In 1065, Ferdinand I of León died. He had managed to unify the kingdom of León and the increasingly powerful county of Castile under his power. However, at the end of his life he made a decision that plunged his kingdom into a terrible civil war: he divided his kingdom among his children. The most favoured, naturally, were the new king of León, Alfonso VI, and Sancho II, considered the first king of Castile, and both wanted what the rest of their brothers and sisters had.
Sometime between Christmas 1071 and 12 January 1072, the armies of both kings clashed at Golpejera, between the villages of Villarmentero de Campos and Lomas, and the battle proved to be decisive.
Alfonso VI had the support of Pedro Ansúrez, Count of Saldaña and future founder of Valladolid. On his side, Sancho II had one of history’s most legendary warriors: Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, who played a key role in the battle.
At first, victory seemed to be on the side of León. Sancho’s troops retreated, leaving their camp in the hands of the enemy. However, the Castilian did not give up. Before dawn, he launched a surprise attack on his brother’s unsuspecting troops, achieving a total victory.
Alfonso VI fled to Carrión de los Condes, but was captured there and taken to Burgos. With this victory, Sancho II became king of León, Castile and Galicia, unifying the territory under his crown.
However, his reign was brief. In October that year, while besieging Zamora, a city governed by his sister Urraca, Sancho was assassinated. This episode gave rise to the famous Oath of Santa Gadea, in which, according to legend, El Cid demanded that Alfonso VI swear that he had not participated in the death of his brother.
But that, as they say, is another story.
