Ferdinand III of Castile

Ferdinand III, called the Saint (1199 or 1201–1252), was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berengaria of Castile. After his parents' marriage was annulled in 1204, his mother took him to the Castilian court. In 1217 his mother abdicated in his favor, and he fought his father and rebellious nobles.

In 1230 he inherited León, uniting the two crowns. Exploiting Muslim disarray, he led Castile's greatest southward expansion, conquering Córdoba, Jaén and Seville.

He married Elisabeth of Swabia in 1219 and was succeeded by his son Alfonso X. Canonized in 1671, he is buried in Seville Cathedral.