Alfonso of Molina

Alfonso of Leon, Lord of Molina (1203 – 1272) was the second son of King Alfonso IX of Leon and Berenguela of Castile, and a younger brother of King Ferdinand III of Castile.

In 1240 he gained control of Molina by marrying Mafalda Manrique de Lara, the heiress of Molina. They had a son, Fernando, who died young, and a daughter and heiress, Blanca of Molina.

After Mafalda's death in 1242, Alfonso married Teresa Gonzalez de Lara, who gave him another daughter, Juana. Teresa died in 1246, and Alfonso married for a third time to Mayor Alonso de Meneses. Alfonso and Major had two children: Alfonso, lord of Meneses, and Maria of Molina, who married King Sancho IV of Castile.

Aside from his legitimate children by his three wives, Alfonso also had a number of illegitimate children, including Juan, Bishop of Palencia, and Berenguela, a mistress of King James I of Aragon.

ources

*Shadis, Miriam. "Berenguela of Castile's Political Motherhood", 1996