Isabella of Portugal (1364–1395) was the natural daughter of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, from an unknown mother.

Biography

Before 1386 she was betrothed to João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 1st Count of Viana (do Alentejo), son of the powerful

João Afonso Telo, 4th Count of Barcelos João Afonso Telo de Menezes (died 1381){{Sfn, Braamcamp Freire, 1921, p=118 was a Portuguese nobleman, 1st Count of Ourém, 1st Count of Viana do Alentejo,{{Sfn, Braamcamp Freire, 1921, p=120 and 4th Count of Barcelos. Life João Afonso Telo ...

. However, this project was abandoned or dissolved. She married

Alfonso Enríquez, Count of Gijón and Noreña Alfonso Enríquez ( Gijón, 1355 Marans or Portugal, ), Count of Noreña and of Gijón and lord of several places, was the eldest son of King Henry II of Castile and Elvira Íñiguez born before the king's marriage. As one of the most powerful fe ...

, natural son of King

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter th ...

. Her marriage was one of the clauses of the Treaty of Santarém, signed in 1373, between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and Castile. Through a royal letter issued on 1 October 1377, her father granted her the Lordship of

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões intermunipical community, with 267,633 inhabi ...

, Celorico,

Linhares Linhares is the name of a municipality in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, north of the state capital, Vitória. It is the largest municipality by area in the state, at 9,501.6 km², and has a population of 176,688 people (2020). The ...

and Algodres. She left to the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

of King

where she lived while waiting for an appropriate age to get married. They finally married in 1377 in the city of

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of ...

. This marriage gave rise to the Noronha family, still represented in several

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

houses, both in

and in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The couple had six children: * Pedro de Noronha (137920 August 1452),

Archbishop of Lisbon The Patriarchate of Lisbon ( la, Patriarchatus Olisiponensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Its archiepiscopal see is the Patriarchal Cathedral of ...

(14241452), father of João, Pedro and Fernando de Noronha; *

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha () is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and located off the Brazilian coast. It consists of 21 islands and islets, extending over an area of . Only the eponymous main island is in ...

, second count of

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality cover ...

by his marriage to Beatrice de Meneses, second countess of Vila Real, daughter and heiress of Pedro de Menezes; * Sancho de Noronha, first

Count of Odemira Count of Odemira (in Portuguese ''Conde de Odemira'') was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. Sancho de Noronha by royal decree issued on 9 October 1446, by King Afonso V of Portugal. Sancho de Noronha was the third son of Alfonso, C ...

, ''comendador mayor'' of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

, '' alcalde-mor'' of

Estremoz Estremoz () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 14,318, in an area of 513.80 km². The city Estremoz itself had a population of 7,682 in 2001. It is located in the Alentejo region. History The region around Estremoz ...

and

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortres ...

, Lord of Vimieiro,

Mortágua Mortágua ( or ) is a municipality in the district of Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,607, in an area of 251.18 km2. The present mayor is José Júlio Norte, elected in 2013 by the Social Democratic Party. History Legend sug ...

, Aveiro and other territories, married to Mécia de Sousa; * Henrique de Noronha, captain in

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

, without legitimate male issue; * João de Noronha, participated in the siege of

Balaguer Balaguer () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Noguera, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It is located by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebre. The municipality includes an exclave to the east. Balaguer also has a sister city i ...

and was knighted by ''

Infante ''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 ...

'' Duarte in the siege of

where he was injured. He died from his wounds shortly afterwards without having left any offspring. * Constance of Noronha, the second wife of

Afonso, Duke of Braganza Dom Afonso I of Braganza (; 10 August 1377 – 15 December 1461) was the first duke of Braganza and the eighth count of Barcelos. He founded the House of Braganza, the most powerful and wealthy dynasty in Portugal. His descendants became high-ra ...

, without issue. Isabella eventually returned to her native

where her uncle, King John I of Portugal, gave her a warm welcome and protection, both to her and to her children.

References

Bibliography

* * * * "Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil" – Vol. II, pages 234/235. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989. Medieval Portuguese nobility 1364 births 1395 deaths House of Burgundy-Portugal 14th-century Portuguese people 14th-century Portuguese women Daughters of kings {{Portugal-royal-stub

Biography

See also

References

Bibliography