Ordoño III of León

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Ordoño III (c.926 – Zamora, 956) was the king of León from 951 to 956, son and successor of Ramiro II (931-951). He confronted Navarre and Castile, who supported his stepbrother Sancho the Fat, who disputed Ordoño's claim to the throne.

This was not the only problem of his reign, however, he had to deal with internal rebellion, attacks from the Muslims of al-Andalus, and the rebellion of Galicia. In response to the Muslims, Ordoño III sent troops as far as Lisbon (955). Before this great show of force, the Muslims had nothing to do but ask for peace. Negotiations ended with a treaty between the king of León and the caliph of Córdoba Abd al-Rahman III (912-961).

He tried to continue the actions of his father in fortifying the land and the royal authority in the face of the contumacious and secesional Count Fernán González. He even married Fernán's daughter Urraca and later repudiated her over her father's alliance with Sancho.

Urraca bore him at least two children: a son named Ordoño who died young and a daughter named Theresa who became a nun. Ordoño III was also father of Bermudo II, but opinion is divided as to whether he was son of Urraca, or of a mistress, one of the daughters of Count Pelayo Gonzalez.