Berengaria of Castile
Berengaria I | |
---|---|
Las Huelgas near Burgos | |
Burial | Las Huelgas near Burgos |
Spouses | |
Issue more... |
|
Castilian House of Ivrea | |
Father | Alfonso VIII of Castile |
Mother | Eleanor of England |
Berengaria (
When her father died, Berengaria served as regent for her younger brother Henry I in Castile until she succeeded him on his untimely death. Within months, she turned Castile over to her son Ferdinand III, concerned that as a woman she would not be able to lead Castile's forces. However, she remained one of his closest advisors, guiding policy, negotiating, and ruling on his behalf for the rest of her life. She was responsible for the re-unification of Castile and León under her son's authority, and supported his efforts in the Reconquista. She was a patron of religious institutions and supported the writing of a history of the two countries.
Early life
Berengaria was born either in 1179
As the eldest child of King Alfonso and Queen Eleanor, who preferred to give birth to a son and therefore later king,[8] Berengaria was the heiress presumptive to the throne of Castile for several years[9] because many of the children born later to the couple died shortly after birth or in early infancy. She became a greatly desired bride throughout Europe.[9]
Berengaria's first engagement was agreed in 1187 when her hand was sought by
The marriage was not
Queen consort of León
In order to help secure peace between Castile and León and by becoming a mediator between her father and her husband,[18] Berengaria married King Alfonso IX of León, her first cousin once removed, in Valladolid in 1197.[19] As part of the marriage, and in accordance with Spanish customs of the time, she received direct control over a number of castles and lands within León.[19] Most of these were along the border with Castile, and the nobles who ran them in her name were allowed to seek justice from either king in the event of being wronged by the other.[19] In turn, these knights were charged with maintaining the peace along the border in the queen's name.[20]
Starting in 1198, Pope Innocent III objected to the marriage on the grounds of consanguinity and even threatened to excommunicate Alfonso, though the couple stayed together until 1204.[21][22] They vehemently sought a dispensation in order to stay together, including offering large sums of money.[23] The pope denied their request, but they succeeded in establishing the legitimacy of their children.[24] The marriage was dissolved in 1204. Berengaria returned to her parents in Castile in May, where she dedicated herself to the care of her children.[24] The eldest of them, Eleanor (1198/99-1202), had died; Constance (1200-1242), Ferdinand (1201–1252), Alfonso (1203–1272), and Berengaria (1204–1237) survived infancy.[citation needed]
Between queenships
Though she had left her role as queen of León, she retained authority over and taxing rights in many of the lands she had received there, including Salamanca and Castroverde,[25] which she gave to her son Ferdinand in 1206.[26] Some of the nobles who had served her as queen followed her back to the court in Castille.[27] The peace which had prevailed since her marriage was lost, and there was war again between León and Castille, in part over her control of these lands.[28] In 1205, 1207, and 1209, treaties were made again between the two countries, each expanding her control.[29] In the treaties of 1207 and 1209, Berengaria and her son were given again significant properties along the border, including many key castles, including Villalpando.[30] The treaty in 1207 is the first existing public document in the Castilian dialect.[31]
In 1214, on the death of her father, Alfonso VIII, the Castilian crown passed to his only surviving son, Berengaria's 10-year-old brother, Henry I.[32] Their mother Eleanor assumed the regency, but died 24 days after her husband.[32] Berengaria, now heir presumptive again, replaced her as regent.[32] At this point internal strife began, instigated by the nobility, primarily the House of Lara.[33] They forced Berengaria to cede regency and guardianship of her brother to Count Álvaro Núñez de Lara.[33]
In 1216, an extraordinary parliamentary session was held in Valladolid, attended by such Castilian magnates as
Queen of Castile
Circumstances changed suddenly when Henry died on 6 June 1217 after receiving a head wound from a tile which came loose while he was playing with other children at the palace of the
The new sovereign was well aware of the danger her former husband posed to her reign; being her brother's closest
Royal advisor
Although she did not reign for long, Berengaria continued to be her son's closest advisor, intervening in state policy, albeit in an indirect manner.
In 1222, Berengaria intervened anew in favor of her son, achieving the ratification of the Convention of Zafra, thereby making peace with the Laras by arranging the marriage of Mafalda, daughter and heiress of the Lord of Molina, Gonzalo Pérez de Lara, to her own son and King Ferdinand's brother, Alfonso.[40] In 1224 she arranged the marriage of her daughter Berengaria to John of Brienne, a maneuver which brought Ferdinand III closer to the throne of León, since John was the candidate Alfonso IX had in mind to marry his eldest daughter Sancha.[41] By proceeding more quickly, Berengaria prevented the daughters of her former husband from marrying a man who could claim the throne of León.[41]
Perhaps her most decisive intervention on Ferdinand's behalf took place in 1230, when Alfonso IX died and designated as heirs to the throne his daughters Sancha and Dulce from his first marriage to Theresa of Portugal, superseding the rights of Ferdinand III.[42] Berengaria met with the princesses' mother and succeeded in the ratification of the Treaty of Las Tercerías, by which they renounced the throne in favor of their half-brother in exchange for a substantial sum of money and other benefits.[42][43] Thus were the thrones of León and Castile re-united in the person of Ferdinand III,[42] which had been divided by Alfonso VII in 1157.[12] She intervened again by arranging the second marriage of Ferdinand after the death of Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen.[44] Although he already had plenty of children, Berengaria was concerned that the king's virtue not be diminished with illicit relations.[44] This time, she chose a French noblewoman, Joan of Dammartin, a candidate put forth by the king's aunt and Berengaria's sister Blanche, widow of King Louis VIII of France.[44] Berengaria served again as regent, ruling while her son Ferdinand was in the south on his long campaigns of the Reconquista.[45] She governed Castile and León with her characteristic skill, relieving him of the need to divide his attention during this time.[45]
Patronage and legacy
She met with her son a final time in Pozuelo de Calatrava in 1245, afterwards returning to Toledo.[46] She died on 8 November 1246[47] and was buried at Las Huelgas near Burgos.[48]
Much like her mother, she was a strong patron of religious institutions.
She is portrayed as a wise and virtuous woman by the chroniclers of the time.[50][51][52] She was also concerned with literature and history, charging Lucas de Tuy to compose a chronicle on the Kings of Castile and León to aid and instruct future rulers of the joint kingdom.[50] She herself was discussed in the works of Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, whose work was sponsored by her son Ferdinand, and Juan of Osma,[51] who was chancellor of Castile under Ferdinand.[52]
Notes
- ^ The full title was Regina Castelle et Toleti (Queen of Castille and Toledo).
- ^ de la Cruz 2006, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Martínez Diez 2007, p. 46.
- ^ González 1960, pp. 196–200.
- ^ Martínez Diez 2007, pp. 46–53.
- ^ Bianchini 2012, p. 17.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Bianchini 2012, p. 20.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, p. 33.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, pp. 55–56.
- ^ Flórez 1761, p. 340.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, p. 2.
- ^ Osma 1997, p. 76.
- ^ Bianchini 2012, p. 26.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 56.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, pp. 58–59.
- ^ Bianchini 2012, p. 38.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, pp. 61–66.
- ^ González 1960, vol. 2, no. 681.
- ^ Reilly 1993, p. 133.
- ^ Bianchini 2012, p. 69.
- ^ Howden 1964, p. 79, vol. 4.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, p. 70.
- ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 78–80.
- ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 80, 83–84.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 80.
- ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 83–84.
- ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 78–84.
- ^ Túy 2003, p. 324, 4.84.
- ^ Wright 2000.
- ^ a b c de la Cruz 2006, p. 112.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, pp. 86–91.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, pp. 93–95.
- ^ a b c d Burke 1895, p. 236.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 95.
- ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 11, 15.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, pp. 15–19.
- ^ a b c d Burke 1895, p. 237.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 109.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, pp. 111–112.
- ^ a b c Burke 1895, p. 238.
- ^ Shadis 1999, p. 348.
- ^ a b c Shadis 2010, p. 108.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, p. 125.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 165.
- ^ Burke 1895, p. 239.
- ^ Shadis 2010, p. 164.
- ^ a b c d Shadis 2010, pp. 63, 74–76.
- ^ a b Túy 2003.
- ^ a b Osma 1997.
- ^ a b Shadis 2010, pp. 7–16.
References
- Bianchini, Janna (2012). The Queen's Hand: Power and Authority in the Reign of Berenguela of Castile. USA: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-08-1224-433-5.
- Burke, Ulick Ralph (1895). A History of Spain from the Earliest Times to the Death of Ferdinand the Catholic. Vol. 1. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
- de la Cruz, Valentín (2006). Berenguela la Grande, Enrique I el Chico (1179–1246). Gijón: Ediciones Trea. ISBN 978-84-9704-208-6.
- Flórez, Enrique (1761). Memorias de las reynas catholicas, historia genealogica de la casa real de Castilla, y de Leon... Vol. 1. Madrid: Marin.
- González, Julio (1960). El reino de Castilla en la época de Alfonso VIII. Vol. 3 vol. Madrid: CSIC.
- Howden, Roger (1964). Stubbs, William (ed.). Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Houedene. Wiesbaden: Kraus Reprint.
- Martínez Diez, Gonzalo (2007). Alfonso VIII, rey de Castilla y Toledo (1158–1214). Gijón: Ediciones Trea. ISBN 978-84-9704-327-4.
- Osma, Juan (1997). "Chronica latina regum Castellae". In Brea, Luis Charlo (ed.). Chronica Hispana Saeculi XIII. Turnhout: Brepols.
- Reilly, Bernard F. (1993). The Medieval Spains. Cambridge University Press.
- Shadis, Miriam (1999), "Berenguela of Castile's Political Motherhood", in Parsons, John Carmi; Wheeler, Bonnie (eds.), Medieval Mothering, New York: Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-8153-3665-5
- Shadis, Miriam (2010). Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) and Political Women in the High Middle Ages. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-23473-7.
- Túy, Lucas (2003). Rey, Emma Falque (ed.). Chronicon mundi. Turnhout: Brepols.
- Wright, Roger (2000). El tratado de Cabreros (1206): estudio sociofilológico de una reforma ortográfica. London: Queen Mary and Westfield College.
Further reading
- Shadis, Miriam (2010). Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) and Political Women in the High Middle Ages. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-23473-7. Explores Berenguela's use of authority as both queen and regent, at varied times, for the Spanish thrones of Castile and León.
- Martin, Georges (2005), "Berenguela de Castilla (1214–1246): en el espejo de la historiografía de su época", in Morant Deusa, Isabel (ed.), Historia de las mujeres en España y América Latina, vol. 1, Grupo Anaya Comercial, ISBN 978-84-376-2259-0