Urraca of Castile, Queen of Portugal

Urraca of Castile (1186/28 May 1187 – 3 November 1220) was a daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile^[1] and Eleanor of England.^[2] Her maternal grandparents were Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Life

Urraca was originally considered as a prospective bride for Louis VIII of France, but Eleanor objected to her name (Urraca means magpie in Castilian), preferring the Castilian name of Urraca's sister Blanche, Blanca.^[3]

In 1206 Urraca married twenty-one-year-old Afonso II of Portugal,^[4][5] who was the "infante", the intended heir to the throne.

In 1212 her husband became king and she became queen. Afonso II indicated in his will in 1214 that Urraca should be the regent for his heir should he pre-decease her. Unfortunately, she died before him at a relatively young age in 1220.^[6] Urraca was buried at the Alcobaça Monastery.

Issue

• Sancho II of Portugal
• Afonso III of Portugal
• Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark
• Fernando, Lord of Serpa

It is possible Urraca also bore Vicente, who was supposedly buried at the Alcobaça Monastery.^[7]

References

1. ↑ Gonzalo Martínez Diez, Alfonso VIII, rey de Castilla y Toledo (1158-1214)
2. ↑ Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium
3. ↑ Seward, Desmond (1978). Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Mother Queen. New York: Dorset Press. p. 233. ISBN 0-88029-055-2. 
4. ↑ H. Salvador Martínez, Alfonso X, the Learned: A Biography, page 29
5. ↑ Roderici Toletani Archiepiscopi De Rebus Hispaniæ
6. ↑ Shadis, Miriam (2010). Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) and Political Women in the High Middle Ages. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-312-23473-7. 
7. ↑ Family of Afonso II