Eleanor of Alburquerque
Eleonore Urraca of Castile, 2nd Countess of Alburquerque, (* 1374 in Aldeadávila de la Ribera, Salamanca, Spain, † December 16, 1435 in Medina del Campo, Valladolid, Spain), was the wife of Ferdinand I, the righteous and thus Titularkönigin of Aragon, Sicily and Sardinia. She came out of the house Trastámara.
Family
Her father was Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque, illegitimate son of King Alfonso XI. of Castile and León and his beloved Leonor Núñez de Guzmán. He was also a brother of Henry II of Castile. Her mother was Infanta Beatrice of Portugal, Countess of Alburquerque, which is a daughter of Peter I of Portugal and Inês de Castro. Eleanor's brother, Ferdinand, 2nd Earl of Alburquerque.
Wedding
King Peter I of Castile was murdered in March 1369 by his half- brother Henry. The Roman Catholic Church, the nobility, the status of merchants and traders, and some representatives Castilian cities demanded that the grandson of Henry II, Infant Henry, granddaughter of the murdered Peter I, Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gent should marry. As an older brother Henry met on September 17, 1388 at the age of only 9 years this requirement. His younger brother Infante Ferdinand, should now with a wife who was honorable and rich, to follow suit.
After the death of the ailing King John I of Castile on 9 October 1390 Regency Council appointed his eldest son, Infante Henry, who was at that time 11 years old, the king of Castile and León. Now, you heard that Eleanor Urraca was 16 years old to marry old enough. Eleanor was previously betrothed to Frederick, an illegitimate son of Henry II of Castile. This engagement, however, was released. She told the connection with Ferdinand, but still had to be maintained with the wedding because Henry should only be mature. At the age of 14 years, Henry took over the business of government so that it was now his younger brother Infant Ferdinand, now 13 years old allowed to marry.
Eleonore were under the areas Haro, Briones, Vilforado, Ledesma, Albuquerque, la Sera code, Azagala, Alconchel, Medellin, Alconétar and Villalon, a gift from John I of Castile. This made the marriage with Eleonore a very attractive compound for Ferdinand.
Marriage and issue
In the year 1394, married Eleonore and Ferdinand. Together they had seven children:
- Maria (1396-1445) ∞ 1420 King John II of Castile
- Alfonso V (1396-1458), King of Aragon
- John II (1398-1479), King of Aragon
- Heinrich (1400-1445), Duke of Villena
- Peter (1406-1438), Duke of Noto
- Sancho (1410-1416), Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava and Alcantara
- Eleonore ( 1400/2-1445 ) ∞ 1420 King Edward I of Portugal
Later life
In 1410, Ferdinand and Eleanor were the King and Queen of Sardinia, in 1412 after the Compromise of Caspe also of Aragon and Sicily. They ruled for only four years since Ferdinand died on April 2, 1416 at the age of only 36 years. Eleanor, now 42 years old, retired as a widow to Medina del Campo.
The Royal Palace of Medina del Campo, the birthplace of her husband and her children, was the monastery of Poblet.
Eleanor died on December 16, 1435 in Medina del Campo. Her grave is in the monastery of Poblet next to her husband.