Avançar para o conteúdo principal

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

Etiquetas:

Comentários

  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 :)

    ResponderEliminar

Enviar um comentário

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
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Margaret of Provence

Margaret (French: Marguerite) was born during the spring of 1221, in Forcalquier. She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. She had three younger sisters, who would all become queens like her: Eleanor (Queen of England), Sanchia (Queen of Germany) and Beatrice (Queen of Sicily). Margaret has a especially close relationship with Eleanor, and they remained friends until they grew old. In 1233, Blanche of Castile sent one of her knights to Provence to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty was famous. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche and Ramon Berenguer were negotiating a marriage contract between Margaret and Louis IX of France, Blanche's son. Margaret was escorted to Lyon by her parents, where the marriage treaty was signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding ceremony, in Sens. On 27 May 1234, Margaret became the wife of Louis IX and Queen of France; she was just 13. The marriage
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Jane Grey

Jane was born in 1536 or 1537; she was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and his wife, Frances Grey (the eldest daughter of Mary Tudor ). Jane had two younger sisters, Catherine and Mary. Through their mother, the three sisters were great-granddaughters of King Henry VII, grandnieces of King Henry VIII , and first cousins once removed of King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I . Jane received a humanist education, studying Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Italian. Through the influence of her father and her tutors, she became a committed Protestant. Jane preferred books to hunting parties and regarded her strict upbringing, which was typical of the time, as harsh. In early February 1547, Jane was sent to live in the household of Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, who soon married Henry VIII’s widow, Catherine Parr . Jane lived with them until Catherine’s death in September 1548. Lady Jane acted as chief mourner at Catherine’s funeral; Thomas Se
1 comentário
Ler mais