Sancho II

king of Castile
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Also known as: Sancho el Fuerte, Sancho the Strong
Quick Facts
Byname:
Sancho the Strong
Spanish:
Sancho el Fuerte
Born:
c. 1037
Died:
October 6/7, 1072, Zamora, Leon [Spain]
Notable Family Members:
father Ferdinand I
brother García II
brother Alfonso VI

Sancho II (born c. 1037—died October 6/7, 1072, Zamora, Leon [Spain]) was the king of Castile from 1065 to 1072, the eldest son of Ferdinand I.

He was allocated the kingdom of Castile in his father’s will, Leon and Galicia being given to his brothers. He refused to accept this division and dispossessed García of Galicia by force (1071). Alfonso VI of Leon, defeated at Golpejera on the Carrión River in January 1072, had to seek refuge with the Moorish king of Toledo. Sancho’s triumph was short-lived, for he was killed while besieging the rebel fortress-city of Zamora, held by his sister Urraca in Alfonso’s name.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.