On today's post, we will discuss the life of a royal woman who was queen of Castile three times: first as consort of Sancho IV, second and third as regent for her son and grandson. Despite the fact there is little bibliography found about this figure, we hope we can at least enlight the person she was and set alight an interest about her.
María de Molina was born around the year of 1265, being the daughter of Alfonso of Léon, Lord of Molina, who was a young son of King Alfonso IX of Castile with his second wife Berengaria of Castile, and his third wife Mayor Alfonso of Menezes. She was a great-great granddaughter of Henry II of England and a sister to Alfonso, lord of Menezes, and a half-sister to two daughters Alfonso previously had with his two other wives.
Little is known regarding Maria's infancy, though it is presumed it was a happy and quiet one. We can also suppose she had a good education, considering later in life her role as consort to both her son and grandson.
So what is known about her comes next:
"In 1282, María was married to Sancho, the second son of the king Alfonso X and the queen Violante. The marriage did not begin well, for not only there was a struggle concerning the nullity about the consanguinity of third degree but also Sancho had already taken as wife, years before, Guillerma de Montcada, daughter of Vizconde de Bearne, though on his part this was never revoked."¹
The result of this was the question of the legitimacy concerning the children of this marriage, especially the heir of the Castilian crown, later known as Fernando IV, though her place as queen remained undisputed. The nature of the marriage is also not known, but their offspring not only includes Fernando but also Isabel (or Isabella), future Queen of Aragon and duchess of Brittany, Alfonso, Henry, Peter,Philip, Infante of Castile, and Beatrice, Queen of Portugal. Only Alfonso and Henry did not make to childhood.
However, in 1295, "(...) Sancho IV (...) was succeeded by his eldest son Fernando IV, who was under age. Though according to the Crónica de Sancho IV, Sancho designanted Maria as the sole regent", but, "she was forced to share the regency with Sancho's uncle, Infante Enrique El Senador (Henry of Castile the Senator), younger brother of Alfonso X. Fernando's rule was challenged by a coalition that included his uncle, Infante Juan, his cousins the infantes de la Cerda, sons of the infante Fernando de la Cerda, eldest son of Alfonso X, as well as King James II of Aragón and King Dionisio I de Portugal." ²
Her main role had been converted in being "tutor of the boy king Fernando, who (...) was not declared legitimate. She then started the rough task in getting supports for the cause of her son, supports which she found in urban oligarchies that gave their support to the young king in the courts of Valladolid. Years later in 1301, she achieved another goal with the bull of the pope Boniface VIII in which was given the validity the matrimony of Sancho IV and Maria de Molina, consequently recognizing Fernando IV as a legitimate king."³
Civil War continued for years between those who supported Fernando's cause, on the side of María, who "built her own coalition, relying on the Castilian Cortes to confirm her authority and playing the powerful family clan of Haro against the Lara clan, who supported the opposition." Nonetheless, victory came to her cause when the leader of the opposition reconciled with the king and Portugal withdrew from the wars, returning to an allegiance with the king by offering the hand of the infanta Constance as the consort of Fernando.
It is said she disappears from the court after the birth of Fernando's heir, but returns after the death of both Fernando and Constance in different times, thus becoming regent for her grandson, Alfonso XI. This regency on her part lasted for nine years until her death in 1321, before it was moved forward to her son Philip, who shared regency with Juan el Tuerto, a Castilian Infante.
Nothing else is said about this woman, who held her position as Queen and as regent despite many struggles to do so in days where her gender was undermined by the Salic Law. It is not surprise to find strong women such as María among the Queens who made History in what we today regard as Spain. But even so, there is so little about her that it was with that in mind, we came to propose a discussion about her. Every woman held importance for the age they lived, they thus helped to shape the society they were inserted to. The victory of María proves the strenght she had to bear to survive: as wife, to have her marriage recognized by the Church; as queen, to have her right of being a regent uncontested and foremost, as a mother, who would not give up until having her son as crowned king, but legitimized.
Though it is sad we have no more informations to enlight the figue of such a woman, one expects this is only the start for a discussion concerning the medieval queens and their roles back to the time and place they lived in. María was not the first nor will be the last to constitute an exception among the expectations driven back to her gender, but certainly will continue to inspire a discussion about the importance of queens to the days they lived.
¹ "En 1282 María se casaba con Sancho, el segundo hijo del rey Alfonso X y la reina Violante. El matrimonio no empezó con buen pie pues no sólo se enfretaban a la nulidad por una consanguinidad de tercer grado sino que, además, Sancho ya había celebrado esponsales años atrás con Guillermina de Montcada, hija del Vizconde de Bearne, pero nunca los había revocado". (http://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2012/04/tres-veces-reina-maria-de-molina-1264.html)
² Wikipédia
³ "(...) María se convertia en tutora del rey niño Fernando, (..) no declarado legitimo. Empezaba la dura y ardua tarea de conseguir los apoyos suficientes para la causa de su hijo, apoyos que encontró en las oligarquías urbanas las cuales dieron su apoyo al joven rey en las Cortes de Valladolid. Años despúes en 1301, conseguía su otro objetivo, la bula del papa Bonifacio VIII en la que daba por válido el matrimonio de Sancho IV y Maria de Molina y consecuentemente Fernando IV se convertía en un rey legítimo." (http://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2012/04/tres-veces-reina-maria-de-molina-1264.html)
María de Molina was born around the year of 1265, being the daughter of Alfonso of Léon, Lord of Molina, who was a young son of King Alfonso IX of Castile with his second wife Berengaria of Castile, and his third wife Mayor Alfonso of Menezes. She was a great-great granddaughter of Henry II of England and a sister to Alfonso, lord of Menezes, and a half-sister to two daughters Alfonso previously had with his two other wives.
Little is known regarding Maria's infancy, though it is presumed it was a happy and quiet one. We can also suppose she had a good education, considering later in life her role as consort to both her son and grandson.
So what is known about her comes next:
"In 1282, María was married to Sancho, the second son of the king Alfonso X and the queen Violante. The marriage did not begin well, for not only there was a struggle concerning the nullity about the consanguinity of third degree but also Sancho had already taken as wife, years before, Guillerma de Montcada, daughter of Vizconde de Bearne, though on his part this was never revoked."¹
The result of this was the question of the legitimacy concerning the children of this marriage, especially the heir of the Castilian crown, later known as Fernando IV, though her place as queen remained undisputed. The nature of the marriage is also not known, but their offspring not only includes Fernando but also Isabel (or Isabella), future Queen of Aragon and duchess of Brittany, Alfonso, Henry, Peter,Philip, Infante of Castile, and Beatrice, Queen of Portugal. Only Alfonso and Henry did not make to childhood.
However, in 1295, "(...) Sancho IV (...) was succeeded by his eldest son Fernando IV, who was under age. Though according to the Crónica de Sancho IV, Sancho designanted Maria as the sole regent", but, "she was forced to share the regency with Sancho's uncle, Infante Enrique El Senador (Henry of Castile the Senator), younger brother of Alfonso X. Fernando's rule was challenged by a coalition that included his uncle, Infante Juan, his cousins the infantes de la Cerda, sons of the infante Fernando de la Cerda, eldest son of Alfonso X, as well as King James II of Aragón and King Dionisio I de Portugal." ²
Her main role had been converted in being "tutor of the boy king Fernando, who (...) was not declared legitimate. She then started the rough task in getting supports for the cause of her son, supports which she found in urban oligarchies that gave their support to the young king in the courts of Valladolid. Years later in 1301, she achieved another goal with the bull of the pope Boniface VIII in which was given the validity the matrimony of Sancho IV and Maria de Molina, consequently recognizing Fernando IV as a legitimate king."³
Civil War continued for years between those who supported Fernando's cause, on the side of María, who "built her own coalition, relying on the Castilian Cortes to confirm her authority and playing the powerful family clan of Haro against the Lara clan, who supported the opposition." Nonetheless, victory came to her cause when the leader of the opposition reconciled with the king and Portugal withdrew from the wars, returning to an allegiance with the king by offering the hand of the infanta Constance as the consort of Fernando.
It is said she disappears from the court after the birth of Fernando's heir, but returns after the death of both Fernando and Constance in different times, thus becoming regent for her grandson, Alfonso XI. This regency on her part lasted for nine years until her death in 1321, before it was moved forward to her son Philip, who shared regency with Juan el Tuerto, a Castilian Infante.
Nothing else is said about this woman, who held her position as Queen and as regent despite many struggles to do so in days where her gender was undermined by the Salic Law. It is not surprise to find strong women such as María among the Queens who made History in what we today regard as Spain. But even so, there is so little about her that it was with that in mind, we came to propose a discussion about her. Every woman held importance for the age they lived, they thus helped to shape the society they were inserted to. The victory of María proves the strenght she had to bear to survive: as wife, to have her marriage recognized by the Church; as queen, to have her right of being a regent uncontested and foremost, as a mother, who would not give up until having her son as crowned king, but legitimized.
Though it is sad we have no more informations to enlight the figue of such a woman, one expects this is only the start for a discussion concerning the medieval queens and their roles back to the time and place they lived in. María was not the first nor will be the last to constitute an exception among the expectations driven back to her gender, but certainly will continue to inspire a discussion about the importance of queens to the days they lived.
¹ "En 1282 María se casaba con Sancho, el segundo hijo del rey Alfonso X y la reina Violante. El matrimonio no empezó con buen pie pues no sólo se enfretaban a la nulidad por una consanguinidad de tercer grado sino que, además, Sancho ya había celebrado esponsales años atrás con Guillermina de Montcada, hija del Vizconde de Bearne, pero nunca los había revocado". (http://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2012/04/tres-veces-reina-maria-de-molina-1264.html)
² Wikipédia
³ "(...) María se convertia en tutora del rey niño Fernando, (..) no declarado legitimo. Empezaba la dura y ardua tarea de conseguir los apoyos suficientes para la causa de su hijo, apoyos que encontró en las oligarquías urbanas las cuales dieron su apoyo al joven rey en las Cortes de Valladolid. Años despúes en 1301, conseguía su otro objetivo, la bula del papa Bonifacio VIII en la que daba por válido el matrimonio de Sancho IV y Maria de Molina y consecuentemente Fernando IV se convertía en un rey legítimo." (http://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2012/04/tres-veces-reina-maria-de-molina-1264.html)
Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_de_Molina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_XI_of_Castile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_of_Molina#Marriage_and_children
http://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2012/04/tres-veces-reina-maria-de-molina-1264.html
http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/maria_demolina.htm
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