Originally Posted by
Jurand of Cracow
This sounds convincing, I'd go for it.
BTW - totius or totus?
I have checked twice already. All the material I dug out from my classnotes and internet research point to the name of the title as "Imperator Totius Hispaniae" in latin. Meaning literary on english "Emperor of all Spain", "Emperor of all the Spains" or "Emperor of all Hispania".
The official establishment of the title in the Iberian Peninsula, was by Alfonso VII of León (who ruled from 1126 until 1157) at his imperial coronation in 1135. The title had already been used since 970 as I pointed out on the previous post, but never on a hereditary basis or oficially cemented. When Alfonso VII succeded his mother Urraca of León, he inherited her imperial title of "Empress of all Spain" and also the title "Empress of Galicia" giving him two imperial crowns to cement his title as "Emperor of all Spain"; and the hereditary legality to officially add the titles to his power as King of León.
Here is a map of Alfonso's VII territories in late 1147 and his "Empire of León" as "Emperor of all Spain" (by this time also encompassing the title Emperor in Galicia):
- Note that both the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Portugal, at this specific time were both vassals of Alfonso's VII Kingdom of León. Giving him more the reason to claim and enforce his title as "Imperator Totius Hispaniae". Of course as we know, both Portugal and Navarre rejected or simply ignored the vassalage since both kingdoms had their own respective Kings enforcing their own authorities and they simply acknowledge León's suzerainty in name only.