other · Iberia

Lordship of Molina

1129 CE – 1293 CE (approx.) · capital Molina de Aragón

A semi-independent Castilian lordship on the borders of Aragon, ruled by the Lara family and governed by its own celebrated fuero.

Origins

Alfonso I of Aragon took Molina around 1129. It was soon granted to the Castilian noble Manrique Pérez de Lara, who held it under Castilian overlordship and in 1154 gave the town and its land a fuero, a charter of rights for settlers.

Rule and society

Molina was a frontier lordship of herders and settlers between Castile and Aragon, defended by its great castle. Its lords issued laws and raised troops with considerable autonomy. In the 13th century the heiress Mafalda married the infante Alfonso de Molina, brother of Ferdinand III, tying it closer to the Castilian royal family.

Decline and legacy

Blanca Alfonso de Molina died childless in 1293, and the lordship passed to her half-sister María de Molina, queen of Sancho IV, and thus to the Crown of Castile. Spanish kings still bear the title Lord of Molina.

Lineage

Taifa of Molina 1012 CE – 1100 CELordship of MolinaCrown of Castile 1230 CE – 1715 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Molina. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-molina
MLA
“Lordship of Molina.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-molina. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Molina.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-molina.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Molina’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-molina (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻