His reign was temporary, troubled and controversial, but Sancho I of Leon deserves to be included in the national history books. And he deserves it for two compelling reasons that couldn’t be better said. First, if he was deposed in 958, it was not due to palace conspiracies and disagreements among the nobles. Or at least these weren’t the only reasons. The trigger was his exorbitant bellyHe had such a prominent belly that it earned him the nickname ‘El Gordo’ and caused his subjects to doubt whether he was the best fit for the throne. The latter can boast of having completed perhaps the most successful (and oldest) “miracle diet” in Spain.

We explain ourselves.

When I was a child in the 940s, there was little reason to think that Sancho might one day become an important character in the kingdom of Leon. His status as the third son of Ramiro II relegated him to a subordinate position behind his brothers Vermudo (died 944) and Ordoño. Although the crib was not good for him, his health was not good either: he was not a young man devoted to long journeys or exercise. Theirs were more the comforts of the palace, especially those served at fountains watered with oil.

From ‘Big’ Ramiro to ‘Fat’ Sancho

Miniature representing King Sancho I of Leon.

At the table, Infante Sancho did not back down. It is said that anthology feasts were held, consisting of seven, sometimes 17 meals a day, including game stew. Perhaps history has exaggerated and deformed his figure, but it has left at least a piece of information that would give us an idea of ​​how plump Sancho was and to what extent he developed morbid obesity: reportedly, already in adulthood. came to the stage to weigh in 240 kilos.

If his father was nicknamed “The Great” Ramiro – or “The Devil” as his enemies called him – and his predecessor Alfonso was nicknamed “The Monk”, Sancho was given a much less epic and much more descriptive nickname: “Crassus”.

Or directly ‘El Gordo’.

But it was one thing to enjoy lavish banquets, it was another to abdicate and consent to rule the region of Castile, the responsibility given to him in 944. After becoming Ordoño III, Sancho organized a rebellion between 954 and 955 to remove him from power. The trick paid off.

A bold attempt to overthrow him ended in resounding failure, but in a surprising turn of events for Sancho’s interests, Ordoño III soon died, thus granting him in 956 ascension to the crown of a kingdom that faced delicate moments due to tensions. internal affairs and Muslim raids.

His stomach didn’t work either. Weighing 240 kilos was bad, but combining that weight with the weight of a crown that required being embedded in armor was even worse. As Professor Margarita Torres recalls in an article for the Royal Academy of History (RAH), in the 10th century a king will combine certain qualities: good judgment, balance, determination… and the skills of a battle leader. It would have been very difficult for Sancho I to appear on a horse on the battlefield, as would fighting while swinging a sword, or even something as important as providing children for the crown.

Such a situation tarnished his image among the kingdom’s aristocracy and they eventually lost respect for him. This includes Sancho’s brother III. Add in the memory of his failed coup against Ordoño and the decisions he made once on the throne, such as those that led him to distance himself from his uncle, the influential Count Fernán González; The perfect cocktail for a fledgling ruler to fall from grace.

Helping the king lose weight

Just two years after his coronation at Compostela, ‘el Crassus’ lost his precious scepter, which was passed to the younger Ordoño Alfonso by siege in 958. Sancho managed to escape with his life and took refuge where he knew he would be safe: in Navarre, with his grandmother, Queen Toda, an old woman. more than 70 years.

The story of Sancho I could then have ended. Luckily, his grandmother was a wealthy woman, and he decided to seek help from the person who would least hesitate to conspire against a Christian ruler: Caliph III of Cordoba. location and resources. In his service was a famous doctor named Hasday ibn Shaprut, a talented, multilingual, cultured Jewish scholar who could help the king overcome his excess weight.

In return Alliance with Abd al-RahmanSupporters of Sancho I, joined by the Navarrese, agreed to cede the border fortresses. Shortly afterwards, in April 959, Ordoño IV, a.k.a. ‘el Malo’, was forced to flee and flee to Córdoba, although this was not a bad payment for an act that would allow him to return triumphantly to the capital of his kingdom. The second and final phase of Sancho I’s reign began and was to last until his death in 966.

The surprising thing is that – if we believe tradition – the Sancho who joyfully returned to Leon had little to do with the Sancho who had fled to take refuge in his grandmother’s castle some time before. In fact, the nickname ‘Crassus’ was too much for him. Reason? The strict “bikini operation” that Shaprut inflicted on herself in Córdoba before ascending to the throne.

The remedy was so effective that Sancho was said to have lost it. more than 100kg in a few weeks. But before you start following the wise Jew’s diet, you’d better take note of what you’ll need, according to historical popularizers interviewed by ABC: infusions, exercise, threads… and a needle and thread.

It is difficult to know how much of this part of Sancho I’s story is true and how much is exaggerated, but it is said that Shaprut’s mouth was sewn shut, leaving only an opening so he could use a straw. There are those who say that the king was bound hand and foot for most of this ordeal, preventing him from getting food. To complement this, steam baths and exercise sessions were performed. All to stop swallowing and burning fat.

It probably wasn’t the kind of weight loss therapy Sancho was thinking of, but at least it worked. According to the chronicles, he lost 120 kilos in 40 days. The situation in Leon did not allow him to undergo long-term treatment due to excess weight. Yet the balance is beyond striking: three kilos a day. Today, there are experts who question whether the king could lose that much weight in a month, despite the intense sweating his doctor subjected him to, no matter how strict his food ban was.

But its history continues. And the history of a king who saw how his throne amazing because of their excess weight.

Image | Wikipedia

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*An earlier version of this article was published in May 2023.