Ferdinand IV of Castile

Ferdinand IV
Ferdinand IV in a miniature of the Compendio de crónicas de reyes, currently displayed in the Biblioteca Nacional de España.
King of Castile and León
Reign25 April 1295 – 7 September 1312
PredecessorSancho IV
SuccessorAlfonso XI
Born6 December 1285
Seville
Died7 September 1312(1312-09-07) (aged 26)
Jaén
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1302)
IssueEleanor, Queen of Aragon
Alfonso XI, King of Castile
HouseCastilian House of Ivrea
FatherSancho IV, King of Castile
MotherMaría de Molina

Ferdinand IV of Castile (6 December 1285 – 7 September 1312) called the Summoned (el Emplazado), was King of Castile and León from 1295 until his death.

Ferdinand's upbringing and personal custody was entered to his mother Queen María de Molina, however, he was tutored by his granduncle Henry of Castile the Senator. Queen María attempted to placate the nobility, confronted her son's enemies, and repeated prevented her son from being dethroned. He faced the insubordination of the nobility, led at numerous times by his uncle John of Castile, Lord of Valencia de Campos, and by Juan Núñez II de Lara, who were sometimes supported by another royal relative, Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena.

Like his predecessors on the throne, Ferdinand IV continued the Reconquista and, although he failed to conquer Algeciras in 1309, he captured the city of Gibraltar that same year. In 1312 the city of Alcaudete was also conquered. During the Cortes of Valladolid of 1312, he promoted the reform of the administration of justice, among other areas of administration. He attempted to strengthen the royal authority to the detriment of the nobility. He died in Jaén on 7 September 1312 aged 26, and his mortal remains are now in the Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Hippolytus.