María de Molina
Encyclopedia
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
. She was queen consort 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...
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...
from 1284 to 1295 and then regent until the coming of age of her son Ferdinand IV
Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
.
Biography
María de Molina was an infanta (princess) from the Kingdom of León. She was the daughter of the infante Alfonso of MolinaAlfonso of Molina
Alfonso of León, Lord of Molina was a Prince of León and Castile, the son of King Alfonso IX of León and his second wife Queen Berengaria of Castile. He was the brother of King Ferdinand III of Castile and León, and father of Queen Maria of Molina, wife of King Sancho IV...
and Mayor Alonso de Meneses. Her paternal grandparents were King Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX of Leon
Alfonso IX was king of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death...
and Queen Berengaria of Castile.
She married her cousin Sancho of Castile in 1281, the second son of Alfonso X
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
the Learned, although the matrimonial dispensation for kinship was not previously granted.
Upon the death of Alfonso X, she became queen consort after her husband was crowned king of Castile and León as Sancho IV. His reign was short since he died in 1295.
After the death of Sancho IV, his eldest son Ferdinand IV, under age, was crowned with Maria de Molina as regent queen. Shortly after a series of quarrels broke out in Castile and León. The legitimacy of Ferdinand IV was questioned by his ambitious uncles, the infantes John and Henry, and by his cousins the infantes de la Cerda, sons of the infante Alfonso, eldest son of Alfonso X on the grounds of the lack of matrimonial dispensation. The objection was supported by King James II of Aragon
James II of Aragon
James II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
and King Denis of Portugal
Denis of Portugal
Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...
, whose army invaded Castile in 1296.
The political skill, boldness and perseverance of María de Molina succeeded in turning her adversaries against each other. The invasion from Aragon and Portugal was defeated and the rights of Ferdinand IV were established. Besides, in 1301, a papal bull declared the marriage between Sancho IV and María de Molina valid.
After Ferdinand IV coming of age, María de Molina delivered the regency to him and abandoned
politics. However, she had to endure the annoyances and disregards from her son who did not deserve nor was grateful to María's saving of his throne.
María de Molina died in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
in 1321.
Children
- Isabella of CastileIsabella of Castile, Duchess of BrittanyInfanta Isabella of Castile , Viscountess of Limoges, was the first Queen consort of James II of Aragon and the second wife of John III, Duke of Brittany.-Family:...
(1283–1328). Married first James II of AragonJames II of AragonJames II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
and secondly John III, Duke of BrittanyJohn III, Duke of BrittanyJohn III the Good was duke of Brittany, from 1312 to his death. He was son of Duke Arthur II and Mary of Limoges, his first wife...
. - Ferdinand IVFerdinand IV of CastileFerdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
(1285–1312). - Alfonso (1286–1291)
- Henry (1288–1299)
- Peter of Castile (1290–1319). Married Maria of AragonMaria of Aragon (1299-1316)Maria of Aragon was a daughter of James II of Aragon and his second wife Blanche of Anjou.She married the Infante Peter of Castile , son of Sancho IV of Castile. Their daughter, Blanche of Castile , married and later divorced Peter I of Portugal. Maria died at Sijena in 1316....
, daughter of James II of AragonJames II of AragonJames II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
. - Philip (1292–1327). Married his cousin Margarita de la Cerda, daughter of Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of CastileFerdinand de la Cerda, Infante of CastileDon Ferdinand de la Cerda was the Crown Prince of Castile, eldest son of King Alfonso X of Castile and Violant of Aragon. His nickname, de la Cerda, means "of the bristle" in Spanish, a reference to being born with a strand of thick hair running down his chest.In November 1268 he married Princess...
. - Beatrice of Castile (1293–1359). Married Afonso IV of PortugalAfonso IV of PortugalAfonso IV , called the Brave , was the seventh king of Portugal and the Algarve from 1325 until his death. He was the only legitimate son of King Denis of Portugal by his wife Elizabeth of Aragon.-Biography:...
.