Henry I of Castile: Biography, Facts and Career

Henry I (Spanish: Enrique; 14 April 1204 – 6 June 1217) was the king of Castile from 1214 until 1217. Throughout his short reign, the boy king was a puppet monarch torn between his sister and heir, Queen Berengaria, and guardian, Count Álvaro Núñez de Lara. Henry was the only surviving son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England. He succeeded to the throne upon Alfonso's death on 5 October 1214. Because Henry was only ten at the time and his mother died within weeks, his older sister Berengaria took up rule as regent in his name. Discontented nobility forced her to give up rule and custody of Henry to Álvaro in early 1215. In an attempt to solidify his rule by procuring alliances with other Iberian rulers, Álvaro arranged for Henry to marry Mafalda of Portugal, but Berengaria intervened to have the marriage annulled; Álvaro then attempted to betroth Henry to Sancha of León in 1216, but the Leónese rejected the offer. When the hostilities between Berengaria and Álvaro erupted into an open war in April 1217, Álvaro took Henry with him on military campaigns; the young king's presence forced Berengaria and her supporters to yield. Henry was killed by a tile dislodged by one of his playmates soon after, and Berengaria succeeded to the throne.

Quick facts about Henry I of Castile

• Full name: Henry I of Castile
• Born: 1204-04-21
• Nationality: Kingdom of Castile
• Known as: Royal
• Wikidata ID: Q348943

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.