Mafalda of Portugal
Mafalda of Portugal | |
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Lady of Arouca | |
Queen consort of Castile | |
Tenure | 1215–1216 |
Born | c. 1195 Kingdom of Portugal |
Died | 1 May 1256 (aged 61) Rio Tinto, Gondomar, Kingdom of Portugal |
Burial | , Portugal |
Spouse | |
Catholic |
Blessed Mafalda of Portugal, Cistercian Order) | |
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Beatified | 27 June 1792, Rome, Papal States by Pope Pius VI |
Feast | 20 June |
Infanta Mafalda of Portugal (also known as Blessed Mafalda, O.Cist. (c. 1195 – 1 May 1256 in
Upon the dissolution of the marriage, Mafalda returned to her homeland. She chose to become a
by the Catholic Church five centuries after her death.Life
Early life
Mafalda of Portugal was born around 1195, the daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and his queen, Dulce of Aragon.
On the death of her father, Mafalda, under the provisions of his will, was to receive the Seia Castle and the remaining portion of the municipality as well as all income produced there. Furthermore, she was granted the right to use the title of queen. This created a conflict with her brother Afonso II O Gordo, who, wanting a centralized power, hindered his sister from receiving the titles and the corresponding rights. Afonso feared that something similar could happen with his two sisters, Teresa and Sancha, and their eventual heirs, creating a problem of sovereignty that could come to divide the country. Much of the Portuguese nobles sided with Mafalda and her sisters, but they were defeated.[1] On the death of Afonso II, his son Sancho II granted some lands and castles to his aunts but he made them renounce the title of princess-queen. The final peace came in 1223.
Marriage
In 1215, a political marriage was arranged between Mafalda and her young cousin Henry I of Castile. As he was about ten years old, the marriage was never consummated, and it was dissolved the following year on grounds of consanguinity.[2] She then returned to Portugal.
Monastic life
In 1220, Mafalda chose not to marry again and became a
Returning from a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Silva, she fell ill at
Ancestry
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References
- ^ McMurdo, Edward. The History of Portugal: From the Commencement of the Monarchy to the Reign of Alfonso III, S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1888
- ^ A History of Portugal, CUP Archive
- ISBN 9780879077587
- ^ "Santos do Dia: Beata Mafalda". Evangelho Quotidiano. Retrieved June 20, 2020.