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Maria of Portugal, Queen of Castile

Maria (aka The Most Beautiful Maria) was born on 9 February 1313; she was the first daughter of King Afonso IV of Portugal and his wife, Beatrice of Castile.


In 1328, Maria married King Alfonso XI of Castile. Their relationship was unhappy: from 1327, Alfonso had a mistress, Leonor de Guzmán, who gave him ten children, including the future King Henry II of Castile. Maria did not participate in the affairs of the court, being relegated by the mistress Leonor and it is quite likely that she spent long periods secluded at the Royal Monastery of San Clemente in Seville. Maria and Alfonso had two sons: Fernando (died aged 1) and Peter (who succeeded his father as King of Castile).

In 1335, Maria returned to her father, who had demanded that Alfonso separated from Leonor by use of alliances with the Pope, the Muslims and rebels in Castile, and finally by an invasion. In July 1340, in the peace treaty of Seville, Alfonso agreed to have Leonor imprisoned in a convent, thereby securing the support of the King of Portugal in the Battle of Río Salado (30 October 1340). However, once the conflict was resolved, Alfonso returned to Leonor and did not fulfil the promise he had made to the Portuguese monarch.

At the death of her husband on 26 March 1350, Maria secured a power position by exerting influence upon the leader of her son’s council, João Afonso de Albuquerque. She participated in the rebellion against her son in 1354 and after that, returned to Portugal.

In her will, Maria stated that she would be buried at the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Seville, where her husband had been buried and that, if his remains were to be moved, hers should be moved as well.

Maria died in Évora on 18 January 1357 and was buried there until, despite her wishes, her remains were transferred to the Royal Monastery of San Clemente. In 1371, Henry II ordered that his father, Alfonso XI, should be buried at the Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Hippolytus in Córdoba; at the same time, he decided that Maria (who had been responsible for his mother Leonor’s death) should be buried at the monastery in Seville.
Maria of Portugal, Queen of Castile
António de Holanda
c. 1530 - 1534

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  1. Unknown29 de abril de 2021 às 12:32

    It's such a shame the way women were treated during this troubling times... In fact, she really must have been "the most beautiful Maria", because that's how her soul was too. An the drawing, i mean, wow: the crown is gorgeous! Amazing job, as always :)

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