| Eleanor of England | |
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| Tenure | September 1177 – 5 October 1214 |
| Spouse | Alfonso VIII of Castile |
| Issue | |
| Berengaria, Queen of León and Castile Infante Sancho of Castile Infanta Sancha of Castile Infante Henry of Castile Urraca, Queen of Portugal Blanche, Queen of France Infante Ferdinand of Castile Infanta Mafalda of Castile Eleanor, Queen of Aragon Infanta Constance of Castile Henry I of Castile |
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| House | House of Plantagenet |
| Father | Henry II of England |
| Mother | Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine |
| Born | 13 October 1162 Domfront Castle, Normandy |
| Died | 31 October 1214 (aged 52) Burgos, Castile |
| Burial | Las Huelgas, Burgos |
Eleanor of England (known in Castilian as Leonor; 13 October 1162 – 31 October 1214) was Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. She was a daughter of Henry II of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
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She was born in the castle at Domfront, Normandy, and was baptised by Henry of Marcy. She was the sixth child and second daughter of King Henry II of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.[1] Her godfather was the chronicler Robert of Torigny, who had a special interest in her and recorded her life as best he could. She received her first name as a namesake of her mother, whose name "Eleanor" (or Alienor) had previously been unrecorded though may have been related to the Greek Helen or the Italian Elena. Another view holds that in the Occitan language, Eleanor simply meant "the other Aenor", since Eleanor of Aquitaine was named for her mother, called Aenor.
Eleanor was a younger maternal half-sister of Marie de Champagne and Alix of France. She was a younger sister of William IX, Count of Poitiers, Henry the Young King, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony, Richard I of England and Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany. She was also an older sister of Queen Joan of Sicily and King John of England.
When she was 14 years old, before 17 September 1177, she was married to King Alfonso VIII of Castile in Burgos.[2][3] The marriage was arranged to secure the Pyrennean border, with Gascony offered as her dowry.
Of all Eleanor of Aquitaine's daughters, her namesake Eleanor best inherited her mother's political influence. She was almost as powerful as her husband, who specified in his will that she was to rule alongside their son in the event of his death. It was she who persuaded him to marry their daughter Berengaria to the King of Leon in the interest of peace.
When Alfonso died, his Queen was reportedly so devastated with grief that she was unable to preside over the burial. Their eldest daughter, Berengaria, instead performed these honors. Eleanor then took sick and died only twenty-eight days after her husband, and was buried at Las Huelgas Abbey in Burgos.
She and her husband had the following surviving issue:[3][4]
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infanta Berenguela (Berengaria) | Burgos, 1 January/ June 1180 |
Las Huelgas near Burgos, 8 November 1246 |
Married firstly in Seligenstadt on 23 April 1188 with Duke Conrad II of Swabia, but the union (only by contract and never solemnized) was later annulled. Married in Valladolid between 1/16 December 1197 with King Alfonso IX of León as her second wife.[5] After their marriage was dissolved on grounds of consanguinity in 1204, she returned to her homeland and became regent of her minor brother King Henry I. Queen of Castile in her own right after the death of Henry I in 1214, inmediately abdicated in favor of her son. |
| Infante Sancho | Burgos, 5 April 1181 |
26 July 1181 | Heir of the throne since his birth, died aged three months. |
| Infanta Sancha | 20/28 March 1182 | 3 February 1184/ 16 October 1185 |
Died in infancy. |
| Infante Enrique (Henry) | 1184 | 1184? | Heir of the throne since his birth, died either shortly after been born or in infancy. His existence is disputed among sources. |
| Infanta Urraca | 1186/ 28 May 1187 |
Coimbra, 3 November 1220 |
Married in 1206 to Prince Alfonso, who succeeded his father in 1212 as King Alfonso II of Portugal. |
| Infanta Blanca (Blanche) | Palencia, 4 March 1188 |
Paris, 27 November 1252 |
Married in the Abbaye de Port-Mort near Pont-Audemer, Normandy on 23 May 1200 with Prince Louis, who succeeded his father in 1223 as King Louis VIII of France. Regent of the Kingdom of France during her son's minority (1226–1234) and during his absence on the Seventh Crusade. |
| Infante Fernando (Ferdinand) | Cuenca, 29 September 1189 |
Madrid, 14 October 1211 |
Heir of the throne since his birth. On whose behalf Diego of Acebo and the future Saint Dominic travelled to Denmark in 1203 to secure a bride[6] He died soon after returning from campaigning against the Moors. |
| Infanta Mafalda | Plasencia, 1191 |
Salamanca, 1211 |
Betrothed in 1204 to Infante Ferdinand of Leon, eldest son of King Alfonso IX and stepson of her oldest sister. |
| Infanta Constanza (Constance) | 1195 | Las Huelgas, 1243 |
A nun at the Cistercian monastery of Santa María la Real at Las Huelgas in 1217, she later became Abbess of her community. |
| Infanta Leonor (Eleanor) | 1202 | Las Huelgas, 1244 |
Married in Ágreda on 6 February 1221 with King James I of Aragon. After her marriage was dissolved on grounds of consanguinity in April 1229, she became a nun at the Cistercian monastery of Santa María la Real at Las Huelgas. |
| King Enrique I (Henry I) of Castile | Valladolid, 14 April 1204 |
Palencia, 6 June 1217 |
Only surviving son, he succeeded his father in 1214 aged ten under the regency firstly of his mother and later his oldest sister Berengaria. Married in Burgos before 29 August 1215 with Infanta Mafalda of Portugal, the union was unconsummated and disolved in 1216 on grounds of consanguinity. Soon after his divorce was betrothed with Infanta Sancha of León, eldest daughter of King Alfonso IX and stepdaughter of her oldest sister, but died killed by a tile coming off a roof before the marriage could be solemnized. |
| Ancestors of Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Spanish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richeza of Poland |
Queen consort of Castile 1177–1214 |
Succeeded by Mafalda of Portugal |
| Eleanor of England | |
|---|---|
| File:Eleanor of England, Queen of | |
| | |
| Tenure | September 1180 – 5 October 1214 |
| Spouse | Alfonso VIII of Castile |
| Issue | |
| Berenguela, Queen of Castile Urraca, Queen of Portugal Blanche, Queen of France Fernando of Castile Leonor, Queen of Aragon Infanta Constance of Castile Henry I of Castile | |
| House | House of Plantagenet |
| Father | Henry II of England |
| Mother | Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine |
| Born | 13 October 1162 Domfront Castle, Normandy |
| Died | 31 October 1214 (aged 52) Burgos, Castile |
| Burial | Las Huelgas, Burgos |
Eleanor of England (known in Castilian as Leonora; 13 October 1162 – 31 October 1214) was Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile.
She was born in the castle at Domfront, Normandy, and was baptised by Henry of Marcy. She was the sixth child and second daughter of King Henry II of England and his wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her godfather was the chronicler Robert of Torigny, who had a special interest in her and recorded her life as best he could. She received her first name as a namesake of her mother, whose name "Eleanor" (or Alienor) had previously been unrecorded though may have been related to the Greek Helen or the Italian Elena. Another view holds that in the Occitan language, Eleanor simply meant "the other Aenor," since Eleanor of Aquitaine was named for her mother, called Aenor.
Eleanor was a younger maternal half-sister of Marie de Champagne and Alix of France. She was a younger sister of William IX, Count of Poitiers, Henry the Young King, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony, Richard I of England and Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany. She was also an older sister of Joan of Sicily and John of England.
When she was 14 years old, in September 1176, she was married to Alfonso VIII. The marriage was arranged to secure the Pyrennean border, with Gascony offered as her dowry.
Of all Eleanor of Aquitaine's daughters, her namesake Eleanor best inherited her mother's political influence. She was almost as powerful as her husband, who specified in his will that she was to rule alongside their son in the event of his death. It was she who persuaded him to marry their daughter Berenguela to the king of Leon in the interest of peace.
When Alfonso died, his queen was reportedly so devastated with grief that she was unable to preside over the burial. Their daughter Berenguela instead performed these honors. Leonora then took sick and died only twenty-eight days after her husband, and was buried at Las Huelgas abbey in Burgos.
| Spanish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richeza of Poland | Queen consort of Castile 1170–1214 | Succeeded by Mafalda of Portugal |
| Eleanor of England | ||
| Birth | October 13, 1162 in Le Mans | |
|---|---|---|
| Death: | October 31, 1214 | |
| Father: | Henry II, King of England (1133-1189) | |
| Mother: | Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine (1122-1204) | |
| Husband: | Alfonso VIII, King of Castile (1155-1214) | |
| Wedding: | September 1176 | |
| Sex: | ||
| AFN # | 8XJ3-Z8 | |
| Edit facts | ||
Eleanor of England was born 13 October 1162 in Le Mans to Henry II, King of England (1133-1189) and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and died 31 October 1214 at the age of 52 years of unspecified causes. Eleanor married Alfonso VIII, King of Castile September 1176 .
| Offspring of Eleanor of England and Alfonso VIII, King of Castile (1155-1214) | ||
| Name | Birth | Death |
| Berenguela of Castile (1180-1246) | 1180 in Segovia, Spain "Segovia, Spain" | November 8, 1246 in Burgos "Burgos" |
| Sancho of Castile (1181-1181) | ||
| Sancha of Castile (1182-1184) | ||
| Henry of Castile (1184-1184) | ||
| Urraca of Castile (1186-1220) | ||
| Blanca of Castile (1188-1252) | March 4, 1188 | October 26, 1252 |
| Fernando of Castile (1189-1211) | ||
| Mafalda of Castile (1191-1204) | ||
| Constance of Castile (1195-1198) | ||
| Constanza of Castile (1201-1243) | ||
| Eleanor of Castile (1202-1244) | ||
| Henry I of Castile (1204-1217) | ||
| Edit facts | ||
Common ancestors of Eleanor of England (1162-1214) and Alfonso VIII, King of Castile (1155-1214)
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