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Teresa of Portugal, Queen of León
| Teresa of Portugal | |
|---|---|
| Queen of León | |
.png) | |
| Queen consort of León | |
| Reign | 1191–1196 |
| Predecessor | Urraca López de Haro |
| Successor | Berenguela of Castile |
| Born | Teresa Sánchez October 4, 1176 Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | June 18, 1250 (aged 73) Monastery of Lorvão, Penacova, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Burial | Church of the Monastery of Lorvão |
| Spouse | Alfonso IX of León |
| Issue | |
| House | Burgundy |
| Father | Sancho I of Portugal |
| Mother | Dulce of Aragon |
Teresa of Portugal (Coimbra, October 4, 1176[1][2] – Lorvão, June 18, 1250).[3] A Catholic Blessed, Portuguese infanta and Queen consort of León, she was the daughter of Sancho I of Portugal the Populator and of the Infanta Dulce of Aragon.[4]
Life and marriage
She married her first cousin Alfonso IX of León[4] in 1191. Her marriage was declared null (the marriage bond never existed) in 1196 by Pope Celestine III on grounds of kinship,[5] since both spouses were grandchildren of the King and Queen of Portugal Afonso and Mafalda, although the children were recognized by the Holy See and the Infante Ferdinand remained heir presumptive to the Leonese throne until his early death.[6] Separated from her husband, she returned to Portugal and was the lady of the Monastery of Lorvão. She retained properties in León, received an income of 4,000 morabitinos from the King, and continued to hold the tenure of Villafranca del Bierzo.[6]
Disputes with her brother
Upon the death of her father Sancho I of Portugal in 1211, Teresa was to receive, according to her father's testamentary provisions, the castle of Montemor-o-Velho, with the rest of the town's district and all the revenues produced there, and she would be able to use the title of Queen as lady of that castle.
This unleashed a struggle with her brother Afonso II, who, wishing to centralize power, prevented the fulfillment of his father's will, preventing the Queen Infanta from receiving the titles and income to which she was entitled; indeed, because she had been married to the King of León, Afonso II feared that she might pass on to the heirs the vast inheritance bequeathed to her by the will, thus creating a problem for the sovereignty of the King of Portugal and dividing the country almost in half.
The will also provided lands and castles for her sisters Sancha and Mafalda, and a group of nobles aligned with the infantes formed, led by the Infante Pedro (who took refuge in León under Teresa's protection and occupied some places in Trás-os-Montes), but it was ultimately defeated. Only after the death of Afonso II did his son Sancho II resolve the problem, granting the revenues of the castles to his aunts and appointing their alcaides from among the names they proposed, asking them only to renounce the title of queens; thus peace was finally established in the kingdom in 1223.
End of life
In 1230, her former husband Alfonso IX died after having five children with his second wife, Berenguela of Castile. This second marriage had also been annulled on grounds of consanguinity. Thus, the children of both marriages came to dispute the crown (above all because Alfonso repudiated the firstborn of his second marriage and left the kingdom to the two daughters he had with Teresa). Teresa intervened and allowed Ferdinand III of Castile to assume the Leonese throne.
After this dynastic dispute, Teresa returned to the Monastery of Lorvão and finally took conventual vows after years of living as a nun. She died there in 1250 of natural causes.
In 1705 she was beatified, together with her sister Sancha, by Pope Clement XI, through the bull Sollicitudo Pastoralis Offici. Eighty-eight years later her sister Mafalda was also beatified.
Marriage and issue
Three children were born of her marriage to Alfonso IX of León:
- Sancha (c. 1191 – before 1243).[7] After two failed marriage attempts with Henry I of Castile and John of Brienne, she became a nun, together with her sister Dulce, in the Cistercian monastery founded by her mother in Villabuena del Bierzo.[8]
- Ferdinand (1192 – August 1214). Heir to the throne of León. He died prematurely in the prime of his youth.
- Dulce (1194–1248). She went with her mother to Portugal and later became a nun, together with her sister Sancha, in the monastery of Villabuena.[9]
Ancestry
- 1. Infanta Teresa of Portugal
- 2. Sancho I, King of Portugal
- 4. Afonso I, King of Portugal
- 5. Countess Mafalda of Savoy
- 10. Amadeus III, Count of Savoy
- 11. Countess Matilda of Albon
- 22. Guigues III, Count of Albon
- 23. Matilda
- 3. Infanta Dulce of Aragon
- 6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
- 12. Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
- 13. Dulce, Countess of Provence
- 26. Gilbert I, Count of Gévaudan and Gerberga
- 27. Gerberga, Countess of Provence
- 7. Petronilla I, Queen of Aragon
- 6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
- 2. Sancho I, King of Portugal
References
- ↑ Mattoso 2014, p. 334.
- ↑ Rodrigues Oliveira 2010, p. 84.
- ↑ Fernandes Marques 2008, p. 141.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fernandes Marques 2008, p. 62.
- ↑ Fernandes Marques 2008, p. 96.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fernandes Marques 2008, pp. 128–129, n. 10.
- ↑ Fernandes Marques 2008, p. 140.
- ↑ Fernandes Marques 2008, p. 136.
- ↑ Fernandes Marques 2008, pp. 140 and 143.
Bibliography
- Fernandes Marques, Maria Alegria (2008). Estudos sobre a Ordem de Cister em Portugal (in português). Coimbra: Estudos da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra. ISBN 972-772-019-6.
- Mattoso, José (2014). D. Afonso Henriques (in português) (2nd ed.). Lisbon: Temas e Debates. ISBN 978-972-759-911-0.
- Rodrigues Oliveira, Ana (2010). Rainhas medievais de Portugal. Dezassete mulheres, duas dinastias, quatro séculos de História (in português). Lisbon: A esfera dos livros. ISBN 978-989-626-261-7.
External links
- Enrique Flórez: Memorias de las reynas catholicas, vol. I, pp. 336 ff.
