Elvira of Castile (before 1082?–1151) was a countess consort of Toulouse. She was the illegitimate daughter of

Alfonso VI of León and Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, by his mistress

Jimena Muñoz Jimena Muñoz or Muñiz (died 1128) was a noblewoman from the El Bierzo region of the medieval Kingdom of León, the mistress of king Alfonso VI of León and Castile during the late 1070s and early 1080s. By him she was mother of two countesses a ...

, and full sister of

Theresa, Countess of Portugal Theresa (Portuguese: ''Teresa''; Galician-Portuguese: ''Tareja'' or ''Tareixa''; Latin: ''Tarasia'') (1080 – 11 November 1130) was Countess of Portugal, and for a time claimant to be its independent Queen. She rebelled against her half-sis ...

. She married, firstly,

Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), sometimes called Raymond of Saint-Gilles or Raymond I of Tripoli, was a powerful noble in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He was the Count of ...

in 1094, being mother of count

Alfonso Jordan Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso was the ...

.''The World of El Cid: Chronicles of the Spanish Reconquest'', transl. Simon Barton, Richard Fletcher, (Manchester University Press, 2000), 88 note91. Elvira accompanied Raymond on the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

in 1096, and was present at the siege of Tripoli, where she gave birth to their son. It appears that the couple separated before the death of Raymond. Elvira returned to Castile. Her son became the monarch of Tripoli upon the death of Raymond in 1105, but Elvira is not mentioned as present in Tripoli. In Castile, before 1117, she married Count

Fernando Fernández de Carrión Fernando Fernández or Fernán Fernándiz de Carrión (''fl.'' 1107–1125) was a count in the Kingdom of León during the reign of Queen Urraca. Fernando's origins are obscure. Though his patronymic indicates that his father was also named Fern ...

, having three additional children: Diego, García and Teresa Fernández, who was a wife of Count

Osorio Martínez Osorio Martínez ( la, Osorius Martini) (bef. 1108 – March 1160) was a magnate from the Province of León in the Imperator totius Hispaniae, Empire of Alfonso VII. He served as the emperor militarily throughout his long career, which peaked in 11 ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elvira of Castile, Countess of Toulouse 11th-century births Year of birth unknown 1151 deaths Countesses of Toulouse Countesses of Tripoli 11th-century French women 12th-century French women 12th-century French people Illegitimate children of Alfonso VI Christians of the First Crusade Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings