Rahel la Fermosa facts for kids

Rahel la Fermosa (which means "Rachel the Beautiful" in Ladino) was a Jewish woman who lived in Toledo, Spain in the 1100s. Her original name was Rahel Esra. She was born around 1165 in Toledo and passed away there in 1195.

Rahel became a very close companion to King Alfonso VIII of Castile. The king was a Catholic Christian and was married to Eleanor of England. Rahel and the king were close for almost seven years.

Because of Rahel's influence, several Spanish Jews were given important jobs in the king's court. This made some powerful people, like the clergy (church leaders) and the nobility (rich families), unhappy. Sadly, Rahel and other Jewish people in the court were later killed. This happened even when the king was present.

Was Rahel's Story Real?

For a long time, many historians thought the story of Rahel la Fermosa was just a legend or a made-up tale. They believed it was not a true historical event.

However, a king named Sancho IV wrote about this story as if it were true around the year 1292. This was more than 100 years after Rahel was said to have lived.

Because the story wasn't written down in historical records until much later, experts today still discuss whether Rahel and her relationship with King Alfonso VIII truly happened as described.