Ferdinand+III

=Ferdinand III=

Ferdinand III, also known as Ferdinand the Saint, was the king of two regions of Iberia, Castile and Leon. He was born on August 5, 1199 and died in May 30, 1252. His father was Alfonso IX of Leon, and his grandfather was Alfonso VIII, King of Castile and Toledo.

Most of St. Ferdinand's reign was spent fighting the Moors and pushing them out of Iberia, a mission started by his grandfather. Ferdinand fought many battles against the Moors. He also tried negotiating and taking advantage of some internal fighting in the Moorish kingdoms. His tactics helped him expand Castilian control all the was south into Andalusia. He captured Ubeda, Cordoba, Jaen, Seville, and Murcia in the course of about fifteen years, controlling all of southern Iberia except Granada. The Moorish King of Granada knew Ferdinand was a power to be reckoned with, so even though Granada had not been captured, he declared Granada a tributary state to Ferdinand.

Upon his death bed, Ferdinand told his son, Alfonso X, "you are rich in lands and in many good vassals — more so than any other king in Christendom," referring to the reconquest of Iberia from the Moors. Ferdinand was entombed in the Cathedral of Seville and made a saint in 1671 by Pope Clement X. As Spain expanded its empire during the Age of Discovery, several cities were named San Fernando in his honor.