Alfonso V of León

Who was Alfonso V of León?

Alfonso V, called the Noble, was King of León from 999 to 1028. Enough is known of him to justify the belief that he had some of the qualities of a soldier and a statesman. Like other kings of León, he used the title emperor to assert his standing among the Christian rulers of Spain.

Alfonso was three years old when he succeeded his father, Bermudo II, in 999. His mother, Elvira García, and count Menendo González, who raised him in Galicia, acted as his co-regents until 1007, when the queen mother retired and became a nun.

Alfonso began the work of reorganizing the Christian kingdom of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula after a most disastrous period of civil war and Arab inroads.

His name and that of his wife are associated with the grant of the first franchises of León. On a Wednesday, 7 August 1028, Alfonso V was killed by an arrow while besieging the Muslim town of Viseu, King Alfonso was buried next to his first wife Elvira, according to his wishes, at the Church of Saint John the Baptist and San Pelayo which later changed its name to the Basilica of San Isidoro when the latter saint's remains were transferred from Seville. The following epitaph was carved on his tomb: