The Queen Consort in Castile and Portugal: María de Aragon (b. 1403 –d. 1445), Queen of Castile and Leonor de Aragon (b. 1405/1408–d. 1445), Queen of Portugal

Abstract

This chapter argues that to fulfil the interests of both the spouses and their original family, Maria projected herself as a Castilian infanta while Leonor built up the image of an Aragonese princess. The construction of the political identity of queens consort was a long and complex process, paramount to the subsequent performance and relevance in the configuration of monarchical power. In May 1428 Leonor of Aragon, while en route to Portugal to meet her husband, travelled to Valladolid to visit the king of Castile. In his last will and testament, he had entrusted her with the guardianship of their children and the regency of the realm. While the circumstances of their marriages were quite different and led them to assume distinctive identities from the very outset of their reigns, during their life as consorts Maria and Leonor adhered to a similar model of queenship, one they had learned from their mother.