In 1151 came the news that the King Alfonso VII of León and Castile wanted to make an alliance with the Kingdom of Germany through a wedding. Richeza, niece of King Conrad III, was the most attractive candidate available. Between October and December 1152 Richeza and King Alfonso VII were married. In Castile she was known as Queen Riquilda (Spanish: Reina Riquilda). Her first child, Infante Ferdinand of Castile, was born in the city of Toledo one year later, in 1153. Two years later, in 1155, Richeza gave birth to her second child, Infanta Sancha of Castile. King Alfonso VII died suddenly in the middle of the war against the Moors in Sierra Morena on 21 August 1157. Apparently, Infante Ferdinand died soon before his father.