Eleanor of Alburquerque

Eleanor of Alburquerque (1374 – 16 December 1435) was a Castilian noblewoman, Countess of Alburquerque, who became Queen of Aragon by her marriage to Ferdinand I of Aragon. She was the regent of Aragon during the absence of her son the king in 1420.

Family
Eleanor was born in Aldeadávila de la Ribera, province of Salamanca. Her father was Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque, who was an illegitimate son of King Alfonso XI of Castile and his mistress Eleanor of Guzman, and a brother of King Henry II of Castile. Her mother was Infanta Beatrice, Countess of Alburquerque, who was daughter of Peter I of Portugal and Ines de Castro.

Marriage and queenship
Eleanor was originally betrothed to Frederick, illegitimate son of Henry II of Castile, however this engagement was broken off.

Upon the death of John I of Castile on 9 October 1390, the Regency Council addressed the issue of the heir presumptive, Infante Henry, at the time eleven years of age and his brother, Infante Ferdinand, who was then ten years old. It was agreed that Ferdinand could not marry before his brother Henry reached the age of fourteen. Then he would be granted the political and social privileges of majority.

Peter I of Castile was murdered in March 1369 by his bastard brother Henry. The representatives of the clergy, the nobility, the state of the gentry and merchants, as well as the authorized legal representatives of some Castilian cities agreed that Henry's grandson Infante Henry should marry the granddaughter of the murdered Peter, the English princess Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. And as soon as the eldest brother, Henry III, met these requirements, his younger brother, Prince Ferdinand, would marry a good, honorable and rich wife.

Eleanor of Alburquerque was the chosen one, as she was sixteen and old enough to marry. She expressed her agreement to the marriage, although it could not take place immediately as Ferdinand was still ten years old. She owned the towns of Haro, Briones, Vilforado, Ledesma with the five towns, Albuquerque, the Codesera, Azagala, Alconchel, Medellin, Alconétar and Villalon, a gift from her cousin John I of Castile. This made Eleanor a very attractive offer to Ferdinand.

In 1394, Eleanor and Ferdinand were married. The marriage is described as a happy one. In 1412, Ferdinand and Eleanor became King and Queen of Aragon after the Compromise of Caspe. Eleanor was crowned in 1414.

Later life
Ferdinand died in 1416, aged 35 years. Eleanor, who was then 42 years old, retired to Medina del Campo. When her son the king left for Italy in 1420, he appointed her to act as his regent during his absence.

The Royal Palace of Medina del Campo, birthplace of her husband and her children, was transformed into the Convent of Santa María la Real. There, Eleanor witnessed her children fighting against the royalist party led by Álvaro de Luna. Eleanor lost some of her possessions as a benefit for the latter.

In 1435 her sons, the princes of Aragon were taken prisoners by the Genoese after the naval battle of Ponza.

Eleanor died in Medina del Campo, province of Valladolid, in 1435. She is buried in the Convent of Santa María la Real, in a simple grave on the floor. It has a tombstone made from a dark stone from Toledo, with the royal coat of arms carved into it.

Issue
She had seven children:
 * Alfonso V of Aragon (1394–1458), also king of Sicily and Naples
 * Maria of Aragon, first wife of John II of Castile, (1396–1445)
 * John II of Aragon (1398–1479)
 * Henry of Aragon, Duke of Villena, Count of Alburquerque, Count of Empuries and Grand Master of the Order of Santiago (1400–1445)
 * Sancho of Aragon (c.1400–March 1416). Created Grand Master of the Orders of Calatrava and Alcántara after 1412.
 * Eleanor of Aragon, who married Edward I of Portugal, (1402–1445)
 * Pedro of Aragon, Count of Alburquerque and Duke of Noto (1406–1438)