Constance of Burgundy
Encyclopedia
Constance of Burgundy was the daughter of Duke Robert I of Burgundy and Helie de Semur-en-Brionnais. She was Queen consort of Castile
and León
by her marriage to Alfonso VI of Castile
. She was the granddaughter of King Robert II of France
, the second monarch of the French Capetian dynasty
. She was the mother of Urraca of León, who succeeded her father in both Castile and León.
In late 1079, Constance remarried to Alfonso VI of Castile
. He had previously been married to Agnes of Aquitaine, who he had either divorced or had been widowed by. The marriage of Constance and Alfonso initially faced papal opposition, apparently due to Constance's kinship with Agnes (both of them having connections to Burgundy).
Constance was instrumental in having the Roman Rite
replace the Visigothic right in the churches of Castile
.
Throughout their marriage endured her husband's infidelities. Alfonso took Zaida of Seville
as a mistress, she was an Iberian Muslim
.
Constance and Alfonso had several children but only one of these lived to adulthood:
Constance died in 1093 leaving her fourteen year old daughter and her husband a widower. He went onto marry Zaida, and up to three times after her death.
and was buried in the Monastery of St. Facundo and Primitivo, where her husband, King Alfonso VI would be buried along with all his wives.
The grave contained that remains of Alfonso VI was destroyed in 1810 during a fire in the Monastery. The remains of the king and several of his wives, including those of Constance, were collected and kept in the abbot's chamber until 1821. When the religious were expelled from the monastery, they were then deposited by Abbot Ramon Joys in a box that was placed on the south wall of the chapel of the Crucifix, until, in January 1835, the remains were collected and placed in another box, being brought to the archive. The purpose was to place all remaining interests in a new sanctuary that was being built then. However, when the monastery of San Benito was disentailed in 1835, the monks gave the two boxes containing the actual remains to the relative of a priest, who hid them until 1902 were found by the professor Zamora Rodrigo Fernández Núñez.
Today, the remains of Alfonso VI are buried in the Benedictine Monastery at Sahagun, at the foot of the temple, in a stone chest covered with smooth, modern marble and in a tomb near equally plain, lie the remains of several of the king's wives, including those of Constance.
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
by her marriage to Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
. She was the granddaughter of King Robert II of France
Robert II of France
Robert II , called the Pious or the Wise , was King of France from 996 until his death. The second reigning member of the House of Capet, he was born in Orléans to Hugh Capet and Adelaide of Aquitaine....
, the second monarch of the French Capetian dynasty
Capetian dynasty
The Capetian dynasty , also known as the House of France, is the largest and oldest European royal house, consisting of the descendants of King Hugh Capet of France in the male line. Hugh Capet himself was a cognatic descendant of the Carolingians and the Merovingians, earlier rulers of France...
. She was the mother of Urraca of León, who succeeded her father in both Castile and León.
Life
In 1065, Constance married her first husband, Hughes II, Count of Chalon. They were married for fourteen years until Hughes' death in 1079, they had no children.In late 1079, Constance remarried to Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
. He had previously been married to Agnes of Aquitaine, who he had either divorced or had been widowed by. The marriage of Constance and Alfonso initially faced papal opposition, apparently due to Constance's kinship with Agnes (both of them having connections to Burgundy).
Constance was instrumental in having the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
replace the Visigothic right in the churches of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
.
Throughout their marriage endured her husband's infidelities. Alfonso took Zaida of Seville
Zaida of Seville
Zaida of Seville was a refugee Muslim princess who was a mistress and then perhaps queen of Alfonso VI of Castile.She is said by Iberian Muslim sources to have been the daughter-in-law of Al Mutamid, the Muslim King of Seville, wife of his son Abu al Fatah al Ma'Mun, Emir of Cordoba,...
as a mistress, she was an Iberian Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
.
Constance and Alfonso had several children but only one of these lived to adulthood:
- Urraca (b. April 1079 – March 8, 1126) Queen of Castile and León in her own right. Married firstly to Raymond of BurgundyRaymond of BurgundyRaymond of Burgundy was the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy, and was Count of Amous. He came to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time during the period 1086–1087 with Odo I, Duke of Burgundy...
, had issue. Married secondly to Alfonso the BattlerAlfonso the BattlerAlfonso I , called the Battler or the Warrior , was the king of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I...
, no issue.
Constance died in 1093 leaving her fourteen year old daughter and her husband a widower. He went onto marry Zaida, and up to three times after her death.
Burial
After her death, the corpse of Constance was taken to the town of SahagunSahagún
Sahagún can refer to:*Sahagún, Spain, a town and monastery in Léon, Spain. Cradle of the Mudéjar architecture*Sahagún, Córdoba, the second town in population in Córdoba Department, Colombia, also called "The Cultural City of Cordoba"People...
and was buried in the Monastery of St. Facundo and Primitivo, where her husband, King Alfonso VI would be buried along with all his wives.
The grave contained that remains of Alfonso VI was destroyed in 1810 during a fire in the Monastery. The remains of the king and several of his wives, including those of Constance, were collected and kept in the abbot's chamber until 1821. When the religious were expelled from the monastery, they were then deposited by Abbot Ramon Joys in a box that was placed on the south wall of the chapel of the Crucifix, until, in January 1835, the remains were collected and placed in another box, being brought to the archive. The purpose was to place all remaining interests in a new sanctuary that was being built then. However, when the monastery of San Benito was disentailed in 1835, the monks gave the two boxes containing the actual remains to the relative of a priest, who hid them until 1902 were found by the professor Zamora Rodrigo Fernández Núñez.
Today, the remains of Alfonso VI are buried in the Benedictine Monastery at Sahagun, at the foot of the temple, in a stone chest covered with smooth, modern marble and in a tomb near equally plain, lie the remains of several of the king's wives, including those of Constance.