Alfonso VIII of Castile

Alfonso VIII, called the Noble (1155–1214), became king of Castile at the age of two in 1158; during his minority his uncle Sancho VI of Navarre seized much of La Rioja. In 1170 he married Eleanor of England. In 1176 Henry II arbitrated the disputed Navarrese border, and Alfonso recovered much of the lost territory.

After defeat by the Almohads at Alarcos in 1195, he led the Christian coalition that broke Almohad power at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, turning the tide of the Reconquista. He founded Spain's first university at Palencia and was succeeded by his young son Henry I.