Stephanie Alfonso of Castile ( es, Estefanía Alfonso de Castilla) (1139/1148 – 1 July 1180) was an illegitimate daughter of

Alfonso VII of León and Castile Alfonso VII (1 March 110521 August 1157), called the Emperor (''el Emperador''), became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso, born Alfonso Raimúndez, first used the title Emperor of All Spain, alongside hi ...

and Urraca Fernández de Castro, widow of Count

Rodrigo Martínez Rodrigo Martínez ( la, Rudericus Martini) (died July 1138) was a Leonese nobleman, landowner, courtier, military leader, governor, and diplomat, "the most powerful lay figure in the region of the western Tierra de Campos," who "emerges as far an ...

. Her murder by her husband,

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro Fernando Rodríguez de Castro (1125–1185) was a Kingdom of Castile, Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in Kingdom of León, León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed t ...

, earned her the

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

Stephanie the Unfortunate (''Estefanía la Desdichada'').

Birth

Stephanie's date of birth must have occurred between 1139, when the relationship between Alfonso and her mother began,Torres Sevilla-Quiñones de León (1999), p. 84 and 1148, the year in which Alfonso confers privileges in favor of Urraca and his daughter.Salazar y Acha (2006), p.42

Marriage

In 1157, Stephanie's father died while returning from an expedition and his kingdoms were partitioned between her legitimate half-brothers,

Sancho III of Castile Sancho III (c. 1134 – 31 August 1158), called the Desired (''el Deseado''), was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. He was the son of Alfonso VII of León and Castile and his wife Berengaria of Barcelona, and was suc ...

and Fernando II of León. Stephanie would marry

, head of the

House of Castro The House of Castro is an Iberian Nobility, noble lineage present in the since the Middle Ages in the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile, Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia, and Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal. Though its exact origins are disputed, t ...

. Nicknamed "the Lion" in his native Castile, he was exiled as a consequence of his family's struggles with the Lara family and joined the service of Ferdinand II in León, where he was dubbed "the Castilian". Ferdinand would name him governor, at different times, of

Cuéllar Cuéllar () is a municipality in the Province of Segovia, within the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) as of 1 Janu ...

, Dueñas,

Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...

, Toro and

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

, and he eventually became Ferdidand's ''

mayordomo mayor {{short description, High Steward of Spain The Mayordomo mayor (High Steward) was the Officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain in charge of the person and rooms of the King of Spain. The Office of “Mayordomo mayor” w ...

''. He had divorced his first wife, Constanza Osorio, daughter of Count

Osorio Martinez Osorio (also Osório) is a surname of Spanish, Portuguese and Basque origins. One meaning of the name is “hunter of wolves”. Notable people with this surname include: Surname * Aitor Osorio (born 1975), Andorran swimmer * Aldo Osorio (bor ...

, who was killed fighting Castro at the

Battle of Lobregal The Battle of Lobregal took place in March 1160 between the House of Lara and its allies and the forces of the House of Castro under Fernando Rodríguez de Castro.Simon Barton (1997), ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile'' (Cambri ...

in 1160. For his services, King Ferdinand rewarded him with Stephanie's hand, also granting them the ''infantazgo'' of León. She bore her husband a son,

Pedro Fernández de Castro Pedro Fernández de Castro (Algeciras, 1342), nicknamed ''el de la Guerra'' ('of the War'), was a powerful Galician noble and military figure of the House of Castro, descended by illegitimate lines from the kings of Castile-Leon- Galicia. Pedr ...

Don Fernando Ruiz de Castro

(Opening stanzas from a poem in ''El Drama Universal'' by

Ramón de Campoamor Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

, with translation.) My wife Estefanía, who is in glory, / was of Alfonso VII a dear daughter; / after today you will know, upon listening to this story, / that there are disgraces without end in our life. // Jealous, I killed her; and if, reluctant, / I did not kill myself also that night, / it was to kill later, if it was necessary, / all who, like me, doubted her.

Death

On 1 July 1180, Stephanie was murdered by her husband, Fernando, who according to some sources listed, while others have left no record of the event, it is assumed that his wife had been unfaithful and murdered. When Fernando first heard about his wife's affair with an unknown man, he watched the lovers. He then later stabbed the man to death. Later, he entered the chambers of his wife and stabbed her to death. When Fernando realized what the situation had turned to, he begged for forgiveness from his brother-in-law the King. The King did not punish his brother-in-law for the murder. Stephanie was buried in the

basilica of San Isidoro In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

de León. She left two young children.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephanie Alfonso of Castile 12th-century births 1180 deaths Murdered royalty Illegitimate children of Spanish monarchs Castilian House of Burgundy Burials in the Royal Pantheon at the Basilica of San Isidoro Year of birth uncertain Medieval murder victims 12th-century nobility from León and Castile 12th-century Spanish women Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings