Imperator totius Hispaniae facts for kids
The Latin phrase Imperator totius Hispaniae means "Emperor of All Spain." In the Middle Ages, kings in Spain sometimes used the title "emperor." This title came from the Latin word imperator. It was used in different ways from the 800s onwards. However, it was most commonly used as a formal title between 1086 and 1157.
Mainly, the kings of León and Castile used this title. But it was also seen in the Kingdom of Navarre and by some counts of Castile. Even a duke of Galicia used it once. The title showed that the king was as powerful as rulers of the Byzantine Empire and Holy Roman Empire. It also meant they had conquered lands or were militarily stronger. It could also mean they ruled over different groups of people, both Christian and Muslim. However, this imperial title was not widely recognized outside of Spain. By the 1200s, people had mostly forgotten about it.
The female version, "empress" (Latin imperatrix), was used less often. It was usually for the wives of emperors. Only one queen who ruled on her own, Urraca, sometimes used this title. But she did so only a few times.
Contents
History of the Imperial Title
Early Kings of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was an early kingdom in Spain. It was a predecessor to the Kingdom of León. One of the first times it was called an "empire" (imperium) was in a chronicle from 881. This text said that King Silo (774–83) "brought the people of Galicia under his imperial rule." This meant the Asturian king ruled over several groups, like Asturians, Galicians, and Basques.
Kings of León and Castile
Alfonso III
Some old documents from the time of Alfonso III of Asturias call him emperor. However, these documents were likely created later, in the early 1100s. They were made to help a church in a land dispute. One document from 866 or 867 says Alfonso signed as "I, Alfonso, of all Spain emperor." Another simply calls him "Alfonso, Emperor of Spain."
There is also a letter from 906, supposedly from Alfonso III. In it, he wanted to buy an "imperial crown made of gold and precious stones." This crown would fit his royal status. In this letter, he used a grand title: "Alfonso by the power and assent of Christ king of Spain."
Even after his death, some genuine documents referred to Alfonso as emperor. A document from 917 calls his son Ordoño II of León "Ordoño, son of the Emperor Alfonso the Great."
Kings in the 900s
In 922, Ordoño II of León was the first Leonese king to call himself emperor in a recorded document. He wrote, "I, the most serene emperor Ordoño." His successor, Ramiro II (931–51), did not use the title himself. However, his subjects and later documents did. Private papers from his reign often called him the "great king."
Ordoño III, Ramiro's son, was also called "most lordly emperor" in a charter from 954. During the reign of Ramiro III of León, he was sometimes called basileus. This was a Greek word for "king" used by the Byzantine Emperors. In Western Europe, it sounded like an imperial title.
Kings in the 1000s
In the early 1000s, a Catalan abbot named Oliba called the kings of León, Alfonso V and Bermudo III, imperatores (emperors). A document from 1036 listed the rulers in Spain. It named "Emperor Bermudo in León" alongside other kings.
The imperial title also appeared in the "Genealogies of Roda," a text from the late 900s. It called Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona (905–25) "excellent emperor Sancho Garcés." This text might have taken the idea from Arabic titles, like "Caliph."
In 1034, Sancho III of Pamplona, known as "the Great," conquered the city of León. Sancho never officially called himself "emperor" in his own documents. However, he sometimes used imperial-sounding words. For example, in 1032, he was described as "overlording... in León... ruling (inperante) by the grace of God."
Later, in the 1100s and 1200s, scribes started calling Sancho rex Hispaniarum. This means "King of the Spains." This title showed his power over all the lands in Iberia.
Counts of Castile
The last Counts of Castile, who were technically under the Leonese kings, also used the imperial title. In 974, Count García Fernández called himself "I, García Fernández, by the grace of God count and emperor of Castile."
Rulers of León and Castile
Ferdinand I
After his brother's death in 1054, Ferdinand I of León and Castile became very powerful among Christian kings in Iberia. His half-brother, Ramiro I of Aragon, was the first to call him "emperor." In 1036, Ramiro referred to Ferdinand as "emperor in Castile and in León and in Astorga."
Ferdinand is sometimes said to have been crowned "Emperor of Spain" in 1056. This is based on a document where he used the imperial style. It said: "under the rule of the emperor King Ferdinand and the empress Queen Sancha ruling the kingdom in León and in Galicia as well as in Castile."
After Ferdinand's death in 1065, his children called him "emperor." His son Alfonso VI referred to himself as "offspring of the Emperor Ferdinand."
Alfonso VI
Alfonso VI of León and Castile was the first Spanish ruler to regularly call himself "emperor." Before 1079, he also used titles like "King of Spain" or "King of all Spain."
His first use of the imperial title was in a document from 1075. He was called simply imperator. The timing suggests he might have used it to show his power. This was possibly a response to Pope Gregory VII's claims of authority over the Iberian peninsula.
Starting in 1077, Alfonso regularly used the title ego Adefonsus imperator totius Hispaniae ("I, Alfonso, emperor of all Spain"). His most detailed imperial title was "I, Alfonso, emperor of all Castile and of Toledo also and of Nájera, or Álava."
Alfonso believed his conquest of Toledo in 1085/6 gave him power over other kingdoms. After this, he sometimes called himself "I, Alfonso, constituted above all the Spains emperor." He also linked his rule of Toledo to his imperial title. For example, he said, "I, Alfonso, magnificent conqueror of the empire of Toledo."
Alfonso's imperial title was recognized outside his kingdom. The ruler of Aragon and Pamplona, Sanchor Ramírez, called Alfonso VI "the lord emperor Alfonso." He even listed Alfonso before himself in documents, showing respect for Alfonso's higher rank.
Alfonso was also the first Spanish king to use the word imperium to mean a territory ruled by an emperor. Before him, it just meant power.
Urraca
After her father, Alfonso VI, died, Urraca of León and Castile became queen. She sometimes used the title "Empress of all Galicia" in 1108. Her husband, Duke Raymond of Galicia, had called himself "Emperor of Galicia."
Urraca used the title "empress" (imperatrix) a few times in 1112. This might have been to balance the power of her husband, Alfonso the Battler, who was also very powerful. She also used the title "Empress of all Spain" in 1114. However, she used the title "Queen of Spain" more often. Perhaps "empress" felt too masculine for a female ruler.
Alfonso VII
Alfonso VII of León and Castile, Urraca's son, used the imperial title often after 1127. In 1135, he was crowned emperor in León. He was the only Spanish imperator to have a special coronation as emperor. He was also the last Spanish king to consistently use the imperial title.
Alfonso VII used the title "emperor" even before his mother's death. The chronicle of his reign, the Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris, calls him "king" before 1135 and "emperor" after. He was sometimes called "triumphant and ever undefeated."
His coronation in 1135 was seen as a sign of his power over his neighbors. The chronicle states that kings and counts from Navarre, Barcelona, Gascony, and France were "obedient to him."
Unlike the Holy Roman Emperors, Alfonso VII was not anointed before his imperial coronation. However, he was anointed for his royal coronation. Some sources suggest wider European recognition of his imperial status. For example, a chronicle from 1159 mentions the "emperor of Galicia" (Alfonso VII) alongside the Holy Roman Emperor and the Byzantine Emperor.
Alfonso VII's common title from 1136 onwards was "Emperor Alfonso." He would list the regions he ruled, such as "Toledo, León, Zaragoza, Nájera, Castile, and Galicia." He also mentioned Muslim territories he had conquered, like Córdoba and Almería.
Alfonso VII's coronation was made to seem like a spontaneous event, similar to Charlemagne's coronation in 800. People compared Alfonso to "another Julius Caesar, a second Charlemagne" because of his successful campaigns against the Moors.
Later Middle Ages
In the 1300s, Alfonso XI of Castile used the title "by the grace of God, Emperor of Spain" in a document from 1337.
Later in the Middle Ages, there was a belief in a "Last World Emperor." This emperor would eventually give his power directly to God in Jerusalem. In Spain, this belief mixed with other prophecies. It led to the idea of a future Spanish emperor, sometimes called "the Hidden One" or "the New David." People thought each new Spanish king might be this hidden emperor. This emperor would defeat the Antichrist and conquer Muslim lands. These hopes were very strong during the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon between 1480 and 1513.
Table of Emperors
| Image | Emperor | Recorded title or description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Alfonso III of León (866–910) |
Hispaniae imperator (emperor of Spain) imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all Spain) magnus imperator (great emperor) |
later documents; posthumous royal charter |
| Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona (905–925) |
optime imperator (excellent emperor) | Códice de Roda (late-10th century) | |
 |
Ordoño II of León (910–924) |
serenissimus imperator (most serene emperor) imperator Legionensis (Leonese Emperor) |
contemporary royal charter Códice de Roda (late-10th century) |
 |
Ramiro II of León (931–951) |
imperator (emperor) | posthumous royal charters |
 |
Ordoño III of León (951–956) |
dominissimus imperator (most lordly emperor) | contemporary royal charter |
 |
Ramiro III of León (966–984) |
dominissimus imperator (most lordly emperor) Basileus (king/emperor) |
contemporary royal charters |
 |
Fernán González of Castile (923–970) |
imperator terrae (emperor of the land) | contemporary private charter |
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García Fernández of Castile (970–995) |
imperator Castelle (emperor of Castile) | contemporary charter |
 |
Alfonso V of León (999–1025) |
imperator (emperor) | correspondence of Abbot Oliva |
 |
Sancho Garcés III of Pamplona (1004–1035) |
imperator in Castella (emperor in Castile) | later forgery |
 |
Bermudo III of León (1027–1037) |
imperator in Leione or in Gallecia (emperor in León or Galicia) | contemporary charters, correspondence of Abbot Oliva |
 |
Ferdinand I of León and Castile (1035–1065) |
imperator magnus (great emperor) | charter of his daughters' |
| García II of Galicia and Portugal (1065–1072) |
bonus imperator (good emperor) | Historia silense | |
 |
Alfonso VI of León and Castile (1065–1109) |
imperator totius Hispaniae (emperor of all Spain) al-Imbraţūr dhī-l-Millatayn (emperor of the two religions) |
contemporary charters and correspondence |
 |
Raymond of Galicia (1092–1107) |
Gallecie imperator (emperor of Galicia) | contemporary charter |
 |
Urraca of León and Castile (1109–1126) |
tocius Gallecie imperatrix (empress of all Galicia) totius hispaniae imperatrix (empress of all Spain) |
contemporary charters |
 |
Alfonso I of Aragon and Pamplona (1104–1134) |
imperator in Castella, Gallicia (emperor in Castile, Galicia) | contemporary charters |
 |
Alfonso VII of León and Castile (1126–1157) |
imperator (emperor) | Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris |
See also
In Spanish: Imperator totius Hispaniae para niños
