nobles favorable to his claim, made war upon his newly crowned son. Ferdinand, however, with the wise counsel of his mother, proved more than a military match for Alfonso, who at length was forced to abandon his plan of conquering Castile. Through the good offices of Berengaria, Ferdinand was able to effect the peaceful union of León and Castile upon the death of his father in 1230. Ferdinand devoted his energies to prosecuting the war against the Moors, conquering Córdoba in 1236 and Sevilla (Seville) in 1248. He was rigorous in his suppression of the heretical Albigenses, a fact largely responsible for his canonization more than two centuries later. In 1242 Ferdinand reestablished at Salamanca the university originally founded by his grandfather.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Acceded: King of Castile and Leon, 1217.

Ferdinand married Elizabeth von Hohenstaufen, daughter of Philip of Swabia Hohenstaufen and Irene of Byzantium, on 30 Nov 1219. (Elizabeth von Hohenstaufen was born circa 1203 and died in 1235.)

Ferdinand next married Johanna of Ponthieu, daughter of Simon of Aumâle de Danmartin and Marie of Ponthieu, in 1237 in Burgos, Castile, Spain. (Johanna of Ponthieu died on 15 Mar 1279 in Abbeville.)