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Leonor of Aragon (1402-1445)
Encyclopedia
Eleanor of Aragon (c.1 February 1402 – 19 February 1445) was queen consort of Portugal as the spouse of Edward I of Portugal and the regent of Portugal as the guardian of her son. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon
and Eleanor of Alburquerque
.
When her husband died on 13 September 1438, she was appointed regent of Portugal in his will, which was confirmed by the Portuguese Cortes
. However, she was inexperienced and, as an Aragonese, unpopular with the people, who preferred the late king's brother Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra. The confirmation of her regency therefore caused a riot in Lisbon
. The riot was suppressed by her brother Count John of Barcelona, later King John II of Aragon
. Eleanor was supported by the nobility and the will, while Peter was supported by a fraction of the nobility and by the people. Negotiations for a compromise arrangement were drawn out over several months, but were complicated by the interference of the Count of Barcelos, who supported her, and the Archbishop of Lisbon, who supported Peter. This period also witnessed the birth to her of a posthumous daughter in March 1439 and the death of her eldest daughter, Philippa.
Eventually, the Cortes appointed Peter the sole regent. Eleanor continued conspiring, but was forced to go into exile in Castile
in December 1440. She died at Toledo in February 1445 and is buried in Batalha, Portugal.
Ferdinand I of Aragon
Ferdinand I called of Antequera and also the Just or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica and king of Sicily, duke of Athens and Neopatria, and count of Barcelona, Roussillon and Cerdanya...
and Eleanor of Alburquerque
Eleanor of Alburquerque
Eleanor, 2nd Countess of Alburquerque became Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Ferdinand I of Aragon. In Spanish, she is known as Leonor Urraca de Castilla, condesa de Alburquerque.- Family :...
.
Biography
She married King Edward of Portugal on 22 September 1428. They had nine children, of whom five survived to adulthood.When her husband died on 13 September 1438, she was appointed regent of Portugal in his will, which was confirmed by the Portuguese Cortes
Portuguese Cortes
In the Medieval Kingdom of Portugal, the Cortes was an assembly of representatives of the estates of the realm - the nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie. It was called and dismissed by the King of Portugal at will, at a place of his choosing...
. However, she was inexperienced and, as an Aragonese, unpopular with the people, who preferred the late king's brother Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra. The confirmation of her regency therefore caused a riot in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The riot was suppressed by her brother Count John of Barcelona, later King John II of Aragon
John II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
. Eleanor was supported by the nobility and the will, while Peter was supported by a fraction of the nobility and by the people. Negotiations for a compromise arrangement were drawn out over several months, but were complicated by the interference of the Count of Barcelos, who supported her, and the Archbishop of Lisbon, who supported Peter. This period also witnessed the birth to her of a posthumous daughter in March 1439 and the death of her eldest daughter, Philippa.
Eventually, the Cortes appointed Peter the sole regent. Eleanor continued conspiring, but was forced to go into exile in Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
in December 1440. She died at Toledo in February 1445 and is buried in Batalha, Portugal.
Issue
- Infante John, October 1429 – 14 August 1433.
- Infanta Philippa 27 November 1430 – 24 March 1439.
- Afonso V of PortugalAfonso V of PortugalAfonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481; who succeeded Edward as 12th King of Portugal. - Infanta Maria, 7 December 1432 – 8 December 1432.
- Infante Ferdinand, 17 November 1433 – 18 September 1470; Duke of ViseuViseuViseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões Subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 99,593 , and the city proper has 47,250...
and father of future king Manuel I of PortugalManuel I of PortugalManuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
. - Eleanor, 18 September 1434 – 3 September 1467; married Frederick III, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick III, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
. - Infante Edward, 12 July 1435 – 12 July 1435.
- Catherine, 26 November 1436 – 17 June 1463.
- JoanJoan of PortugalJoan of Portugal was Queen consort of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile and a Portuguese infanta, the posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon...
, 31 March 1439 – 13 June 1475; married King Henry IV of CastileHenry IV of CastileHenry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile...
.