5. Princess Urraca of Zamora was the only one of the King’s children to stand up to the tyrannical Prince Sancho, and she managed to hold onto her city against the odds
As he was dying, King Ferdinand I of Castile (in modern-day Spain) divided his kingdom up into five parts. He gave his five children one part each to rule over. The wise king expected – or perhaps just hoped – that the brothers and sisters would live in peace. However, he didn’t count on the greed of his eldest son, Sancho. Though he inherited the most important part of Castile, Sancho wanted it all. And he would have got it too, had it not been for his sister, Princess Urraca. She had been given the city of Zamora by King Ferdinand, and it was here where she made a courageous stand against her tyrannical big brother.
In the autumn of 1072, Sancho’s troops arrived at the outskirts of Zamora. What’s more, Sancho had teamed up with the legendary warrior El Cid. The pair decided to besiege the city. They felt that Princess Urraca, being a weak-willed woman, would soon cave in. However, she was far more cunning than they believed. She sent one of her own best men out to pretend to negotiate with Sancho. Then, when his guard was down, he assassinated him. With her brother duly dispatched, Urraca was left in peace. Another brother, Alfonso, had taken over as King of Castile – and he knew better than to pick a fight with his sister!