History Characters / ElCid2020ChristianKingdoms

* ManlyFacialHair: As seems to be the general style in Medieval Spain, it's common for men to be bearded. Several characters in León combine it with BadassLonghair.

* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}} and {{Wrath}} remain constant flaws of his, [[spoiler: and are major driving factors in making him [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jump off the slippery slope]] during Season 2]].

* HotBlooded: He tends to be governed more by his emotions, in particular his [[{{Wrath}} anger]], than by his reason. It’s part of what makes him a fearless WarriorPrince, but also leads to him lashing out at anyone he believes has slighted or betrayed him, including Ruy.

* SiblingYinYang: He and Alfonso are polar opposites: Sancho is a HotBlooded WarriorPrince, who sometimes [[DidntThinkThisThrough doesn’t think things through]] and can be controlled by his {{Pride}} and {{Wrath}}. Sancho and Urraca also seem to outright ''hate'' each other, mostly for being TooMuchAlike. Alfonso, on the other hand, is a statesman, careful in his actions, and has visible moments of being a ReasonableAuthorityFigure while also willing to dirty his hands with {{Realpolitik}}. Alfonso and Urraca arguably [[BrotherSisterIncest love each other]] ''[[BrotherSisterIncest too]]'' [[BrotherSisterIncest much]].

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He’s a FrontlineGeneral and a WarriorPrince, and of all the monarchs thus far featured, he’s the most willing to throw himself into battle and is more than able to hold his own in combat.

* ADayInTheLimelight: He receives far more focus and CharacterDevelopment in Season 2 than he did in Season 1.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Attempted in Season 2, and to his credit, he does surprisingly well. [[spoiler: He manages to briefly capture the Standard of Castile, unhorses Sancho, and even gives his brother a prominent scar on the cheek with a dagger while grappling with him. It’s telling that as soon as he’s captured, the Castilians are quickly able to gain victory, implying that the Galician's fierceness in battle was inspired in large part by his own efforts]].

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [[PlayingWithTropes Played with]]. [[spoiler: When Castile invades Galicia, he fights on the front lines and can dispatch unnamed {{Mooks}} easily enough, but he’s beaten by both Velarde and Orotz in straight-up fights, only killing Velarde by slashing him in the back when he’s distracted]].

* AnAxeToGrind: Has a large and scary-looking one which she uses in battle.

* AnAxeToGrind: Wields one along with a sword against Ruy during their CombatByChampion.

A daughter of Ælfgar, the Saxon Earl of Mercia and East Anglia, Oiubreda is wedded to Sancho in an arranged marriage meant to reinforce Sancho's legitimacy as king and forge alliances with other European noble houses. Named "Alberta" due to the her name being borderline-unpronounceable for the people of Castile. Her mannerisms are often seen as odd by those around her, yet she soon proves to be a formidable companion to Sancho and an even-more formidable warrior on the battlefield.

Third-born son of Fernando and Sancha, and youngest of Fernando’s children. Despite his status and privilege, it’s clear that he still has a lot to learn, and a long way to go before he can measure up to his brothers. He starts the show as the youngest male ''Infante'' of the Kingdom of León [[spoiler: before being declared King of Galicia upon Fernando's death, a test which nothing in his life has prepared him for]].

* HotBlooded: He tends to be governed more by his emotions, in particular his [[{{Wrath}} anger]], than by his reason. It’s part of what makes him a fearless WarriorPrince, but also leads to him lashing out at anyone he believes have slighted or betrayed him, including Ruy.

** After the Battle of Graus, [[spoiler: he personally goes to pay his respects to Trifón’s widow, speaking highly of her husband and giving her a gift of coin, then accepting two of her children into his service as pages. However, this is not a fully straight example as he refuses to accept a third child despite the woman’s evident desperation, only saying that a third child would be too much]].

** The finale of Season 2 [[PlayingWithTropes plays around with these moments]]: [[spoiler: He promises to reward Ruy with the lands and title that belonged to Orduño… after he’s executed Orduño. Ruy’s intervention means that Sancho takes him on as a vassal instead]].
** [[spoiler: Later, despite being prepared to execute his brother Alfonso, he relents and allows him to take a Friar’s vows… But then he learns the whole ceremony was a sham and that Alfonso escaped with Urraca’s help. This drives him to definitively JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and adopting a RevengeBeforeReason mentality]].

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Season 2, it’s said that Latin was never his forte. However, in Season 1 Sancho was able to flawlessly recite the Lord’s Prayer in Latin while fighting at the Battle of Graus. [[spoiler: In fact, his inability to understand the language is one of the key elements that allows Urraca and Bernardo’s plan to free Alfonso to succeed, as Sancho doesn’t catch that Bernardo is actually reading a random Roman author to Alfonso instead of a friar's vows which renders the whole ceremony null and void]]. [[labelnote:note]] That being said, it’s not unheard of for people to memorize passages or sayings in a language that they otherwise cannot speak, which could make this a JustifiedTrope.[[/labelnote]]

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Season 2, it’s said that Latin was never his forte. However, in Season 1 Sancho was able to flawlessly recite the Lord’s Prayer in Latin while fighting at the Battle of Graus. [[spoiler: In fact, his inability to understand the language is one of the key elements that allows Urraca and Bernardo’s plan to free Alfonso to succeed, as Sancho doesn’t catch that Bernardo is actually reading a meaningless biblical passage to Alfonso instead of a friar's vows which renders the whole ceremony null and void]]. [[labelnote:note]] That being said, it’s not unheard of for people to memorize passages or sayings in a language that they otherwise cannot speak, which could make this a JustifiedTrope.[[/labelnote]]

First-born son of Fernando and Sancha and Ruy’s master. Young, fiery Sancho has had a lot of expectations placed upon him all his life, both by his father and by the kingdom, and is driven to not only match them, but exceed them. He starts the show as the eldest male ''Infante'' of the Kingdom of León before being declared King of Castile [[spoiler: upon Fernando's death. His resentment at not being awarded the larger and more important Kingdom of León is what ultimately ends up driving most of Season 2's plot]].

First-born son of Fernando and Sancha and Ruy’s master. Young, fiery Sancho has had a lot of expectations placed upon him all his life, both by his father and by the kingdom, and is driven to not only match them, but exceed them. He starts the show as the eldest male ''Infante'' of the Kingdom of León [[spoiler: before being declared King of Castile upon Fernando's death. His resentment at not being awarded the larger and more important Kingdom of León is what ultimately ends up driving most of Season 2's plot]].

* CharacterDevelopment: In Season 2. [[spoiler: He starts off an inexperienced ruler whose impulsive decisions result in him alienating, and then being bullied by, the members of his own nobility, as well as being subtly tormented by his attraction to Nuño. After Nuño’s death, he crosses the DespairEventHorizon and winds up [[TookALevelInBadass taking a surprising level in Badass]]. Afterwards, he’s much more forceful and assertive in his dealings with his brothers than he previously was, particularly with Alfonso]].

* InadequateInheritor: [[spoiler: He proves to be this to Fernando when he becomes King of Galicia. The first thing he does is impulsively name Nuño – whom he’s in love with – his ''Privado'', going back on an agreement Fernando had made with the Galician nobility and angering them. The rest of his reign is spent being unable to control, or being bullied by, those same noblemen. He starts to regain a measure of control and respect when he leads his army against Sancho, but it doesn’t last long]].

* SpareToTheThrone: The youngest of Fernando’s children, and the least likely to inherit royal power in Season 1. [[spoiler: At least until Fernando names him King of Galicia before dying]].

* TokenGoodTeammate: At least, when compared to his brothers. [[spoiler: Sancho’s HotBlooded aggressiveness eventually leads him to become a GeneralRipper as he goes down the path of {{Revenge}}, eventually JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope. Alfonso, while ALighterShadeOfGrey, shows signs of becoming a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] and [[TheChessmaster Machiavellian]] monarch. By contrast, García remains more a victim of his family’s squabbles than anything, despite his desire to rule]].

* UnexpectedSuccessor: [[spoiler: After Fernando’s death, he becomes King of Galicia, which is especially surprising to him since, as the youngest of Fernando’s children, his chances of inheriting any royal authority were low. [[InadequateInheritor This turns out to not necessarily be a good thing]]]].

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Courtesy of Sádaba, who hurls a javelin into his eye at Graus, killing him. We even get a [[{{Gorn}} prominent shot of the bloody wound as he lays dying]]. The historical Ramiro reputedly died this way as well, though in that case he was killed by a dagger, not a javelin]].

* DemotedToExtra: After playing the OutsideContextVillain in Season 1, they are reduced to a single mention in Season 2 (Joseph saying that Ruy's punishing campaign will cost them more a decade of Aragonese raids). Historically, they allied with Navarre against Castile in the War of the Three Sanchos (1065-1067), and Zaragoza halting tribute in 1065 was possibly motivated by their unassisted victory over the Aragonese at Barbastro in the same year.

The [[ProudWarriorRace militant]] and [[WeAreStrugglingTogether ever-divided]] Christian Kingdoms of Spain have been forming gradually over the years since the fall of the Visigothic Kingdom in the early 8th century CE. Though now primarily dominated by the Kingdom of León, other powerful kingdoms have formed on the peninsula, notably Aragon and Navarre. While one would think they'd be united in purpose against the Mooirsh ''Taifas'', they're consistently more likely to war with each other than against the Muslim city-states of Spain. Come Season 2, the kingdoms are further expanded by the formation of Castile and Galicia [[spoiler: after the death of Fernando I of León and the subsequent division of the kingdom amongst his three sons]].

* DemotedToExtra: After playing the OutsideContextVillain in Season 1, they are reduced to a single mention in Season 2 (Yusuf saying that Ruy's punishing campaign will cost them more than decades of Aragonese raids). Historically, they allied with Navarre against Castile in the War of the Three Sanchos (1065-1067), and Zaragoza halting tribute in 1065 was possibly motivated by their unassisted victory over the Aragonese at Barbastro in the same year.

* DemotedToExtra: After playing the OutsideContextVillain in Season 1, they are reduced to a single mention in Season 2 (Yusuf saying that Ruy's punishing campaign will cost them more than decades of Aragonese raids). Historically, they allied with Navarre against Castile in the War of the Three Sanchos (1065-1067), and Zaragoza halting tribute in 1065 was possibly motivated by their victory over the Aragonese at Barbastro in the same year.

* BaldOfEvil: And a BeardOfEvil to go with it.

* CompositeCharacter: Personifies the unruly Galician noble class, taking his name from Nuno Mendes and his main actions from Froila Arias ([[spoiler:(allegedly) murdering García's main ally in Galicia and paying homage to Alfonso despite Sancho being named King).

* CompositeCharacter: Personifies the unruly Galician noble class, taking his name from Nuno Mendes and most of his actions from Froila Arias.

[[caption-width-right:264:''"'''[[YouNoTakeCandle Me]]''' [[YouNoTakeCandle with]] '''[[YouNoTakeCandle you]]''', [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage Sancho.]]"'']]]]
Daughter of an Anglo-Saxon nobleman from Mercia, Oiubreda is wedded to Sancho in an arranged marriage meant to reinforce Sancho's legitimacy as king and forge alliances with other European noble houses. Named "Alberta" due to the her name being borderline-unpronounceably for the people of Castile. Her mannerisms are often seen as odd by those around her, yet she soon proves to be a formidable companion to Sancho and an even-more formidable warrior on the battlefield.

* CharacterDevelopment: In Season 2. [[spoiler: He transitions from an inexperienced ruler whose impulsive decisions result in him alienating, and then being bullied by, the members of his own nobility, as well as being subtly tormented by his attraction to Nuño. After Nuño’s death, he crosses the DespairEventHorizon and winds up [[TookALevelInBadass taking a surprising level in Badass]]. Afterwards, he’s much more forceful and assertive in his dealings with his brothers than he was previously, particularly Alfonso]].

* TwoFacedAside: To his son, as they leave León at the end of the first episode, after he'd pledged peace between his kingdom and Fernando's:
-->'''Ramiro:''' "Now is not the time for peace. Now is the time to strike."

* ManlyFacialHair: As seems to be the general style in Medieval Spain, it's common for men to be bearded.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: They're the inheritors of the fallen Visigothic kingdom and, as staunch Christians, ostensibly opposed to the Muslim ''Taifas'' of Spain. Yet despite this, and all the talk of uniting in a holy war against the Moors, the Christian Kingdoms are often just as likely to go to war with each other, if not ''more'' likely. It's even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by King Fernando of León in Season 1. [[spoiler: It's especially prevalent in Season 2, as Castile, León and Galicia go to war with one another with the Moorish city-states only being considered insofar as they can help or hinder their war efforts]].