Once upon a time in the 10th century, there was a prince named Sancho. His father was the ruler of the Kingdom of Asturias and Leon, Ramiro II, ruthless to his enemies, but too soft-hearted with his offspring. Therefore, the child Sancho ate well and tasted good. By adulthood, the boy, who ate roasted deer 7 times a day and washed it down with wine, weighed 240kg. He could not walk, even sitting was difficult.

When Papa Ramiro died, Sancho's half-brother Ordoño became king. He was thinner and therefore quicker. Historians say that the prince tried to overthrow his brother, but did not succeed.

But 5 years later, Ordogno died under mysterious circumstances that were similar to poisoning. And Sancho I did become king! Only he had a falling out with his uncle, Count Fernán González of Castile. To take revenge and overthrow Sancho, the Count began to paint in colors to his subjects how fat, powerless and ugly the new king was.

‘He won't be able to have children and his lineage will be lost between the feasts,’ said the uncle.

The people began to mock the ruler, the army was not enthusiastic.... The king was called Sancho the Fat, and then he was overthrown. Not without the help of my uncle, of course. Our king ran away to his grandmother in Navarre.

His grandmother, Queen Toda of Navarre, advised his grandson to enlist the support of Caliph Abd al-Rahman III. The Caliph agreed to help the king reclaim the kingdom and sent him the best physician of the time.

In exchange for help, Sancho pledged to give the Caliph 10 fortresses.

The doctor put Sancho on a strict diet. Literally, his mouth was sewn shut, leaving only a small hole through which nutritious mashed potatoes and herbal tea were served. The king was also tied to the bed so he wouldn't escape and get full.

Once a day he was untied and made to jog around the garden. The jogging was shallow because the servants bound his legs, leaving him to move in very small steps. Every day he was given massages to keep his skin from sagging.

Eventually, in 40 days, Sancho lost 120 kilos. And from a fat man to a well-fed one.

It should be noted that in the history of medieval Spain the order of things was to fight against the Muslims, then unite with them, and then fight again.... So Sancho I didn't give the fortresses to Abd al-Rahman. And he took them by force. But that's another story.

Sancho didn't rule for long. Seven years later, he was poisoned by rebels. He played almost no role in Spanish history... but he was remembered for his amazing feat of weight loss.