Madragana
Encyclopedia
Madragana Ben Aloandro, later Maior or Mór Afonso - (Portugal
, Algarve, Faro
, born ca. 1230) was a famous Algarvian mistress
to king Afonso III of Portugal
, in the 13th century, when he ended the Reconquista
in Portugal by taking Faro
in 1249. Faro was at that time the last part of the Kingdom of the Algarve still in Muslim
hands, and there her father was the Alcaide
.
(also known in Portuguese as Aloandro or Aldroando Gil after his christening).
Aloandro is said now by some authors to had been son of Bakr Ben Yahia
and grandson of Yahia Ben Bakr
, of Sephardi Jewish origin. Madragana was also called in ancient Portuguese chronicles Mouroana , Mouroana Gil and Madraganil - all of which are Christian names.
When passion with the King waned, she was married to Fernão Rei, and they had at least one daughter, Sancha Fernandes. Note that Rei means King, in Portuguese
, and so Fernão Rei is supposed to have been originally a servant of the king (Fernão do Rei - Ferdinand of the King).
Madragana bore two royal children:
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Algarve, Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
, born ca. 1230) was a famous Algarvian mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
to king Afonso III of Portugal
Afonso III of Portugal
Afonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian , the fifth King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249...
, in the 13th century, when he ended the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
in Portugal by taking Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
in 1249. Faro was at that time the last part of the Kingdom of the Algarve still in Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
hands, and there her father was the Alcaide
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
.
Christening
She was christened in time , receiving her new name as Maior Afonso, or Mor Afonso, Mor being short for Maior, a common female name in medieval Portuguese. Afonso was given her in baptism as her new patronymic, meaning "the daughter of" Afonso - and that suggests that her elderly royal lover was also her godfather, that she took his spiritual fatherhood when christening. Her father's name was Aloandro Ben BekarAloandro Ben Bekar
Aloandro Ben Bekar or Ben Bakr , was the Mozarab Governor of Faro, in Portugal...
(also known in Portuguese as Aloandro or Aldroando Gil after his christening).
Aloandro is said now by some authors to had been son of Bakr Ben Yahia
Bakr Ben Yahia
Bakr Ben Yahia II was an important Mozarab figure in Medieval Portugal.Bakr Ben Yahia II was the son of Yahia Ben Bakr. Both father and son were Governors of the city of Faro in the 13th century and executed important construction there...
and grandson of Yahia Ben Bakr
Yahia Ben Bakr
Yahia Ben Bakr was an important Mozarab figure in Medieval Portugal.Yahia Ben Bakr was of Jewish descent, the son of a Bakr Ben Yahia and related to or a descendant of Yahia Ben Yahi III, a Sephardi Jew.Yahia Ben Bakr was succeeded in office by his son, Bakr Ben Yahia...
, of Sephardi Jewish origin. Madragana was also called in ancient Portuguese chronicles Mouroana , Mouroana Gil and Madraganil - all of which are Christian names.
Ethnicity
There is, however, some controversy regarding her ethnicity. A single author, Duarte Nunes de Leão, a Portuguese royal chronicler of the 16th century, tells us that Madragana was a Moor. That was strongly denied in the 18th century by António Caetano de Sousa, in which he is followed by most modern authors.When passion with the King waned, she was married to Fernão Rei, and they had at least one daughter, Sancha Fernandes. Note that Rei means King, in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and so Fernão Rei is supposed to have been originally a servant of the king (Fernão do Rei - Ferdinand of the King).
Madragana bore two royal children:
- Dom Martim Afonso Chichorro (ca. 1250-after 1313), married to Dona Inês Lourenço de Sousa (or Dona Inês Lourenço de Valadares) (born ca. 1250).
- Dona Urraca Afonso (born ca. 1260), married twice: 1st in 1265 to Pedro Anes Gago de Riba Vizela (ca. 1240-1286); 2nd ca. 1275 to Dom João Mendes de Briteiros (born ca. 1250).