Avançar para o conteúdo principal

Maria of Aragon

Maria of Aragon was born on 29 June 1482, in Córdoba. She was the third surviving daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. She had three older siblings (Isabella, John and Joanna) and a younger sister (Catherine).

As an Infanta of Spain, her hand in marriage was very important in European politics. Her parents entertained the idea of marrying her off to King James IV of Scotland (this happened at the same time when her younger sister Catherine's marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales, was being planned). Ferdinand and Isabella thought that if Maria was Queen of Scotland, then the two sisters could keep the peace between their husbands. These plans, however, came to nothing.
Her elder sister Isabella, Princess of Asturias, was the first wife of King Manuel I of Portugal, but her death in 1498 created a necessity for Manuel to remarry. Maria was set to become the next bride of the Portuguese King, reaffirming the dynastic links with the Spanish royal houses.

Manuel and Maria were married on 30 October 1500, in Alcácer do Sal, and she was granted Viseu and Torres Vedras as her dower. She had 10 children, eight of whom reached adulthood: King João III; Isabella, Holy Roman Empress; Beatrice, Duchess of Savoy; Luís, Duke of Beja; Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda; Afonso; King Henrique; and Duarte, Duke of Guimarães.

Queen Maria became known as a fervent Catholic. She supported King Manuel's religious-imperial project, including the plan to conquer the Mamluk's realm, destroy Mecca and Medina, and reconquer Christian holy places such as Jerusalem. Maria also co-founded the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon.

Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, died on 7 March 1517, aged 34, as a result of her last pregnancy. The baby, António, died as well. She is buried at the Jerónimos Monastery.

Maria of Aragon
Henrique Ferreira
1720


Comentários

Mensagens populares deste blogue

Catherine Parr

Catherine was born in the year of 1512, probably in August. She was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green. She had a younger brother, William, and a younger sister, Anne. Sir Thomas was a close companion to King Henry VIII, and Maud was a close friend and attendant of Queen Catherine of Aragon . The Queen was Catherine's godmother and she was probably named after her. Catherine's father died when she was young, and she grew up close to her mother. She received a standard education for women at the time, but developed a passion for learning throughout her life. She spoke fluent French, Latin, and Italian, and began learning Spanish when she became Queen. H er first marriage happened in 1529, when she was 17. She married Sir Edward Burgh, becoming known as Lady Burgh. Sir Edward was in his twenties, but his health may have not been the best. He died in 1533 and Catherine was widowed for the first time. Catherine's second marriage happened in ...

Elizabeth of Aragon

Elizabeth of Aragon (Portuguese: Isabel) was born on 1271 in Zaragoza, Kingdom of Aragon. She was the daughter of Infante Peter of Aragon (later King Peter III) and his wife, Constance of Sicily. She showed early enthusiasm for her faith and religious fervour was common in her family (her great-aunt Elizabeth of Hungary was a saint!). She said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and attended choral masses twice a day. In 1281, when Elizabeth was 10, a marriage was arranged for her; the chosen husband was King Dinis of Portugal . However, the wedding was not celebrated until 1288, when Elizabeth was 17 and Dinis 26. The now Queen of Portugal quietly pursued the religious practices of her youth and was devoted to the sick and the poor. Elizabeth had an active interest in Portuguese politics and was conciliator in the negotiations concerning the Treaty of Alcañices, signed by her husband and King Sancho IV of Castile in 1297. Dinis and Elizabeth would have two children: Cons...

Mihrimah Sultan

Mihrimah was born in Istanbul in 1522; she was the daughter of Sultan Süleyman I (aka The Magnificent) and his concubine, Hürrem Sultan . Her mother was freed in 1533 or 1534 and became the Sultan’s legal wife. On 26 November 1539, Mihrimah, aged 17, married Rüstem Pasha, who later rose to become her father’s Grand Vizier. Though this union was unhappy, Mihrimah flourished as a patroness of the arts and continued her travels with her father until her husband’s death. Mihrimah had two children: Osman and Hümaşah. Mihrimah travelled the Ottoman Empire with her father as he surveyed the lands and conquered new ones. In international politics, her mother sent letters to the Sigismund II, King of Poland, and the contents of these letters were mirrored in the letters Mihrimah sent. Although there is no proof of Hürrem and Mihrimah’s direct involvement in her half-brother Mustafa’s downfall, Ottoman sources and foreign accounts indicate that it was widely believed they worke...