King Ferdinand III of Castile

     King Ferdinand III of Castile was born on 5 August 1199 at Castile, Spain; His parents' marriage was annulled by order of Pope Innocent III in 1204, due to consanguinity. Berengaria took their children, including Ferdinand, to the court of her father, Alfonso VIII of Castile. In 1217, her younger brother Henry I died and she succeeded him to the Castilian throne, but immediately surrendered it to her son, Ferdinand, for whom she initially acted as regent.³ He was the son of Alfonso IX of Leon and Berengaria of Castile.^1,2 King Ferdinand III of Castile married Joan de Dammartin, daughter of Simon de Dammartin and Marie Ponthieu, before August 1237; They had four sons and one daughter.³ King Ferdinand III of Castile died on 30 May 1252 at age 52. He was buried at Cathedral of Seville, Seville, Spain; He rests enclosed in a marvelous gold and crystal casket worthy of the king. His golden crown still encircles his head as he reclines beneath the statue of the Virgin of the Kings.³
     Ferdinand III was one of the most successful kings of Castile, securing not only the permanent union of the crowns of Castile and León, but also masterminding the most expansive campaign of Reconquista yet. By military and diplomatic effort, Ferdinand III greatly expanded the dominions of Castile into southern Spain, annexing many of the great old cities of al-Andalus, including the old Andalusian capitals of Córdoba and Seville, and establishing the boundaries of the Castilian state for the next two centuries. He was canonized in 1671 by Pope Clement X.³