Leonor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Eleanor of Portugal was a Portuguese
infanta (princess), the only daughter of King Afonso II of Portugal
and his wife Urraca of Castile. She was Queen consort
of Denmark by marriage to Danish King Valdemar the Young
, son of Valdemar II
, in 1229.
had first thought of the idea of the marriage, as Eleanor's aunt Berengaria
had been Valdemar's step-mother. The wedding took place in Ribe
in 24 June 1229, and the next day Eleanor received southern half of the island Funen
as a wedding present from her husband. Even though she was junior Queen, she was the only queen since her aunt had died eight years prior and her father-in-law had not remarried.
Only two years later Eleanor died in childbirth on the 28 August 1231, and three months later her husband was killed by an accidental shot. When examining Eleanor's grave in Ringsted Church, it was discovered that her skeleton showed traces of cancer of the bones, which probably was contributory to her death. At the foot piece of Eleanor's grave was a leaden coffin, which contained the bones of a child about 6 months old, already sickly and scrofulous from birth. So Eleanor probably gave-birth to a child, who survived her by only six months.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
infanta (princess), the only daughter of King Afonso II of Portugal
Afonso II of Portugal
Afonso II , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , nicknamed "the Fat" , third king of Portugal, was born in Coimbra on 23 April 1185 and died on 25 March 1223 in the same city. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal by his wife, Dulce, Infanta of Aragon...
and his wife Urraca of Castile. She was Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Denmark by marriage to Danish King Valdemar the Young
Valdemar the Young
Valdemar the Young was King of Denmark from 1218 until his death.Valdemar was the eldest son and co-ruler of Valdemar II of Denmark by his first wife, Dagmar of Bohemia. He did not outlive his father so was never a sole monarch. He is sometimes referred to as Valdemar III for example his...
, son of Valdemar II
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
, in 1229.
Biography
Bishop Gunner of ViborgAncient Diocese of Viborg
The former Roman Catholic diocese of Viborg, in Denmark existed from 1065 to the Protestant Reformation. It was created from the Diocese of Ribe.-History:...
had first thought of the idea of the marriage, as Eleanor's aunt Berengaria
Berengária of Portugal
Berengaria of Portugal , was a Portuguese infanta, later Queen consort of Denmark. She was the fifth daughter of Portuguese King Sancho I and Dulce of Aragon. She married Danish King Valdemar II and was the mother of Danish kings Eric IV, Abel and Christopher I.-Background:Berengaria was the...
had been Valdemar's step-mother. The wedding took place in Ribe
Ribe
Ribe , the oldest extant Danish town, is in southwest Jutland and has a population of 8,192 . Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding municipality, and county...
in 24 June 1229, and the next day Eleanor received southern half of the island Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
as a wedding present from her husband. Even though she was junior Queen, she was the only queen since her aunt had died eight years prior and her father-in-law had not remarried.
Only two years later Eleanor died in childbirth on the 28 August 1231, and three months later her husband was killed by an accidental shot. When examining Eleanor's grave in Ringsted Church, it was discovered that her skeleton showed traces of cancer of the bones, which probably was contributory to her death. At the foot piece of Eleanor's grave was a leaden coffin, which contained the bones of a child about 6 months old, already sickly and scrofulous from birth. So Eleanor probably gave-birth to a child, who survived her by only six months.