History
Alfonso VI was king of León from 1065, and later of Galicia and Castile, until his death on 1 July 1109. In 1066 the inheritance of Ferdinand I is still split with his brothers. Toledo, which he entered in 1085, is two decades away.
The campaign people come here for is that reunion, and then the long push into the taifas. A war against a brother that leaves the frontier open is how the run usually breaks.
Ferdinand I died in 1065 and divided the inheritance. Alfonso received León. His elder brother Sancho II received Castile. His younger brother García II received Galicia. Sancho defeated Alfonso at Golpejera in 1072, and Alfonso spent a stretch of exile at the taifa court in Toledo. He returned and held León, Castile, and Galicia together. Toledo surrendered on 25 May 1085. On 23 October 1086 Yusuf ibn Tashfin and the Almoravids defeated him at Sagrajas, also called Zallaqa. He kept Toledo. His son Sancho Alfónsez died at Uclés in 1108. Alfonso died in Toledo on 1 July 1109, and his daughter Urraca succeeded in León and Castile.
In the game
| Seat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start | 1066 |
| Bookmark | Iberia in Pieces |
| Title | León |
| Realm size | 7 counties |
| Status | Independent |
| Difficulty | Easy, the bookmark rating in patch 1.20.1.2 |
| Culture | Castilian |
| Faith | Catholicism |
| Age | 26 |
How to play
Goal. Bring León, Castile, and Galicia back together, then press Toledo when the realm can hold it.
The 1066 card is the divided inheritance. Read the claims on the brothers' kingdoms before you open a war against a taifa. A brother who is still a king can join the other side. Once León, Castile, and Galicia sit in one realm, Toledo is the city the reign is remembered for. Emir Yahya's page is that city on this same bookmark. The Almoravid crossing follows the fall of Toledo in the historical sequence. Make the alliance before you stand on that frontier alone. Read the succession law before you create a second kingdom you mean to keep in one hand.
Where this run fails. A war against a brother that strips the frontier, a push on Toledo with no ally, or a second kingdom created before you have read partition.