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Beatrice ( pt, Beatriz, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King
Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I ( pt, Fernando; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. His death led to the 1383–85 crisis, also k ...
and his wife,
Leonor Teles Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the succession crisis of 1383–1385, ...
. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King
John I of Castile John I ( es, Juan I; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. Biography His first marriage, to Eleanor of Aragon on 18 June 137 ...
. Following her father's death without a legitimate male heir, she claimed the Portuguese throne, but lost her claim to her uncle, who became King
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
, founder of the
House of Aviz The House of Aviz ( Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese origin which flourished during the Renaissance and the period of the Portuguese discoveries, when Portugal ...
. During her early years, Beatrice was a pawn in the changing politics of foreign alliances of her father, who negotiated successive marriages for her. She would eventually marry King
John I of Castile John I ( es, Juan I; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. Biography His first marriage, to Eleanor of Aragon on 18 June 137 ...
, by whom Beatrice became Queen consort of Castile. At the death of her father, Beatrice was proclaimed Queen regnant of Portugal and her mother assumed the regency in her name. Opposition to the regency, fear of the Castilian domination and loss of Portuguese independence led to a popular rebellion and
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
between the late King Ferdinand I's illegitimate brother, John of Aviz, who wrested control of the regency from the
dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a " dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In popular usage, the noun ...
queen, and the supporters of Beatrice and her husband, John I of Castile, who claimed the throne of Portugal by right of his wife. In 1385, John of Aviz was proclaimed King of Portugal, and the King of Castile was definitively defeated in the
Battle of Aljubarrota The Battle of Aljubarrota (; see Aljubarrota) was fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile on 14 August 1385. Forces commanded by King John I of Portugal and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira, with the support of Englis ...
, effectively ending any prospects for Beatrice and her husband to assert their rights to the Portuguese crown. From that time, Queen Beatrice took a special interest in the welfare of the Portuguese exiles in Castile who had been faithful to her dynastic claim to the Portuguese throne. After the death of her husband she was relegated to a secondary level in the Castilian court. However, the dynastic strife continued to represent a challenge to the normalization of relations between Castile and Portugal. From the second decade of the 15th century onwards, her documentary trail became scarce until she completely disappears about 1420.


Life


Early years and betrothals

Beatrice was born in
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
, during the brief siege of the city by Castilian troops during the second Fernandine War (1372–73). The siege was lifted and King
Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter th ...
continued to Santarém and then
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
. During the siege of Lisbon, Cardinal legate Guido of Bologna obtained an agreement between the Kings of Castile and Portugal, the Peace of Santarém. According to that treaty, King Ferdinand I of Portugal would abandon the 'Petrist' cause, his claim to dynastic legitimacy that originated after the assassination of King
Peter I of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...
in 1369. Two marriages were celebrated between the two royal families to reinforce the peace: between Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque, brother of Henry, and Beatrice, half-sister of Ferdinand, and between Alfonso Enríquez, Henry's natural son, and Ferdinand's illegitimate daughter Isabel. In addition, a betrothal was arranged between Beatrice, Ferdinand I of Portugal's newborn daughter, and Fadrique, created Duke of Benavente, another natural son of King Henry II of Castile. The Cortes de Leiria of 1376 pledged to support Beatrice as heiress of the throne, accepting her betrothal with the Duke of Benavente. The betrothal was solemnized in Leiria on 24 November 1376, and on 3 January 1377 was accepted by King Henry II. Fernando I's will of 1378 ratified all agreements concerning Beatrice, adding that in the absence of Beatrice or any descendants, the Portuguese king's half-brothers, the children of
Inês de Castro Inês de Castro (; in Castilian: Inés; 1325 – 7 January 1355) was a Galician noblewoman and courtier, best known as lover and posthumously-recognized wife of King Peter I of Portugal. The dramatic circumstances of her relationship with Peter ...
(
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
, Diniz and Beatrice) were disinherited, and the throne of Portugal would passed to any hypothetical sisters of Beatrice, and after them, to Duke Fadrique of Benavente. To ensure the succession of the throne in her daughter, Queen Leonor Teles devised a plot against John of Portugal, in which the Queen's own sister María Teles, John's wife, was accused of adultery and killed by her husband in June 1379. Although John later obtained the royal pardon, he opted to flee to Castile, fearful of the Teles family. In May 1379 King Henry II of Castile died and his son
John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...
succeeded him. Once these events were known in the Portuguese court, negotiations began for the betrothal of Beatrice with the first-born son of the new King, the future
Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bo ...
, in order to counter any aspiration of John of Portugal to the throne with the political and military support of the Castilians. The 21 May 1380 agreement stipulated that the wedding would be celebrated when the 3-year-old prince reached the age of 14. It also established the succession. If Beatrice died before the marriage and her father had no more legitimate offspring, the throne would pass to John I of Castile, but if she died after her marriage and without any descendants, it would go to her widower. If Henry died first, without issue by Beatrice, she would remain Queen regnant, but were she then to die without children by a subsequent marriage, the Portuguese throne would pass to the Kings of Castile. In this way the children of Inés de Castro were again denied succession. The marriage agreement was approved in the Cortes de Soria in August 1380. By July 1380, Ferdinand I had changed his politics by secretly allying himself in the Treaty of Estremoz with King
Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...
and the
Duke of Lancaster The Dukedom of Lancaster is an English peerage merged into the crown. It was created three times in the Middle Ages, but finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title ...
, defenders of the 'Petrist' cause. The King of Portugal abandoned
Antipope Clement VII Robert of Geneva, (french: Robert de Genève; 1342 – 16 September 1394) elected to the papacy as Clement VII (french: Clément VII) by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI, was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election le ...
and swore obedience to
Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...
, while his daughter Beatrice was betrothed to
Edward of Norwich Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415) was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was the eldest son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and a grandson of King Edward III of England. He held significant appointme ...
, son of the Earl of Cambridge and grandson of King Peter I of Castile. The negotiations for this alliance brought to Portugal a Petrist exile, Juan Fernández de Andeiro, Count of Ourém, who would later have prominent influence at the Portuguese court. When the Castilian King heard of the agreement thanks to the exiled John of Portugal, he sealed an alliance with France through the Treaty of Vincennes, accepting obedience of his kingdom to the Antipope Clement VII, and he undertook the third Fernandine War. While King Ferdinand I and his counselors were at
Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortress ...
to discuss the war, on 19 July 1382 Queen Leonor Teles gave birth a son and heir, Afonso, who lived only four days, dying on 23 July either by a disease, or according to some sources like the later chronicler
Fernão Lopes Fernão Lopes () (c. 1385 – after 1459) was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained. His way of writing was based on oral discourse, ...
, killed by the king who believed that the newborn prince wasn't his son but product of the affair between his wife and the Count of Ourém. Fernão Lopes states that the court dressed in mourning only for protocol, since most of the courtiers thought Afonso was not the king's son. One month later, on 10 August, the war was concluded with the Peace of Elvas,Suárez Fernández 1981, p. 312. under which a betrothal was celebrated between Beatrice and the second son of John I of Castile, the future Ferdinand I of Aragon. In addition, the Kingdom of Portugal, religiously divided by the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...
, returned to the obedience of Antipope Clement. John I of Castile was widowed in 1382, and the Count of Ourém, favorite of Queen Leonor Teles, negotiated a new betrothal for Beatrice, this time with the Castilian King himself.''Spain and Portugal'', Graeme Mercer Adam ed., J. D. Morris, 1906
/ref> Ferdinand agonized over the proposed marriage. It would seem to secure the succession of Beatrice, because she would have a powerful neighboring monarch as an ally who could counteract the aspirations of John of Portugal and his siblings instead of supporting them, yet on the other hand the Castilian King, having to reside in Castile, would have to leave the affairs of Portugal in the hands of Queen Leonor as regent. The marriage contract was signed on 2 April 1383 in Salvaterra de Magos. The contract stipulated that at the death of Ferdinand I without sons, the crown would pass to Beatrice, and her husband would be titled King of Portugal.O'Callaghan 1983, p. 531.Gebhardt 1864, p. 140. However, both sides agreed that the Kingdoms of Castile and Portugal would not unite, and to guarantee this Queen Leonor Teles would remain as regent and in charge of the government of Portugal until Beatrice had a son who reached 14 years of age, who would then assume the government and title of King of Portugal in place of his parents.Stephens 1891, p. 107. If Beatrice died without surviving children, the crown would pass to other hypothetical sisters, and if there were none it would pass to John I of Castile, and through him to his son Prince Henry, again disinheriting the children of Inês de Castro. The succession of Castile also was stipulated: in case the succession of John and of his two sons failed, the crown would pass to his sister
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was intro ...
, and if she also died without offspring, the Castilian throne would pass to King Ferdinand I Portugal and his descendants. During the preparation of the marriage contract, the King of Castile objected to the dowry assigned to Beatrice and also disagreed that his sons by her had to be raised in Portugal, that Queen Leonor Teles could hold the regency in Portugal, and that the border fortresses had to be in Portuguese hands, but in view that it offered hm the Kingdom of Portugal, these objections were viewed as secondary and he accepted the agreement.
Pedro de Luna Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as in Spanish and Pope Luna in English, was an Aragonese nobleman who, as Benedict XIII, is considered an antipope (see Western Schism) by the Catholic Churc ...
, a pontifical legate for the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Portugal and Navarre, solemnized the betrothal at Elvas on 14 May 1383, and the official wedding ceremony took place on 17 May in
Badajoz Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of Badajoz ( es, Catedral metropolitana de San Juan Bautista de Badajoz) is a Roman Catholic cathedral church in Badajoz, Extremadura, western Spain. Since 1994, together with the Co-cathedra ...
. To ensure compliance with the Treaty, on 21 May a group of Castilian knights and prelates swore to denaturalize from the Kingdom and fight against their monarch if the Castilian King broke the agreements made in the marriage contract, and in the same way a group of Portuguese knights and prelates (among them the Master of Aviz) made the same oath if the Portuguese King broke the treaty with Castile. Later, Beatrice approved in her own name what was agreed at Salvaterra de Magos. Once the wedding took place, she went to live in Castile with her husband. The marriage contract was taken to the Cortes de Santarém of August and September to swear to accept Beatrice and John I of Castile as heirs of Portugal, although these acts were not conserved. For her part, Queen Leonor Teles gave birth on 27 September to a daughter who lived only a few days, so Beatrice remained the only legitimate child of King Ferdinand I.


Crisis of 1383–1385

King Ferdinand I of Portugal died on 22 October 1383. Leonor Teles, his widow, in accordance with the Treaty of Salvaterra and the testament of the deceased monarch, assumed the regency and government of the Kingdom in the name of her daughter. The regent maintained her clique of Castilian Petrists, which strengthened an opposition faction that demanded that the Council of the regent only included councilors of Portuguese origin. News of the death of the Portuguese King came to John I of Castile and Beatrice in Torrijos, and they immediately closed the Cortes in
Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...
. The Master of Aviz wrote to the Castilian monarch urging him to take the Portuguese crown that belonged to him through his wife, and that the Master himself be made regent on their behalf. To avoid dynastic conflicts with John of Portugal (first-born son of Inês de Castro) the Castilian King imprisoned him in the
Alcázar of Toledo The Alcázar of Toledo ( es, Alcázar de Toledo, ) is a stone fortification located in the highest part of Toledo, Spain. It is a large quadrangular building measuring 60 meters on a side, framed by four large towers 60 meters high, each crowned ...
, and there adopted the title and the arms of King of Portugal, which was recognized by
Antipope Clement VII Robert of Geneva, (french: Robert de Genève; 1342 – 16 September 1394) elected to the papacy as Clement VII (french: Clément VII) by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI, was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election le ...
. Later, he convened the Royal Council in Montalbán and sent Alfonso López de Tejeda to Portugal with instructions to the regent to proclaim him and his wife King and Queen of Portugal.Livermore 1947, p. 174. The proclamation was made, but in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
and other places like Elvas and Santarém, a popular rejection was expressed in favor of John of Portugal. John I of Castile decided to lead troops into Portugal to take possession of the Kingdom, against the advice of some members of his Council since it represented a clear contravention of the agreements made in the Treaty of Salvaterra. He had the support of Beatrice's chancellor, Afonso Correia, Bishop of Guarda, who promised him the surrender of the land. John I thus entered in Portugal with Beatrice to ensure the obedience of Portugal and the rights of his wife. For John I of Castile, his marriage allowed him to maintain a protectorate over the Portuguese kingdom and the ability to prevent the English from becoming established in the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
. In addition, the union of Castile and Portugal would benefit the Portuguese nobility, who would have greater expectation of receiving land, titles and positions. Faced with this, the peasants, who had improved their standing as a result of the depopulation of the countryside, feared a reinforcement of the privileges of the nobility while the merchants, artisans, public officials and large sections of the lesser nobility feared their political, social and economic annulment in the face of an increase in the power of the Portuguese high nobility and the threat of a Castilian domination that favored agriculture over trade. Combining opposition to the regent and her ''Petrist'' clique, the expectation of a commercial monopoly, and fears of Castilian dominion and loss of Portuguese independence, uprisings began in Lisbon in late November and early December. The Master of Aviz killed the Count of Ourém, favorite of the regent, and after that there was the uprising of the peasants against the government instigated by Alvaro Pais, in which Martinho Anes, Bishop of Lisbon, was murdered. The uprising spread to the provinces, claiming the lives of the Abbess of the Benedictine cloister in
Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old ...
, the Prior of the collegiate church of
Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and ...
and Lançarote Pessanha, Admiral of Portugal, in Beja, among others. The uprising had the support of the bourgeoisie but not of the nobility,O'Callaghan 1983, p. 532. who maintained their support of the regent. Queen Leonor Teles fled from Lisbon with the court and took refuge in Alenquer. In Lisbon, Alvaro Pais proposed the marriage of the Master of Aviz with the Queen regent so they could jointly assume the regency, but she refused, and with the news of the imminent arrival of the Castilian King, the Master of Aviz was chosen Defender and Regent of the Kingdom on 16 December 1383, invoking the rights of John of Portugal, first-born son of Inês de Castro. The Master of Aviz constituted his own Council in which João das Regras appeared as Chancellor, and requested the aid of England; he also tried to besiege Alenquer, but the Leonor fled to Santarém, so he immediately returned to prepare the defense of Lisbon. In Santarém, Leonor Teles proceeded to recruit an army and sought the help of her son-in-law the King of Castile to defeat the insurgents who didn't accept her regency or recognize her daughter Beatrice as Queen. John I of Castile acted to control the situation in Portugal, leaving a Council of Regency in Castile consisting of Alfonso of Aragon, Marquis of Villena, Pedro Tenorio (
Archbishop of Toledo This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana).
) and Pedro González de Mendoza (First ''Mayordomo'' of the King).Suárez Fernández 1981, p. 315. In early January 1384 John I, together with Beatrice, invaded Portugal via the road to Santarém, following Queen Leonor Teles' call, and a few days later, on 13 January, he obtained from his mother-in-law her resignation of the regency and government. Thus the Castilian King assumed control of the government, and he organized a chancellery, a court, and an army composed essentially of Castilians. After this, many knights and castle governors came to pay homage to him and his wife Beatrice, such as those of Santarem, Ourém,
Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own dist ...
, Montemor-o-Velho, Feira, Penella, Óbidos,
Torres Vedras Torres Vedras () is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Lisbon, approximately north of the capital Lisbon in the Oeste region, in the Centro of Portugal. The population was 83,075, in an area of . History In 1148, Afonso I took ...
, Torres Novas, Alenquer,
Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populate ...
,
Arronches Arronches () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,165, in an area of 314.65 km2. The municipality is located by the Serra de São Mamede in Portalegre District. The present Mayor is Fermelinda Carvalho ( PSD) and the ...
, Alegrete, Amieira, Campo Maior, Olivenza, Portel, Moura,
Mértola Mértola () is a municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2011, the population was 7,274, in an area of approximately : it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portugal. Meanwhile, it is the second-lowest popula ...
,
Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...
, Lanhoso,
Valença do Minho Valença may refer to: People *Marquis of Valença, a Portuguese title of nobility *Count of Valença, a Portuguese title of nobility *Alceu Valença (born 1946), a Brazilian composer * Valença (footballer) (born 1982), full name Manoel Cordeir ...
, Melgaço,
Vila Nova de Cerveira Vila Nova de Cerveira (, ) is a municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,253,Viana do Castelo,
Ponte de Lima Ponte de Lima () is the oldest ''vila'' (chartered town, head of a municipality) in Portugal. It is part of the district of Viana do Castelo. The population in 2011 was 43,498, in an area of 320.25 km2. The town proper has about 2,800 inhabi ...
, Guimarães,
Caminha Caminha () is a municipality in the north-west of Portugal, 21 km north from Viana do Castelo, located in the Viana do Castelo District. The population in 2011 was 16,684, in an area of 136.52 km². Caminha is subdivided into 14 civil pa ...
, Bragança,
Vinhais Vinhais (; cel-x-proto, Veniatia) is a municipality in the district of Bragança, northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,066, in an area of 694.76 km2. The present mayor is Américo Afonso Pereira, elected by the Socialist Party. T ...
, Chaves, Monforte,
Miranda do Douro Miranda do Douro () or Miranda de l Douro in Mirandese () is a city and a municipality in the district of Bragança, northeastern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,482, in an area of 487.18 km². The town proper had a population of 1,9 ...
,
Montalegre Montalegre () is a municipality in northern Portugal, located in the district of Vila Real, along the border with Spain. The population in 2011 was 10,537, in an area of 805.46 km². History Early construction in Montalegre date back 3500 ...
,
Mirandela Mirandela () is a city and a municipality in northeastern Portugal. The city itself has a population of about 15,000. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 23,850, in an area of 658.96 km². Mirandela is famous for its cuisine, par ...
, Castelo Rodrigo, Almeida,
Penamacor Penamacor ( or ) is a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,682, in an area of . The mayor is António Luís Beites Soares. The municipal holiday is Easter Monday. Parishes Administratively ...
, Guarda,
Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and ...
and
Celorico da Beira Celorico da Beira () is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The municipality population in 2011 was 7,693, However, Queen Leonor began to conspire against her son-in-law, and for this she was sent to the Monastery of Tordesillas. This provided the Master of Avís with further justification for the revolt because the terms of the Treaty of Salvaterra had been violated, and in addition it split the nobility that had mostly supported Leonor, with several of them, such as the Chancellor of the regent, Lourenço Eanes Fogaça, allying with the Master of Aviz. Although he counted on the support of the majority of the Portuguese aristocracy, King John I couldn't repeat the Castilian triumphs of the Fernandine Wars and failed before Coimbra and Lisbon. On 3 September 1384 he left garrisons in the cities of his supporters, returned to Castile and asked for help to the King of France. Beatrice also left Portugal for what turned out to be the last time. Meanwhile, the Master of Aviz attempted to seize loyal cities from his adversaries, and although he took Almada and Alenquer, he failed in Sintra, Torres-Novas and Torres Vedras. He then went to Coimbra, where he had summoned Cortes for March 1385. There, Beatrice was declared illegitimate because the marriage of her parents was considered invalid, and on 6 April they proclaimed the Master of Aviz as King
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
. After the Cortes, the new sovereign undertook a campaign to control the north of the Kingdom, and thus obtained Viana do Castelo, Braga and Guimarães. John I of Castile again entered Portugal, this time via Ciudad Rodrigo and Celorico, but his army's defeats at Trancoso and
Aljubarrota Aljubarrota is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality of Alcobaça, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the parishes of Prazeres and São Vicente. Its population in 2011 was 6,639Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
river until he met his fleet around Lisbon, and in September, the Castilian fleet returned to Castile. John I of Portugal then gained control of the cities that were still opposed to him. Around Santarém, he took over the region north of the Duero where Portuguese knights still maintained fidelity to Beatrice and John I of Castile: Villareal de Pavões, Chaves and Bragança capitulated in late March 1386, and Almeida in early June.


Legitimism and truces with Portugal

The Castilian disaster at Aljubarrota produced an exodus towards Castile of Portuguese clerics who had remained faithful to
Antipope Clement VII Robert of Geneva, (french: Robert de Genève; 1342 – 16 September 1394) elected to the papacy as Clement VII (french: Clément VII) by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI, was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election le ...
(their maintenance being undertaken by Queen Beatrice, who also requested benefits for them from the Antipopes at Avignon) and nobles, who initially didn't receive substantial compensation since they were expected to return to Portugal. Aljubarrota also renewed the aspirations of the descendants of King
Peter of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...
: his daughter Constance and her husband
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
. On 9 May 1386, Portugal and England signed the Treaty of Windsor, and John of Gaunt, his wife and their daughter,
Catherine of Lancaster Catherine of Lancaster ( Castilian: ''Catalina''; 31 March 1373 – 2 June 1418) was Queen of Castile by marriage to King Henry III of Castile. She governed Castile as regent from 1406 until 1418 during the minority of her son. Queen Catherin ...
, arrived in
Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...
in July. John I of Castile immediately called the Cortes in Segovia to assure the defense of the Kingdom, and in addition rehabilitated John of Portugal, first-born son of Inês de Castro, entrusting him the regency of Portugal in his and his wife's names, with the goal of undermining the position of his half-brother King John I of Portugal. Given the scant results of the Anglo-Portuguese campaign and the loss of support in Galicia, John of Gaunt and John I of Castile signed the Treaty of
Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...
on 8 July 1388, under the terms of which John of Gaunt and his wife renounced to all their rights over the Castilian throne in favor of the marriage of their daughter Catherine with the first-born son and heir of John I of Castile, the future Henry III. The interruption of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
with the Truce of Leulinghem motivated the Truce of Monção on 23 November 1389 between Castile and Portugal, under which cities both sides had occupied were restored, but the dynastic claims of Beatrice remained pending. The recovery of Portugal was still on the mind of the Castilian monarch; in 1390, celebrating Cortes in Guadalajara, he proposed to his Council his abdication to dedicate himself completely to Portugal. His death on 9 October 1390, generated a power struggle to constitute the regency, so the Portugal issue was postponed with the renewal of the truce in 1393. Throughout these struggles, they preserved the dispositions King John I had made in his testament, written at Celorico da Beira in 1385, that provided for the economic maintenance of the household of the now-Dowager Queen Beatrice, on which depended the Portuguese exiles who had followed her to Castile. The testament also made reference to the doctrinal part of the inheritance rights, but there is disagreement over their intent. Olivera Serrano indicates that John I recognized his wife Beatrice as the legitimate queen of Portugal, and she died without legitimate descendants, the rights would be passed to Henry III, according to the terms of the Treaty of Salvaterra de Magos in 1383, while the mention of Papal arbitration was merely to dictate and ratify that the rights of succession over Portugal would indeed belong to Henry III after Beatrice's death. Oliveira Martins indicates that the Pope had to decide who should be the ruler of Portugal after the death of the Castilian King, whether it should pass to Beatrice or to her stepson Henry III. The dynastic rights of Beatrice would for decades constitute an insurmountable obstacle to the normalization of relations between the Kingdoms of Castile and Portugal, a situation that could only be completely resolved in 1431 after the signing of the Treaty of Medina del Campo. Beatrice's presence in the Kingdom of Castile was beneficial to the aspirations of the
House of Trastámara The House of Trastámara ( Spanish, Aragonese and Catalan: Casa de Trastámara) was a royal dynasty which first ruled in the Crown of Castile and then expanded to the Crown of Aragon in the late middle ages to the early modern period. They were ...
over Portugal, because the Dowager Queen represented the dynastic legitimacy against the illegitimacy of the
House of Aviz The House of Aviz ( Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese origin which flourished during the Renaissance and the period of the Portuguese discoveries, when Portugal ...
. During the reign of Henry III there was a greater Portuguese exodus to Castile, the common factor of which was the rejection of the House of Aviz, and the Castilian King granted the exiles some compensation for their losses in Portugal. These exiles would reject good relations between the Kingdom of Castile and the House of Aviz, and also tended to maintain networks of kinship consistent with their allegiances, and thus the exiled adherents of Beatrice settled in cities where the Dowager Queen had influence, like Toro or
Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
. John I of Portugal reinitiated warfare between 1396 and 1399 to force favorable clauses in a peace treaty, but his results weren't what he expected. In the negotiations that culminated in the truce of 1402, the Castilians persisted in maintaining the rights of Beatrice and proposed a marriage between her and Afonso, first-born son of John I of Portugal, but this union was rejected because it would have relegated the House of Aviz. Henry III also raised his own inheritance rights in Portugal on the basis that Kings Ferdinand I of Portugal and John I of Castile had been first cousins. The death of Henry III in 1406 marked a new direction in the relations with Portugal. While the life of Beatrice in Castile didn't change since the testament of the King indicated that the provisions made by his father for her should be respected, the government of the Castilian kingdom was now in the hands of a co-regency in the name of the infant King John II between his mother, Catherine of Lancáster. and his paternal uncle, Infante Ferdinand; however, their political differences forced the division of the Kingdom of Castile between them for his administration. As to peace with Portugal, Catherine favored her brother-in-law, the Portuguese King, while Ferdinand favored the position of legitimacy, which maintained the cordiality between Beatrice and Ferdinand, her youngest stepson. The disagreement between the regents prevented peace with Portugal and the truces were renewed only in 1407. The death of King Martin of Aragon in 1410 and Ferdinand's aspirations to the Aragonese throne made him more conciliatory toward Portugal. Ferdinand still maintained the superiority and legitimacy of his family's dynastic rights, but in the negotiations that developed into the provisional treaty of 1411, the dynastic question and the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...
remained separate from the settlement in other points of friction: the Castilians promised not to wage war with Portugal for Beatrice's rights or the Western Schism, and agreed to suppress any claims by the exiles faithful to Beatrice over their confiscated property or indemnifications prior to the year 1402. The problem concerning the Western Schism was solved at the
Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the r ...
(1414–1418). The new elected Pope,
Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...
, recognized the King of Portugal, and thus in the bull ''Sane Charissumus'' of April 1418 he asked the Christian sovereigns to help the Portuguese monarch in his fight against the
Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...
. The death of King Ferdinand I of Aragon in 1416 and the deposition of
Antipope Benedict XIII Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as in Spanish and Pope Luna in English, was an Aragonese nobleman who, as Benedict XIII, is considered an antipope (see Western Schism) by the Catholic Church ...
in 1417, eliminated the only remaining support that Beatrice retained. The power struggle in Castile between
Álvaro de Luna Álvaro de Luna y Fernández de Jarava (between 1388 and 13902 June 1453), was a Castilian statesman, favourite of John II of Castile. He served as Constable of Castile and as Grand Master of the Order of Santiago. He earned great influence i ...
and the Infantes of Aragon, brothers of King
Alfonso V of Aragon Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the ...
, made Portugal a factor in support of the Infantes of Aragon, so Álvaro de Luna tried to eliminate this with a lasting peace. The Treaty of Medina del Campo of 30 October 1431 established that the rights of Beatrice died with her, and King John II renounced any rights that may have fallen to him through the kinship between Ferdinand I of Portugal and John I of Castile. In addition, the Castilian king accepted the House of Aviz as part of his family by virtue of the kinship between Catherine of Lancaster, mother of the Castilian King, and her half-sister,
Philippa of Lancaster Philippa of Lancaster ( pt, Filipa ; 31 March 1360 – 19 July 1415) was Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415 by marriage to King John I. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor and produced severa ...
, wife of the Portuguese King. The Portuguese exiles in Castile were denied any rights or compensation in Portugal.


Life in Castile

In 1376, when Beatrice was sworn heiress to Portugal in the Cortes de Leiria, she received a patrimony for the maintenance of her own household, though it was controlled by her mother. The Queen's favorite, Juan Fernández de Andeiro, was Beatrice's First ''Mayordomo''. Following her marriage, rather than including territorial incomes, the dowry of the princess consisted of money that King John I of Castile had to accept with the prospect of obtaining the Kingdom of Portugal. As a minor, her husband retained her custody, but since 1385, when she attained her legal majority, Beatrice was able to sign and seal her own documents. As Queen consort of Castile, she maintained her household, in which Juan Rodríguez Portocarrero served as First ''Mayordomo'', and her Chancellor was the Bishop of Guarda, Afonso Correia, who would be succeeded by the lawyer Vicente Arias de Balboa. Beatrice's patrimony in Castile varied over the years, since the Castilian monarchs had to reward other relatives according to the political interests of the moment. Some provisions concerning the patrimony of Beatrice in the testament of John I of Castile, dated in 1385, couldn't be fulfilled in 1392 when the regency of Henry III revised the testament. Although as wife of the Castilian King she had jurisdiction over
Tordesillas Tordesillas () is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain. It is located southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of . The population was c. 9,000 . The town is located ...
,
San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is approximately 3,500. The town is located in the Wool Route and the Way of the Cid, the route of the exile of ...
,
Cuéllar Cuéllar () is a municipality in the Province of Segovia, within the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) as of 1 Jan ...
, Peñafiel,
Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area. History Medina del Campo grew in importance thanks to its fairs ...
and Olmedo, when she became a widow she only retained Béjar and
Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
. In 1396, Henry III exchanged Béjar for
Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. History It was founded ...
and the
merindad ''Merindad'' () is a Mediaeval Spanish administrative term for a country subdivision smaller than a province but larger than a municipality. The officer in charge of a merindad was called a merino, roughly equivalent to the English ''count'' or ...
of Valladolid. Her marriage with John I of Castile was childless, although a son called Miguel is mentioned in several genealogies of the 17th and 18th centuries and even in some modern history books,Olivera Serrano, 2005, p. 42, 354 (footnote 2), 397 (footnote 111). probably representing confusion with Miguel da Paz, the grandson of the
Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
. From 1390 Beatrice, now an 18-year-old widow, remained in the shadows, distanced from the intrigues of the court. Nevertheless, she still had a visible presence in the Castilian court, maintaining a relationship in a wider social circle than the group of Portuguese exiles. During the regency of John II of Castile, she settled in Ciudad Real, and as appears from her letters, she seems to have retired to Toro after the treaty of 1411. In 1409 she received the marriage proposal of a
Duke of Austria This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, ...
, member of the
House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
. She rejected it since it would have led to the loss of her Castilian patrimony, which would have harmed her Portuguese exile partisans, and she needed to retain the ability to make the type of political marriage that would have been necessary for a hypothetical return to Portugal. Beatrice maintained a close relationship with her stepson Ferdinand (later King of Aragon), supporting his family, and especially ''Infante'' Henry, intervening to support his election as Grand Master of the
Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...
in 1410. In 1419 Beatrice sent Juan González de Sevilla, professor of the
University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...
and later Bishop of
Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
, to appeal to Pope Martin V asking for the type of permissions usually granted to a person preparing to die. No documentary evidence of her death has survived, but her properties were dispersed, granted to the constable Álvaro de Luna from 1420, and in June 1420 Toro appears to have reverted to the Crown. Juan González de Sevilla, who was in charge of representing Beatrice as her ambassador before the pope, stopped referring to himself in this manner from April 1420. In April 1423 a new truce with Portugal was agreed upon that discussed the inheritance and succession of Beatrice, which suggests she had already died.


Status as monarch

There has been some actual debate as to whether Beatrice should be counted as a monarch or not. In recent decades, a historiographical current of Spanish and Portuguese authors defend that she was titular Queen of Portugal between 22 October and the middle of December 1383. Some historians counted Beatrice as the queen of Portugal during 1383–1385. However, the majority of the Portuguese historians have argued that during the 1383–1385 period Portugal had no monarch, and in Portugal Beatrice is not counted as a
queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...
. The Portuguese rebellion was not the only challenge to her accession, she also faced competing claims of her own husband. Many Portuguese nobles of the pro-Castillian faction also recognized her husband, King John I of Castile, as their ''
jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...
'' monarch, rendering him vassalage and obedience, as, for example, did Lopo Gomes de Lira in Minho. As can be read in his 21 July 1385 testament written at
Celorico da Beira Celorico da Beira () is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The municipality population in 2011 was 7,693,Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
should decide whether Beatrice or his son (her stepson) Henry should be the sovereign of Portugal.Oliveira Martins, portuguese historian of the nineteenth century, «The life of Nun' Alvares», page 261, 2009, Guimarães Editores, SA,


Ancestry


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Beatrice Of Portugal 1373 births 1420s deaths 14th-century Portuguese people 14th-century Portuguese women 15th-century Portuguese people 15th-century Portuguese women Castilian queen consorts Galician queens consort House of Burgundy-Portugal House of Trastámara Leonese queen consorts People from Coimbra People of the 1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum Portuguese infantas Daughters of kings