LouLong said:
Not a precise request yet but more a general demand for a person well versed on Leon and Navarra history in the Middle-Ages as I am not quite familiar with these two countries.
Mostly for knowledge about military and political leaders.
If you can help me, contact me by PM directly (I think it will avoid the cluttering here).
I'm not well versed in either history, but...
[from "The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages"]
-Ferdinand I (????): Began in control of Castile and extended his control to Leon and Aragon... must have also gained control of Galicia (see below).
-Alfonso VI The Brave (c. 1040-1109): second son of Ferdinand I (who was king of Leon, Castile, and Galicia. Upon Ferdinand's death, Alfonso got Leon, his bro Sancho II got Castile, and another bro, Garcia, got Galicia. After Alfonso arrested Garcia (who later died in prison), he struggled with Sancho for control of the kingdom. Despite losing several battles to Sancho's general (El Cid), Alfonso teamed up with his sister, Urraca, and assassinated Garcia, thus uniting Leon & Castile. After this, he recovered Muslim Toledo and Valencia, apparently with the help of El Cid, but was later killed in Toledo during the Almoravid invasion from northern spain. However, he married his daughter off to an Aragonian (Alphonso I The Battler) and the struggle continued with the Almoravids. Alfonso was also known for introducing the Clunaic monastic order to Spain.
-Alfonso I The Battler (c. 1073-1134): King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 to 1134. Fought the Moors in 1110 and fought with his wife Urraca for control of Castile. Fatally wouned at the battle of Fraga in 1134.
-Alfonso X The Wise (c. 1221-1284): Crowned king of Castile and Leon in 1252. Basically known for an unsuccessful attempt to become Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected but a papal veto prevented him from taking the throne. Led the conquest of Andalusia (~1265). Eventually his sons, Sancho (the younger) and Ferdinand (the older), fought among themselves and with Alfonso for control of the kingdoms. Sancho's Castilian supporters ousted Alfonso.
-Regarding Navarre: The people of the region fought against the Visigoths, Arabs, and Charlemagne, maintaining independence throughout. After gaining control over the disparate tribes, clans, and townships, the first king of Navarre was Sancho I. Continued their independence with a series of marriages and truces with surrounding states. Navarre reached the height of its power under Sancho III. After Sancho III's death in 1034, the dynasties of Navarre occupied the thrones of Aragon and Castile. Castile was lost in later dynastic wars (Ferdinand I?) and Aragon became an independent kingdom. Later, the kings of Aragon ruled Navarre before the region was made a province of France (1234). Later, the heiress to the Navarre-Champagne province married King Charles IV of France and the region was caught up in a number of dynastic conflicts. A brief respite from decline occurred under Charles the Noble (r. 1387-1425).
Lots of other folks in all this confusion, but none I have references for directly tied to Navarre or Leon.