Fernando II of Navarre
Fernando II | |
---|---|
King of Navarre, Aragon, and Valencia | |
Reign | 23 August 1127 - 19 October 1177 |
Predecessor | Fernando I |
Successor | Fernando III |
King of Aquitaine | |
Reign | 17 June 1129 - 19 October 1177 |
Successor | Fernando III |
Born | 1 May 1113 Leyre, Kingdom of Navarre |
Died | 19 October 1177 (aged 64) Rochechuart, Kingdom of Aquitaine |
Burial | Catedral Real de Pampalona |
Consort | Elisabeth von Silesia-Glogau (m. 1129; d. 1139) Urraca Jimena (m. 1146; d. 1177) |
Issue | Fernando III of Navarre Erramun Fernandez, duke of Barcelona |
House | Jimena |
Father | Fernando I of Navarre |
Mother | Patricia de Poitou |
Fernando II, known as Fernando the Wise (Fernando el Sabio; 1 May 1113 - 19 October 1177), was king of Navarre, Aragon, and Valencia from 1127 and king of Aquitaine from 1129 until his death. Fernando united the eastern Spanish kingdoms with the lands of the de Poitou family in Gascony and Poitou, crowning himself king of Aquitaine and creating a hybrid realm with Basque, Occitan, French, and Castilian cultural influences.
Fernando II spent large portions of his reign in managing domestic political conflict, but he also presided over the expansion of his domain over much of southern Iberia; he is remembered as the king who founded the Knights of Calatrava. In defensive wars against the kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire, Fernando wielded effective military power and managed to secure successful diplomatic outcomes.