Carracedo (Le) - Monasterio de Santa Maria 14

Aldonza Martínez de Silva ( Portuguese: Aldonça Martins da Silva; died after 1236) a Portuguese noblewoman, daughter of Martim Gomes da Silva and his wife Urraca Rodríguez, was one of the mistresses of King

Alfonso IX of León Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the Universit ...

and afterward, the wife of Diego Froilaz. She probably arrived in the Kingdom of León in 1191 in the entourage of ''

Infanta ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

'' Theresa of Portugal for her wedding with King Alfonso IX. She had very influential relatives in the Kingdom of Portugal, including her aunt, Estefanía da Silva and her husband Martim Fernandes de Riba de Vizela, who were the tutors of the future King

Sancho II of Portugal Sancho II (; 8 September 1209 – 4 January 1248), nicknamed the Cowled or the Capuched ( pt, o Capelo), alternatively, the Pious ( pt, o Piedoso), was King of Portugal from 1223 to 1248. He was succeeded on the Portuguese throne by his br ...

, and Estêvão Soares da Silva, the powerful

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga ( la, Archidioecesis Bracarensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is known for its use of the Rite of Braga, a use of the liturgy distinct from the Roman R ...

. In 1214 she became the lover of Alfonso IX in a relationship that lasted until 1218 when the king became involved with

Teresa Gil de Soverosa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

. Afterwards, she married Diego Froilaz, a marriage probably arranged by the king who gave the couple several properties in Pesquera and Villamarín. These estates were later claimed in 1230 by King Ferdinand III of León but were returned to Aldonza and her husband in 1232 when it was confirmed that these had been donated by King Alfonso to his former mistress. She last appears in medieval charters in 1236 when, accompanied by her children, she donated several properties to the Monastery of Carracedo.

Issue

Before her affair with King Alfonso IX, she had a son named Fernando Johannis, who, according to his patronymic, would have been the son of an individual named Juan (John), perhaps someone from Galicia or León who was a member of the royal court. The children from her relationship with King Alfonso IX were: *

Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name '' Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vi ...

(ca. 1214ca. 1268), lord of Aliger and Castro del Río, and

Adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning "advanced") was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th and 17th cen ...

of the March of

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, he married Inés Rodríguez, daughter of Rodrigo Fernández de Valduerna, Lord of Cabrera and ''

alférez In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "horseman" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinise ...

'' of King Alfonso IX. * Aldonza (died after 1267). Married Count Pedro Ponce de Cabrera, and had issue. They are the ancestors of the Ponce de León family. * Teresa Alfonso of León, the wife of Count Nuño González de Lara ''el Bueno''. After 1218, she married Diego Froilaz, son of Count

Froila Ramírez Froila Ramírez, also spelled Fruela or Froilán ('' fl.'' 11501202), was a Leonese nobleman and a member of the Flagínez family. His power and influence lay chiefly in the heart of the province of León and its west, but it extended also into ...

and his wife Sancha Fernández. They had the following children: * Ramiro Díaz de Cifuentes (died after 1279), Lord of

Asturias de Santillana Asturias de Santillana is a historical ''comarca'' whose territory in large part corresponded to the central and western part of today's autonomous community of Cantabria, as well as the extreme east of Asturias. Most of the province of Asturias ...

, married Teresa Fernández de Lara, daughter of Fernando Álvarez de Lara and Teresa Rodríguez de Villalobos. * Sancha Díaz de Cifuentes, the wife of Rodrigo Álvarez de Lara, an illegitimate son of Álvaro Núñez de Lara and Teresa Gil de Osorno. * Estefanía Díaz * Urraca Díaz

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldonza Martinez de Silva 12th-century births 13th-century deaths Mistresses of Spanish royalty 12th-century Spanish women 12th-century nobility from León and Castile 13th-century Spanish women 13th-century people from the Kingdom of León