Berengaria of Castile

Berengaria
Statue of Berenguela of Castile in Madrid (1753).
Queen of Castile
Reign	1217
Predecessor	Henry I
Successor	Ferdinand III
Queen consort of León
Tenure	1198–1204
Spouse	Alfonso IX of León
Issue
Ferdinand III of Castile Berenguela of Leon
House	House of Burgundy
Father	Alfonso VIII of Castile
Mother	Eleanor of England
Born	1180 Segovia
Died	8 November 1246 Burgos
Burial	Capilla Real, Granada, Spain

Berengaria (Castilian: Berengaria; 1180 – 8 November 1246), was briefly queen of Castile and León. The eldest daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, she was briefly engaged to Conrad II, Duke of Swabia, but he was murdered in 1196 before they could be married.

Marriage

Berengaria married King Alfonso IX of León in 1198, but this was annulled in 1204 by Pope Innocent III because they were second cousins. Berengaria and Alfonso had five children, including one who died in infancy, and when she returned to her father's court in Castile, she brought her children with her to Otella.

Berengaria often found herself politically at odds with her former husband. Alfonso had two daughters, Sancha and Dulce, by his first wife, Theresa of Portugal, and wished to disinherit Berengaria's children in favor of these daughters. To this end, he invited John of Brienne to marry his eldest daughter, Sancha, and thus inherit his kingdom. Berengaria sabotaged this plan by convincing John of Brienne to marry her own daughter, Berenguela of Leon, instead. Later, on 24 September 1230 when Alfonso died, Berengaria and Ferdinand acted to set aside the rights of Sancha and Dulce by offering them a lifetime appanage, which they accepted. This was done so that, with Berengaria's aid, he could assume the Leonese throne.

Queen

When her brother Henry died by accident in 1217, Berengaria became sovereign of Castile. She soon renounced her crown in favor of her son Ferdinand. Thereafter she served as the king's motherly advisor; according to the Cronica Latina, her "total intent and desire being to procure honor for her son in every way possible". Berengaria helped quell the rebellious nobles, and then arranged for Ferdinand to marry a high-born wife, Beatrice of Swabia.

Berengaria maintained strong connections with her sister Blanche, who was Queen of France. It was Blanche who suggested sending Jeanne of Ponthieu as a bride for Ferdinand after his first wife's death.

Children

Her children with Alfonso IX included:

• Eleanor (1198/1199-31 October 1210)
• King Ferdinand III of Castile (1200-1252)
• Alfonso, 4th Lord of Molina (1203-1272)
• Berengaria of Leon (1204-1237), married John of Brienne
• Constance (1 May 1200 or 1205-7 September 1242), became a nun at Las Huelgas, Burgos, where she died.

Ancestry

Sources

• Shadis, Miriam. Berenguela of Castile's Political Motherhood, 1996