Blanca ( eu, Blanka Garzeitz, es, Blanca Garcés; aft. 1133,

Laguardia, Álava Laguardia ( eu, Guardia) is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the southern province of Álava, in the north of Spain; it belongs to the region of Rioja Alavesa, in the Basque Autonomous Community. It has a population of 1 ...

– August 12, 1156) was

Queen of Castile This is a list of kings and queens of the Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts. Kings and Queens of Castile Jiménez dynasty House of Ivrea The following dynasts are descendants, in the ...

, daughter of King

García Ramírez of Navarre García Ramírez ( eu, Gartzea Remiritz), sometimes García IV, V, VI or VII ( 1112 – 21 November 1150), called the Restorer ( es, el Restaurador, eu, Basque: ''Berrezarlea''), was the King of Navarre (Pamplona) from 1134. The election of Gar ...

and his first wife, Margaret of L'Aigle. Blanca married

Sancho III of Castile Sancho III (c. 1134 – 31 August 1158), called the Desired (''el Deseado''), was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. He was the son of Alfonso VII of León and Castile and his wife Berengaria of Barcelona, and was s ...

, regent of Castile (subject to his father Alfonso VII) on February 4, 1151 in Carrión de los Condes,

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...

, after travelling from

Calahorra Calahorra [] ( an, Calagorra, la, Calagurris) is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During Ancient Rome, Ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as ''Calagurris ...

Logroño Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...

, in January. The marriage was arranged to insure closer ties between León-Castile and Navarre. As was traditional, Blanca confirmed documents with her husband, so her activity may be traced until 1155. On November 11, 1155 she gave birth to the future king Alfonso VIII. There appears to be no record of her activities after December 1155, and she died on August 12, 1156. The cause of her death seems to have been complications of a new pregnancy, a child named García. In addition, she had other children buried in the church of San Pedro in

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...

, although they are not identified. That her death was caused by a pregnancy is recorded in an

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

engraved on her tomb; however, the engraving did not survive a sixteenth-century reconstruction of the royal tombs in Nájera. Her sarcophagus lid was preserved, and it represents the queen's deathbed with members of the court, including her husband, mourning her passing. Blanca was buried in the pantheon of the Navarrese kings in the monastery called

Santa María la Real of Nájera Santa María la Real is a monastery in the small town of Nájera in the La Rioja (autonomous community), La Rioja community, Spain. Originally a royal foundation, it was ceded by Alfonso VI of Castile, Alfonso VI to the Cluny, Cluniac order. It ...

, to which Sancho made donations on her behalf. The sarcophagus of the queen is regarded as a primary example of the ability to express human emotions in visual images in the 12th century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche Of Navarre, Queen of Castile 1130s births 1156 deaths 12th-century nobility from León and Castile Deaths in childbirth Navarrese infantas Castilian queen consorts Daughters of kings