In these days in which we have experienced the abdication and the transfer of power between two Spanish Kings, Juan Carlos I and his son Felipe VII happened to come across the case of another King who almost 1,000 years ago also abdicated, although he did it in a different way: Ferdinand I of Leon.
Don Juan Carlos I and Ferdinand I are two characters that have certain parallels in history. Both, undoubtedly, occupied very important places in the Spain of their days and now form a very important part of the History of Spain. They both decided to abdicate.
Fernando I marked the beginning of the Castilian dynasty in León, after the extinction of the dynasty initiated with Don Pelayo. With Don Juan Carlos I the monarchy was reinstated in Spain after a hiatus of almost 60 years.
And one more anecdote, the first King of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain, Philip VHe also abdicated in his son, although upon his death, he returned to assume the crown and became the longest reigning King of Spain, with more than 45 years crowned.
I have had the opportunity to be in these past few days at LionWe listened to some personalities of the city talking about different parts of its history, and among the conversations we had came up the abdication of its first Castilian King, Ferdinand I in December of the year 1,065.
I think it is interesting to discuss it in these pages.
The abdication of Ferdinand I was very different from that of Don Juan Carlos.
He had started as Count of Castile, second in command to the Crown of Pamplona. He took over the Crown of León and immediately recovered the territories lost to the King of Pamplona, his brother the King García Sánchez III of Pamplona. He also clashed with his brother the King Ramiro of Aragon. Both brothers, García and Ramiro, lost their lives on battlefields against Fernando and their crowns were inherited by their respective sons, Sancho IV Garcés el de Peñalón y Sancho Ramírez I of Aragón.
He fought against the Muslims in their Taifas of Toledo, Zaragoza, Seville y Badajoz.
It never attacked the taifa of DeniaThe caliph of Denia had obtained for him as a gift the Cup of Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. Something I talked about in a previous post.
Conquered Coimbra in Portugal in the year 1,064, and from there he went to take up ValenciaBut feeling very ill, at the end of 1,065, he decided to return to his home in León.
The detail of his abdication is described very well in the book. The Grail Kings:
"...one Monday, December 26, he orders to be dressed with all the royal attributes, such as the mantle and the golden crown and, in arms, accompanied by nobles and ecclesiastics, he throws himself at the feet of the altars blessed by the holy bodies. There, with voice still clear, he strips himself of the ornaments of his power in a public penance that culminates in the Visigothic manner with his tonsure. From that moment on, Ferdinand was considered civilly dead for the rest of his life. He was separated from the world, from the throne, from power. Thus departs, with humility and extraordinary faith, the Navarrese prince who one day became Count of Castile, King of Leon and arbiter of the Hispanic politics of his time. Undoubtedly, one of the best and most lucid monarchs of medieval Spain...".
The latter can also be said of Don Juan Carlos, one of the best and most lucid monarchs of modern Spain.
I would like to express my gratitude and respect to Don Juan Carlos for a lifetime of dedication to Spain, as well as my best wishes for our new and beloved King, Don Felipe VI..
