Individual Details
Eleonor Urraca of Castilla Countess of Alburquerque
(1374 - 16 Dec 1435)
Eleonor was born in 1374, the daughter of Sancho Alfonso of Castile, conde de Albuquerque, and Brites (Beatriz) of Portugal. Her father was an illegitimate son of King Alfonso XI 'el Justo' of Castile and León, and his mistress Eleonore de Guzman, making him a brother of Enrique II de Trastamara, king of Castile and León. Her mother was the daughter of Pedro I 'o Justiceiro', king of Portugal, and his unlucky mistress and third wife Dońa Inez de Castro, murdered on his father's orders. Elionor was immensely wealthy, having inherited great estates through her father and unmarried elder brother Fernando, killed at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 aged only about 12.
In 1393 the 19 years old Eleonor, who was known in Spanish as _Leonor Urraca de Castilla, condesa de Albuquerque,_ with the strong support of the Castilian Cortes, married the 12 years old Fernando I, son of Juan I, king of Castile and León, and Eleonore of Aragón. Her husband was the younger brother of Enrique III 'the Infirm', king of Castile and León, who married earlier in the same year. Eleonor and Fernando had seven children of whom three sons and two daughters would have progeny.
After Fernando's uncle Martin I 'el Humano', king of Aragón and Sicily, died without surviving issue, Fernando was chosen to succeed him as king by the Pact of Caspe in 1412. Fernando died in 1416 and two of their sons, Alfonso V and Juan II, would succeed him as kings of Aragón.
After the death of her husband in 1416, Leonor, then 42, retired to the royal palace at Medina del Campo. She was witness to the confrontations of her sons with the party headed by Don Alvaro de Luna, constable of Castile for King Juan II of Castile, their first cousin and brother-in-law. At an early stage of their protracted but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to capture Castile, they kidnapped Juan II from his bedroom in Tordesillas, but Luna came to his rescue and one of the Aragónese brothers, Enrique, was thrown in prison. When Elionor came to Castile on his behalf, she was locked up on Luna's orders in the Santa Clara convent in Tordesillas. Elionor ended up losing some of her properties in Castile to Luna.
Eleonor died in Medina del Campo in December 1435, almost twenty years after her husband.
Source: Leo van de Pas
In 1393 the 19 years old Eleonor, who was known in Spanish as _Leonor Urraca de Castilla, condesa de Albuquerque,_ with the strong support of the Castilian Cortes, married the 12 years old Fernando I, son of Juan I, king of Castile and León, and Eleonore of Aragón. Her husband was the younger brother of Enrique III 'the Infirm', king of Castile and León, who married earlier in the same year. Eleonor and Fernando had seven children of whom three sons and two daughters would have progeny.
After Fernando's uncle Martin I 'el Humano', king of Aragón and Sicily, died without surviving issue, Fernando was chosen to succeed him as king by the Pact of Caspe in 1412. Fernando died in 1416 and two of their sons, Alfonso V and Juan II, would succeed him as kings of Aragón.
After the death of her husband in 1416, Leonor, then 42, retired to the royal palace at Medina del Campo. She was witness to the confrontations of her sons with the party headed by Don Alvaro de Luna, constable of Castile for King Juan II of Castile, their first cousin and brother-in-law. At an early stage of their protracted but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to capture Castile, they kidnapped Juan II from his bedroom in Tordesillas, but Luna came to his rescue and one of the Aragónese brothers, Enrique, was thrown in prison. When Elionor came to Castile on his behalf, she was locked up on Luna's orders in the Santa Clara convent in Tordesillas. Elionor ended up losing some of her properties in Castile to Luna.
Eleonor died in Medina del Campo in December 1435, almost twenty years after her husband.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 1374 | ||||
| Marriage | 1393 | Fernando I King of Aragón | |||
| Death | 16 Dec 1435 | Medina del Campo |
Families
| Spouse | Fernando I King of Aragón (1380 - 1416) |
| Child | Alfonso V King of Aragon (1394 - 1458) |
| Father | Sancho Enríquez de Castilla Count of Alburquerque (1342 - 1375) |
| Mother | Beatrice of Portugal, Countess of Alburquerque (1347 - 1381) |