Constance of Peñafiel

For other people named Constance of Castile, see Constance of Castile (disambiguation).

Constance of Peñafiel
Queen consort of Castile
Tenure	1325–1328
Spouse	Alfonso XI of Castile Peter I of Portugal
Among Others Issue
Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa Ferdinand I of Portugal
House	House of Burgundy
Father	Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena
Mother	Constance of Aragon
Born	1315–1323 Castillo de Garcimuñoz
Died	13 November 1345 Santarém, Portugal
Burial	Santarém, Portugal
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Constance of Peñafiel or Constance Manuel of Castile (1315/1323 – 13 November 1345) was the daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1282–1348), called "el escritor" (the writer), Duke of Peñafiel, and his second wife Constance of Aragon, a daughter of James II of Aragon. She was Crown Princess of Portugal.

While still a child she became the first wife of future King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311–50), also a child at the time, in Valladolid. The marriage was annulled in 1327.

Early Life and First Marriage

Constance was a Castilian noblewoman, whose exact date of birth is unknown, occurring sometime between 1315 and 1323. Constance was a paternal great-granddaughter of King Ferdinand I of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were James II of Aragon and his second wife Blanche of Anjou.

In Valladolid on 28 November 1325, the young Constance married Alfonso XI of Castile, they were married for only two years when Alfonso had the marriage dissolved and remarried to Maria of Portugal, who gave him a son, Peter of Castile.^[1]

Constance was imprisoned in a castle in Toro while her father waged war against Alfonso XI until 1329. Eventually, the two reached a peaceful accord after mediation by Juan del Campo, Bishop of Oviedo; this secured Constance's release from prison.

Second Marriage

Afonso IV quickly learned that his daughter Maria was being mistreated by her husband King Alfonso (Constance's ex-husband). Constance's father, had been rebuffed by the king when she was rejected in favor of the Portuguese princess. Feeling as though his daughter was being dishonored, Afonso was glad to enter into an alliance with Juan Manuel and married his son and heir, Peter, to Constance. They married on 24 August 1339 in Lisbon.

When Constance arrived in Portugal, Inês de Castro, the daughter of an aristocratic Castilian land-owner, accompanied her as her lady-in-waiting. Peter fell in love with Inês very quickly, and the two conducted an affair that lasted until Constance's death in 1345. The scandal of this affair caused Afonso to banish Inês from court, but this did not end the relationship, and the two began living together in secret.

Constance died on the 13 November 1345, weeks after giving birth to her son and future King of Portugal, Fernando. She was buried four years later in Santarém, Portugal. Her husband presumably married Inês after Constance's death, however Inês was later murdered on the orders of King Afonso. Peter became King twelve years after Constance's death in 1357.

They had three children:

Children

• Louis (27 February 1340 - 6 March 1340).
• Maria (6 April 1343 - app. 1367), Married to Infante Ferdinand of Aragon.
• Ferdinand I of Portugal (31 October 1345 - 29 October 1383), 9th King of Portugal.

Ancestry

References

1. ^ Castile and Leon, Medieval Lands

Constance of Peñafiel House of Burgundy Born: circa 1315/1323 Died: 13 November 1345
Royal titles
Vacant Title last held by Constance of Portugal	Queen consort of Castile 1325–1328	Vacant Title next held by Maria of Portugal
	Queen consort of León 1325–1328
	Queen consort of Galicia 1325–1328
	Queen consort of Toledo 1325–1328

Persondata
Name	Penafiel, Constance Of
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1323
Place of birth
Date of death	13 November 1345
Place of death