Constanza Manuel

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

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

File:Coat of Arms of Constance of Peñafiel as Queen of Castile.svg

Coat of arms of Constance of Peñafiel as Queen Consort of Castile.

Constanza Manuel of Villena (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.

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.

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 infanta. 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

• Maria (1342 – aft. 1375), married to Infante Ferdinand of Aragon, son of Alfonso IV of Aragon.
• Louis (1344).
• Ferdinand I of Portugal (31 October 1345 – 29 October 1383), 9th King of Portugal.

Ancestry

Family of Constanza Manuel

16. Alfonso IX of León               8. Ferdinand III of Castile                       17. Berengaria of Castile               4. Manuel of Castile                             18. Philip of Swabia               9. Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen                       19. Irene Angelina               2. Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena                                   20. Thomas I of Savoy               10. Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy                       21. Margaret of Geneva               5. Beatrice of Savoy                             22. Barral of Baux               11. Cecile of Baux                       23. Sibylle d'Anduze               1. Constance of Peñafiel                                         24. James I of Aragon               12. Peter III of Aragon                       25. Violant of Hungary               6. James II of Aragon                             26. Manfred of Sicily               13. Constance of Sicily                       27. Beatrice of Savoy               3. Constance of Aragon                                   28. Charles I of Naples               14. Charles II of Naples                       29. Beatrice of Provence               7. Blanche of Anjou                             30. Stephen V of Hungary               15. Mary of Hungary                       31. Elizabeth the Cuman

Bibliography

Constanza Manuel 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