Stephanie Alfonso of Castile (1139/48 – 1 July 1180), also known as Stephanie the Unfortunate (Estefanía la Desdichada), was an illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII of León and Castile and Urraca Fernández de Castro, widow of Count Rodrigo Martínez

Rodrigo Martínez

Rodrigo Martínez was a Leonese nobleman, landowner, courtier, military leader, governor, and diplomat, "the most powerful lay figure in the region of the western Tierra de Campos," who "emerges as far and away the most regular visitor to the court of Alfonso VII between 1127 and 1138." He was a...

. She was married to Fernando Rodríguez de Castro

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro was a Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed the death of Sancho III of Castile and the succession of the infant Alfonso VIII...

, which earned her the soubriquet, "the Unfortunate".

Birth

Stephanie's date of birth must have occurred between 1139, when the relationship between Alfonso and her mother began, and 1148, the year in which Alfonso confers privileges in favor of Urraca and his daughter. Her paternal grandparents were Count Raymond of Burgundy

Raymond of Burgundy

Raymond of Burgundy was the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy, and was Count of Amous. He came to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time during the period 1086–1087 with Odo I, Duke of Burgundy...

 and Queen Urraca of León and Castile, while her maternal grandparents were Fernando Garcia and Urraca (who according to some historians was the illegitimate son of King Garcia II of Galicia, while others claim her parents were García Ordóñez and Countess Urraca Garcés). Stephanie had many half-siblings, her older illegitimate sister was Urraca

Urraca of Castile, Queen of Navarre

Urraca Alfonso of Castile-León , also known as Urraca the Asturian , was the regent of the Asturias from 1153 to 1164. She was an illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile and his mistress Guntroda Pérez...

, who became Queen consort of Navarre. Her legitimate half-siblings included: Sancho III of Castile

Sancho III of Castile

Sancho III was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. During the Reconquista, in which he took an active part, he founded the Order of Calatrava...

, Ferdinand II of León

Ferdinand II of Leon

Ferdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.-Life:Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received León and Galicia, while his brother Sancho received Castile and...

, Constance, Queen of France

Constance of Castile

Constance of Castile may refer to:* Constance of Castile, wife of Louis VII of France* Constance of Penafiel , wife of Alfonso XI of Castile and Peter I of Portugal* Infanta Constance of Castile, claimant to the throne of Castile...

, Sancha, Queen of Navarre

Sancha of Castile, Queen of Navarre

Sancha of Castile was daughter of Alfonso VII of León and Castile and his first wife Berenguela of Barcelona. She was a member of the Castilian House of Burgundy....

 and Sancha, Queen of Aragon

Marriage

In 1157, Stephanie's father died while returning from an expedition and was succeeded in Castile

Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...

 by his son Sancho III, and in León

Kingdom of León

The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...

 by Fernando.

It is unknown exactly when Stephanie married Fernando Rodríguez de Castro

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro was a Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed the death of Sancho III of Castile and the succession of the infant Alfonso VIII...

. According to some writers, it took place in 1168, while others report that they are married until 1174. Fernando, was master of the House of Castro

House of Castro

The House of Castro, is believed to have had its origins in Castile, the name deriving from the town of Castrogeriz , and had deep branches in Galicia.-Origins and Brief History:...

, in addition he was governor of Cuéllar

Cuéllar

Cuéllar is a large town and local government district in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It had a population of 9,841 in 2008....

, Dueñas

Dueñas, Palencia

Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain....

, Valladolid

Valladolid

Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...

, Toro

Toro, Zamora

Toro is a town and municipality in the province of Zamora, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid at an elevation of 740 meters....

 and Asturias

Asturias

The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...

 at different times. He had divorced his first wife, Constanza Osorio, daughter of Count Osorio Martinez

Osorio Martínez

Osorio Martínez was a magnate from the Province of León in the Empire of Alfonso VII. He served the emperor militarily throughout his long career, which peaked in 1138–41. Besides the documentary sources, which are somewhat meagre at times after his fall from royal favour, he is mentioned in two...

, the latter having been killed at the Battle of Lobregal

Battle of Lobregal

The Battle of Lobregal took place in March 1160 between the House of Lara and its allies and the forces of the House of Castro under Fernando Rodríguez de Castro...

.

Although her husband was a native of Castile, thus being dubbed "the Castilian", while in the kingdom of Castile, he was nicknamed "the Lion", he left the kingdom of Castile with his brothers, and achieved the rank of Major Butler from Stephanie's half-brother Fernando II of Leon, who granted him the hand of his sister. In 1170, two years after their marriage, Ferdinand II of León granted her possession of the Infantry of León.
She bore her husband two sons, among them Pedro Fernández de Castro

Pedro Fernández de Castro (twelfth century)

Pedro Fernández de Castro "Castilian" , was a Castilian nobleman, son of Fernando Rodríguez de Castro and Estefanía Alfonso la Desdichada ....

.

Death

On 1 July 1180, Stephanie was murdered by her husband, Fernando, who according to some sources listed, while others have left no record of the event, it is assumed that his wife had been unfaithful and murdered. When Fernando first heard about his wife's affair with an unknown man, he watched the lovers, he then later stabbed the man to death. Later, he entered the chambers of his wife and stabbed her to death. When Fernando realized what the situation had turned to, he begged for forgiveness from his brother-in-law, King Fernando. Even though Stephanie was his sister, King Fernando did not punish his brother-in-law for the murder.

Stephanie was buried in the basilica of San Isidoro

Basilica of San Isidoro

The Basilica of San Isidoro is a church in León, Spain, located on the site of an ancient Roman temple. Its Christian roots can be traced back to the early 10th century when a monastery for Saint John the Baptist was erected on the grounds....

de León. She left two young children.