Aragon Archives - History of Royal Women

Isabella of Aragon – A lost legacy (Part one)

November 25, 2020 Moniek 0

The future Queen Isabella I of Castile had made a daring choice by marrying the future King Ferdinand II of Aragon against the wishes of her half-brother King Henry IV of Castile and even proudly displayed the bloodstained sheets to the waiting officials after the wedding night. Isabella and her half-brother had a volatile relationship [read more]

Constance of Castile – Claimant to the Castilian throne

September 12, 2020 Amy Eloise Kelly 1

Constance was born in 1354 as the daughter of Peter, King of Castile and León and María de Padilla. The Infanta was born into a strange family dynamic- her parents had been married but in secret. The young king was under the control of his mother during this period, and he was coerced into denying [read more]

Lucrezia Borgia – A Renaissance Duchess (Part one)

January 29, 2020 Moniek 0

Lucrezia Borgia was born on 18 April 1480 in the fortress of Subiaco as the illegitimate daughter of Vannozza dei Cattanei and Cardinal Rodrigo de Borgia, who would become Pope Alexander VI in 1492. Rodrigo fathered eight or maybe even nine children. He had a total of three children with Vannozza, and Lucrezia had two [read more]

Constance of Béarn’s unlucky marriages

August 3, 2016 Moniek 3

Constance of Béarn was born between 1245 and 1255 as the daughter of Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn and his first wife Martha of Marsan. Her exact birthdate is not known, but she was most likely the eldest of four daughters as she inherited her mother’s estates when she died. This would have made her [read more]

Marie of Montpellier – Heiress of Montpellier

July 27, 2016 Moniek 0

Marie of Montpellier was born around 1182 as the daughter of William VIII, Lord of Montpellier and Eudokia Komnene, a niece of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child of the marriage, boy or girl, would succeed to the Lordship upon William’s death. Thus, Marie was the heiress [read more]

Queens Regnant – Petronilla of Aragon

April 4, 2016 Moniek 0

The situation surrounding Petronilla’s birth is a strange one. Her father Ramiro was the brother of Alfonso I of Aragon, and he was the bishop of Barbastro-Roda. However, Alfonso died childless in 1134, and he left the crown to the three religious, military orders. However, his wish was not respected, and the aristocracy of Navarre [read more]