The medieval relations between the kingdom of Castile and the House of Hohenstaufen were established by three matrimonial alliances in the 13th century. Nevertheless, only the third marriage between Ferdinand III of Castile and Beatrix of Swabia in 1219 intensified the relations between the two crowns. Furthermore, it gave rise to amity between the King of Castile and the emperor Frederick II. The following study analyzes the motives that had lead to the marriage of 1219. Contrasting the motives as presented by sources written in the 30s of the 13th century with the political context in which the marriage took place exposes that both the Castilian and the German crown pursued this marriage for tactical reasons. It is also possible to show t...