El Valle de las espadas (The Castilian) (1963)
Director: Javier Setó
Starring: Cesar Romero, Alida Vali, Frankie Avalon, Broderick Crawford, Spartaco Santoni
Country: Spanish
Costume drama about famed Spanish leader who helped in the long campaign to drive the Moors out of Spain.
Historical Background:
Fernán González – the first independent Count of Castile, from which modern Spain grew.
710 -- Berber General Tariq ibn Ziyad takes Tangier. This was followed by several Muslim raids into modern Andalusia). This, in turn, was followed by civil war in Visigothic Hispania.
c. 900 – Fernán González was born, son of the Count of Arlanza and the Duero, and a member of the influential Lara family. He grew up in the Lara castle and inherited the father's title after the capture and death of his brother.
930 – Fernan González is Count inside the administrative organization of east
Kingdom of Leon
931 – González got together a strong military force from Burgos, Castile,
Asturias, Santillana, Lara, Lantaron and Alava.
939 – he fought along with Ramiro II of Leon, showing great military prowess in the Battle of Simancas (against Muslim caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III) .
He took the Sepulveda region from the Moors.
He married Sancha, the sister of the king of Navarre, Garcia III of Pamplona.
González rose against King Ramiro II of Leon, because the King distributed his troops in the frontier towns.
944-947 – González was defeated and imprisoned for three years.
947 – González reconciled with the King and gave his daughter Urraca in
marriage to the King's son, OrdoZo
(later King OrdoZo III).
But González still strove for his
independence. He cause a great deal of discord in Leon by aiding Sancho against
his brother, OrdoZo III, and OrdoZo,
son of Alfonso IV, against Sancho the Fat.
951 – the death of King Ramiro II of Leon. González was forced to recognize OrdoZo
III as king.
?? – death of OrdoZo III of Leon. Brother Sancho became the new King. González allied himself with OrdoZo IV (son of OrdoZo III).
960 – González defeated by the Navarrese intervention and captured by Garcia III of Pamplona. He, however, made territorial concessions to be free again.
With the Kingdom of Leon weakened, González claimed that he was the legitimate heir of Castile.
?? – death of González. His son, García Fernandez, inherited Castile.
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