Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/588

* FERDINAND I. 536 FERDINAND V. ond son of Saneho III. of Navarre, and in 1033, when Saneho forced Bermudo III. of Leon, the last direct descendant of Pelayo, in the male line, to surrender Castile. Ferdinand received that kingdom, together with Bermudo's sister Sancha in marriage. Bermudo, shortly after Sancho's death, sought to recover his 'lost possessions, but was defeated and slain (1037). Ferdi- nand, now King of Leon as well as of Castile, by a conciliatory though firm policy, soon es- tablished his authority over his conquered sub- jects, and when in 1053 his domains were in- vaded by his brother, Garcia IV. of Navarre, the attack resulted in the death of the latter on the battlefield of Atapuerca, near Burgos, and the annexation of a large portion of his dominions. At an early period of his reign Ferdinand began to direct his energies against the Moors, and by a series of successful campaigns carried the Christian arms as far as the Mondego, and re- duced the emirs of Toledo, Saragossa, and Se- ville to subjection. He died at Leon, on Decem- ber 27, 1065, after having divided his dominions among his children. Ferdinand laid claim to the title of Emperor of Spain, a claim to which the Emperor Henry III. of Germany objected, appealing in 1055 to Rome. According to a very doubtful tradition, a decision favorable to Ferdinand's Imperial pretentions, so far as they related to the territories which had been con- quered from the Moors, was given, chiefly in consequence of the representations made by the famous Cid, Buy Diaz de Bivar. Ferdinand effected many reforms, both in secular and ec- clesiastical matters, and was verv liberal to the Church. FERDINAND II. (?-1188). King of Leon from 1157 to 1188. The death of his brother, Saneho III. of Castile, in 1158, led to a military occupation of Castile by Ferdinand, professedly in the interests of his nephew, Alfonso VIII., but this occupation lasted only a short time. Meanwhile Ferdinand repudiated his wife. Dona Urraca, and became involved in a war with his father-in-law, Alfonso I. of Portugal, which re- sulted in the defeat and capture of the latter at Badajoz, in 1179. He died in 1188, and was succeeded by his son, Alfonso IX. FERDINAND III. (1109-1252). A king of Castile and Leon, usually known as Saint Ferdi- nand. He was the son of Alfonso IX. of Leon, and of Berengaria. sister of Henry I. of Castile. On the death of Henry, without issue, in 1217, Berengaria procured the proclamation of Ferdi- nand, hi 1230. on the death of his father, he became King of Leon as well as Castile, thus finally uniting the two kingdoms under one crown. Following up the advantages which had been gained for the Christian arms by his lather and the allied kings in the great battle at has Navas de Tolosa, in 1212, he devoted all tie energies to the prosecution of the Moorish war. N " B his conquests may be mentioned those 1 beda, in 1235; of < lordova, in 1236; of Jaen, in 1246; and of Seville, in 1248. He was plan- ning an invasion of Africa when he died at Se ville. Laving his kingdom to his eldest son, Alfonso V Though not canonized until 1677, he came to be popularly known as ,/ Santo from a very early period, for his remarkable religious zeal. Be laid the foundation of las Siete Parti- das, the legal code of Christian Spain, which was completed by Alfonso X. (q.v.). FERDINAND IV. (1285-13121. King of I astile and Leon from 1295 to 1312. He was the son of Saneho IV. The early years of his reign were disturbed by a series of civil wars but order was restored by 1302. Secure at last in possession of his throne, Ferdinand was free to pursue the traditional policy of war against the Moors; and in carrying it out he was aided by pecuniary grants from his own nobles and from Pope Clement V., as well as by the spoils of the Knights Templar, which accrued to him on the destruction of the Order. His chief exploit, as recorded by the historians, both Spanish and Arab, was the expedition against Algeciras in 1309, which, though unsuccessful in its main object, resulted in the capture of Gibraltar and other strongholds. In the course of a subse- quent campaign he died suddenly, September 17, 1312. According to Mariana, he had condemned to death, unheard, two brothers of the name of Carvajal, and these, protesting their innocence, had summoned him to meet them within thirty days at the bar of God; hence the surname el Emplazado, 'the Summoned.' He was succeeded by his infant son, Alfonso XI. FERDINAND V., surnamed The Catholic (1452-1516), King of Spain; as King of Castile, Ferdinand V.: as King of Aragon, Ferdinand II.; as King of Naples, Ferdinand III. He was the son of John II., King of Aragon, and was born March 10, 1452. In 1469 he married, at Valladolid. Isabella, sister of Henry IV. of Castile. On the death of Henry, in '1474, the Cortes proclaimed Isabella and her husband joint sovereigns of Castile and Leon. In 1479 Ferdinand became King of Aragon and Sicily, on the death of his father, and the two kingdoms of Aragon and Castile were united in the per sons of Ferdinand and Isabella. Isabella, how- ever, as long as she lived, maintained her position as Queen of Castile, and allowed her husband no other share in the Government than the priv- ilege of affixing his signature to the decrees and of uniting his arms with her own. Nevertheless, his influence in developing the Spanish mon- archy was of capital importance. Ferdinand's reign was marked by uniform good fortune in his wars and his diplomacy. In Castile he dis- tinguished himself by the' effectual suppression of the banditti, who had become formidable in the confusion resulting from the civil wars. This he accomplished by reorganizing and putting in force against them' the Hermandad, or Holy Brotherhood, a kind of national militia, rep resenting all the cities of Spain. Not content, however, with taking strong measures against the Castilian outlaws, he also resolved to break the power of the feudal nobility, and made good u e of the Hermandad in carrying out this de- sign. Cities and towns were encouraged to make themselves independent of the nobles, who were deprived of many important privileges. Among other humiliations, they were subjected to the ordinary tribunals of justice. The reorganize tion of the Inquisition in I ITS so. although pri marily and mainly intended to further religious •■nils, likewise helped to lessen their influence Ferdinand also strengthened his power by vest ing in himself and |,j s successors the grand- mastership of the military orders of r.ilalrava.