Teresa of Portugal
Encyclopedia
Theresa of Portugal was Queen of Léon as the first wife of King Alfonso IX of Léon
. She was the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal
and Dulce of Aragon.
Theresa was the mother to three of Alfonso's children - two daughters and a son who died young - but when her marriage to Alfonso was declared invalid because they were first cousins, she returned to her home in Lorvão, Kingdom of Portugal. There, she founded a Benedictine
monastery
. Soon after, she converted the monastery into a large Cistercian convent, with over 300 nuns.
In 1230, Alfonso died after having several children with a second wife, Queen Berengaria of Castile. This second marriage was also annulled because Berengaria was Alfonso's first cousin once removed. With two invalidated marriages, there was dispute among the children as to who would inherit the throne. Theresa stepped in and allowed Ferdinand III of Castile
, Berengaria's eldest son, to take the throne of León
. After the succession dispute, Theresa returned to Lorvão and finally took her convent vows after years of living as a nun. She died in the convent on June 18, 1250 of natural causes.
On December 13, 1705 Theresa was beatified by Pope Clement XI
's papal bull
Sollicitudo Pastoralis Offici, along with her sister Sancha of Portugal. Her Catholic
feast day is June 17.
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...
. She was the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal
Sancho I of Portugal
Sancho I , nicknamed the Populator , second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father...
and Dulce of Aragon.
Theresa was the mother to three of Alfonso's children - two daughters and a son who died young - but when her marriage to Alfonso was declared invalid because they were first cousins, she returned to her home in Lorvão, Kingdom of Portugal. There, she founded a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
. Soon after, she converted the monastery into a large Cistercian convent, with over 300 nuns.
In 1230, Alfonso died after having several children with a second wife, Queen Berengaria of Castile. This second marriage was also annulled because Berengaria was Alfonso's first cousin once removed. With two invalidated marriages, there was dispute among the children as to who would inherit the throne. Theresa stepped in and allowed Ferdinand III of Castile
Ferdinand III of Castile
Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
, Berengaria's eldest son, to take the throne of 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...
. After the succession dispute, Theresa returned to Lorvão and finally took her convent vows after years of living as a nun. She died in the convent on June 18, 1250 of natural causes.
On December 13, 1705 Theresa was beatified by Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
's papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Sollicitudo Pastoralis Offici, along with her sister Sancha of Portugal. Her Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
feast day is June 17.