Alfonso III Emperor of the Spanish - Part I
Alfonso came to the throne at the age of 15, resulting in a new regency at the court in Valencia. Regencies being the bane of the Empire, many expected a return to the Time of Troubles. Fortunately Alfonso would come of age in May 1324, meaning the regency would only rule for 3 months, hardly enough time to destroy the Empire…
The boy was of an absent mind, yet diligent nonetheless. With guidance his ambitious side could be brought out to benefit all of Spain in the long run. Alfonso would have to be a powerful stern ruler to keep Spain united in the face of Papal pressure and internal instability.
Luckily for the Emperor, popular support for the elective monarchy faction had been all but eliminated. The diplomacy of Alfonso II had worked wonders in the face of the faction leaders. The monarchy was secured for the time being, however Alfonso III would have to take heed of his subjects when he comes of age.
Factionalism at court was now limited to a pretender faction for Alfonso’s younger brother with hardly enough popular support for it to be credible, and a crown authority faction that would have to be dealt with in time. As such regent Rodrigo sent spymaster Juan to ruffle a few feathers around court.
With Alfonso finally of age and able to take on the mantle of government, betrothals were signed with the Kingdoms of England and the Duchy of Meath. The European marriage market was growing ever smaller by the day, mostly as a result of the Papal opinion of the Valencian dynasty and the Empire in general. Alfonso was lucky with the matches he picked up.
With his marriage arrangements in order, Alfonso declared war on Navarra. His hopes were to recapture Araba from the Basque King. Marshalling his forces, Alfonso marched north to recapture the long lost Spanish territory. Defeating the Basque would show the nobles at court the Emperor was not one to be wronged, finally the Spanish Kings would command respect from his subjects once more.
Alfonso led the besieging army at Araba, whilst his brother Arias took the vanguard into Navarra proper, to lay siege to the capital Pamplona. The forces met outside the city walls with the Spanish soundly defeating the Basque Kings measly 3000 troops. Another great victory for Spain.
After a year long siege, Pamplona eventually fell in 1326 and Araba was signed back over to its rightful owner. This was only one step in Alfonso’s plan. Soon all of Hispania would be back under his control. Only then would Spain have recovered from its crisis.
Alfonso was a jealous man however. This was mostly brought about due to the authority the Portuguese Republic held over several trading posts on Spanish soil. Many were remnants of the time the two were united, however now they were simply a reminder of Spain’s past and the sorry state the realm was in now. Whilst Spain bled, Portugal had flourished, investing in its merchant fleet and mercenary army. This had made many Spanish Emperors weary of conquest, Alfonso included. Instead, the Emperor sought to break the Republics income by destroying trade posts. The one at Porto had grown to a considerable size, leading the Emperor to assemble the peasant rabble to tear down the blight.
Envoys from Portugal however had arrived with a ‘donation’ to the Spanish court in hope of saving their trade post. Alfonso was no fool, it seemed Mayor Musa II however was. A petty fool who would lose both his money and his precious trade post!
Stupid man!
At court however, shadows lurked around every corner. Alfonso returned from Navarra to find his mother Hedwig dead. The Emperor expected foul play, yet spymaster Rodrigo was clueless. With no other option, Alfonso fired the spymaster on the spot and set about setting up a more loyal subject in the role. An investigation would have to be ordered in hopes of finding the culprit and lobbing his head off.
On a more positive note, Alfonso was married in the spring of 1326 to his betrothed, Éua of Meath. Securing the dynasty was now the Emperor’s top priority and the Emperor wasted no time. By 1327, Éua had given birth to an attractive baby boy, named Edern.
In 1328 however a flood had hit Valencia once again. The river Turia had overflowed and the water had spread through the surrounding crop fields and even into the city itself. The lower levels such as the slums and city barracks had become waterlogged. The Emperor sent a relief effort to deal with the situation. The Santa Hermandad were tasked with clearing the debris and providing food for the local population from other areas of the Empire. A similar flood had taken place in 1321, although nowhere near the same scale. If this persists, something will have to be done to alleviate the pressure on the River Turia.
With the relief effort over, Alfonso once again turned his attention to Navarra in an attempt to conquer the Kingdom once and for all. In 1331, after a swift and successful war, Navarra was finally fully integrated into the Empire. Although there were protests from the Basque lords, many simply wanted stability for the time being and so were complacent with their new Spanish overlords in Valencia. And then there were two… Portugal is next.
Before turning his attention to further conquests however, Alfonso set up the education of his son Edern. The young boy was looking promising, and so was to be educated by some of the more finer nobles of the realm. Alfonso entrusted his care to Leonor, wife to the reputable Marshal Pedro of Murcia.
The Spanish relations with the Papacy however showed no signs of improving. As such, Alfonso hoped to warm to the Holy Roman Emperor’s anti-Pope, Sisinnius III in Utrecht. Unfortunately, the anti-Pope had been imprisoned by the French in their ongoing war against the Empire. Still, the damaged relations with the de facto pope gave Alfonso certain liberties. His jealous nature soon once again showed itself.
For centuries, the Knights of Calatrava and Santiago had built fortresses all across Hispania. Over time, the Knights had even moved into the banking profession. The Bank of Santiago was now one of the largest moneylenders in the Catholic world, with contracts all over Christendom. A most unchristian profession many would say, it seems as though the Knights have lost their way... It would be a shame if somebody would happen to confiscate such wealth…
Gunning straight for Santiago however could cause uproar in the Christian world. First Alfonso would have to test the waters. The Knights of Calatrava were still a major holy order, although not as widespread as Santiago, they would prove an adequate target for the Emperor’s schemes. In the summer of 1334 Emperor Alfonso III invited the Grandmaster of the order, Gunzel to a meeting in Valencia. Charging him with heresy, the knight was arrested. The holdings of the order were confiscated along with all other property. Despite minimal protests from Rome there was nothing the Pope could do. Eventually the Grandmaster was released on the wish of the Holy Roman Emperor. Yet Alfonso had proved he could take on the authority of Rome. The orders holdings were now his, along with the hordes of wealth they had accumulated. To think that these riches pale in comparison with those of Santiago! They will be next, when the time is right…
The activities of the Emperor however drew the attention of the local populace. Heretical thinkers began to rise up in areas around the Pyrenees and Burgos. Cathar and Lollard sympathisers were even believed to have infected the court, if chancellor Rodrigo Moreno was to be believed. Despite the Pope’s bitter relations with the Spanish, the threat of heresy still worried the Catholic church, and so theologians were dispatched to the provinces in question to settle the dispute. The Council of Burgos hoped to settle the disputes between the heretics and the church.
However after some debate, the theologians returned unsuccessful. Heresy still gripped the region. It looked unlikely that the heretical strongholds would be giving in to the demands of the Pope any time soon. The Pope was becoming increasingly angry with the situation in Spain. But would he make a move any time soon, Alfonso was expecting an excommunication at any minute.
In 1340 the Turia burst its banks once more. River water flooded back into Valencia as it had 12 years ago. Crops were destroyed and several people lost their lives as the bridges leading to the city walls collapsed. The Santa Hermandad were once again called to deal with the situation. Many courtiers proposed diverting the course of the river. Alfonso objected however due to the expense of the program. The Emperor still hoped to fund his campaign into Portugal. The plans however still remained in the Palace archives for future reference.
In May 1343, Prince Edern came of age. The grown man now an adequate marshal and diplomat was the near mirror of his father, sharing in his distaste for the Papal church and in their ambitions to reunite Spain.
To secure his line, Edern was betrothed to the Princess of Wendland, Salomea. Soon the Valencian dynasty will be as secure as the early Cantabrian line before them, able to exert their absolutist nature once more and bring Spain to its height.
To get in shape for his upcoming wars against Portugal, Alfonso took to running in the nearby forests surrounding Valencia. Due to the time the Emperor spent in the area they became known as the Emperor’s woods. Although over time they became known as the Kingswood for reasons we will soon discover.
With his new-found strength, Alfonso was recognised as a renowned fighter throughout the Spanish court. Even Marshal Pedro was impressed with the Emperor’s swordsmanship. Alfonso now possessed the martial genius needed for an invasion of Portugal. Drawing up battle plans, the Emperor hoped to strike from the north and south simultaneously, before converging on Lisbon. The campaign still lacked funds. Alfonso knew where he would get those from however…
In the autumn of 1343 Alfonso gathered together all bailiffs and seneschals in the Empire with secret orders for the arrest of the Grandmaster Niall of the Knights of Santiago. All members of the order present within Spain were also to be arrested and tried for heresy. Knights from all four corners were arrested, burned at the stake or executed on the spot for their crimes against god and the church. Although Alfonso had only ordered a trial, several of the Emperor's more ambitious subjects took it upon themselves to punish the sinners.
Although initially the Pope issued nothing but a condemnation of the actions of Alfonso III, eventually the Emperor was excommunicated for his actions. Soon the nobles in court began to question Alfonso’s rule. Was he the antichrist, attempting to destroy the church and its institutions? Soon Spain will turn Lollard they joked, hoping for ties to soon be restored with Rome. Bitter divides were still forming throughout court nonetheless.
The Emperor banishes the Knights of Santiago
The trial was a farce of course, the charges of heresy pointed to the ‘rituals’ of the order. Allegedly "when professing, the brothers were required to deny Christ, to spit on the Cross, and to place three 'obscene kisses' on the lower spine, the navel and the mouth; they were obliged to indulge in carnal relations with other members of the order, if requested; and finally they wore a small belt which had been consecrated by touching a strange idol, which looked like a human head with a long beard." 127 articles were drawn up against the order including but not limited to: idolatry, worship of satan, Cathari members of the order and other unholy deeds. Yet when they came to confess, Grandmaster Niall recanted his confessions, stating he was innocent of all charges and only guilty of betraying the order by confessing under duress to something he had not done. He was immediately found guilty and burned at the stake.
What following was the looting and pillaging of all the orders holdings. Landholders scrambled to get their hands on anything they could, whilst the castles themselves were claimed by the Emperor along with their coffers. Soon Alfonso had enough money to take on even the Caliphate single handedly. Although Spain’s financial situation had been solved, the Pope was furious and the Emperor had been excommunicated. The Cortes began to turn against the Emperor and his sins. Even his son Edern was tainted by the same evil. Something had to be done and soon.
With the banishment of the two Knightly Orders, Spain may have solved its financial crisis, but it may have begun another. Was it really worth it for simple gold? Perhaps this is the final nail in the coffin for the Spanish Empire of old…
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