Berenguela (or Berengaria) (1180 – November 8, 1246), was briefly queen of Castile and León. The eldest daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Leonora of England, she was briefly engaged to Conrad II, Duke of Swabia, but he was murdered in 1196 before they could be married. Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Go-Saga, emperor of Japan. ... Coat of arms Kingdom of Castile in the 15th century. ... Coat of arms Kingdom of León, 1030 Capital León Language(s) Mainly Latin and Astur-Leonese. ... Alfonso VIII, centre, and Queen Eleanor, left. ... Queen Leonora (October 13, 1162 – October 31, 1214), was born as Princess Eleanor of England (and Aquitaine) and became Leonora, Queen of Castile as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. ... Conrad II of Hohenstaufen (1173 – August 15, 1196) was duke of Swabia from 1191 to his death and Duke of Rothenburg (1188-1191). ...

Berenguela married Alfonso IX of Leon of León in 1198, but this was annulled in 1204 by Pope Innocent III because they were second cousins. Berenguela and Alfonso had five children, including one who died in infancy, and when she returned to her father's court in Castile, she brought her children with her to Otella. Alfonso IX of León (August 15, 1171 â€“ September 23 or 24, 1230; ruled from 1188–1230), first cousin of Alfonso VIII of Castile, and numbered next to him as being a junior member of the family, is said by Ibn Khaldun to have been called the Baboso or Slobberer... Pope Innocent III (c. ...

Berenguela often found herself politically at odds with her former husband. Alfonso had two daughters, Sancha and Dulce, by his first wife, Teresa of Portugal, and wished to disinherit Berenguela's children in favor of these daughters. To this end, he invited John of Brienne to marry his eldest daughter, Sancha, and thus inherit John's kingdom. Berenguela sabotaged this plan by convincing John of Brienne to marry her own daughter, also named Berenguela, instead. Later, on September 24, 1230 when Alfonso died, Berenguela and Fernando acted to set aside the rights of Sancha and Dulce by offering them a lifetime appanage, which they accepted. This was done so that, with Berenguela's aid, he could assume the Leonese throne. The coronation of John of Brienne as King of Jerusalem, with Maria of Montferrat, from a late 13th century MS of the Histoire dOutremer, painted in Acre. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Kingdom of Leon unites with the Kingdom of Castile. ...

When her brother Henry died by accident in 1217, Berenguela renounced her rights to the throne, in favor of her son Fernando. Thereafter she served as the king's motherly advisor; according to the Cronica Latina, her "total intent and desire being to procure honor for her son in every way possible". Berenguela helped quell the rebellious nobles, and then arranged for Fernando to marry a high-born wife, Beatriz (Beatrix) of Swabia. Henry I of Castile, king of Castile and Leon, son of Alfonso VIII of Castile, and his wife Eleonor Plantegenet, (daughter of Henry II of England and Eleonor of Aquitaine), was born in 1204. ... United arms of Castile and León which Ferdinand first used. ...

Berenguela maintained strong connections with her sister Blanca, who was Queen of France. It was Blanche who suggested sending Jeanne of Ponthieu as a bride for Fernando after his first wife's death. Blanche of Castile (March 4, 1188 – November 26, 1252), wife of Louis VIII of France. ... Jeanne of Dammartin or Joan of Dammartin (b. ...

Sources

• Shadis, Miriam. Berenguela of Castile's Political Motherhood, 1996