Rahel la Fermosa
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Rahel la Fermosa (Ladino for "Rachel the Beautiful"; originally Rahel Esra; c. 1165, Toledo – 1195, Toledo) was a Jewish woman who lived in Toledo, Spain in the twelfth century. She was the paramour of King Alfonso VIII of Castile, a Catholic Christian and husband of Eleanor of England, for almost seven years. Under her influence, a number of Spanish Jews were appointed to positions within the royal court. This led to discontent among the clergy and nobility. Rahel received the death penalty, together with her fellow Jews in the court, in the presence of the king himself.