Alfonso IV (c. 890s – 933), called the Monk, was King of León from 925 (or 926) and of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931. When Ordoño II died in 924 it was not one of his sons who ascended to the throne of León but rather his brother Fruela II of Asturias. The exact circumstances of the succession upon Fruela's death one year later are unclear, but apparently it was the son of Fruela, Alfonso Froilaz, who became king. Sancho Ordóñez, Alfonso, and Ramiro, the sons of Ordoño II, claimed to be the rightful heirs and rebelled against their nephew. With the support of Jimeno II of Pamplona, they drove Alfonso Froilaz to the eastern marches of Asturias and divided the kingdom among themselves, Alfonso receiving the crown of León and Froilaz being left in Galicia, which Sancho inherited within a year. Having a faint personality, Alfonso IV resigned the crown to his brother Ramiro in 931 and went into a religious house. A certain instability of character is revealed by the fact that one year later he took up arms with Fruela's sons Ordoño and Ramiro against his own brother Ramiro, having repented of his renunciation of the world. He was defeated, blinded, and sent back to die in the cloister of Sahagún. Ordoño IV of León was his son.
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
- Genealogy trees are here and here.
- Spanish language articles are here and here.
- List of Kings of León.
| Preceded by Fruela II |
King of León 925–931 |
Succeeded by Ramiro II |
| Preceded by Alfonso Froilaz |
King of Galicia 929–931 |
