Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra (Spanish: ''Isabel'') (12 March 1409 – 17 September 1459) was a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

noblewoman of the

Urgell Modern-day Urgell (), also known as ''Baix Urgell'' (''baix'' meaning "lower", by contrast with Alt Urgell "Higher Urgell"), is a ''comarca'' (county) in Catalonia, Spain, forming only a borderland portion of the region historically known as Ur ...

branch of the

House of Barcelona The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy. The ...

. She was the wife of

Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra Infante D. Pedro, Duke of Coimbra KG (; en, Peter), (9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince) of the House of Aviz, son of King John I of Portugal and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt ...

Family

Isabella was born on 12 March 1409, the eldest daughter of James II,

Count of Urgell This is a list of the counts of county of Urgell, Urgell, a Catalan counties, county of the Principality of Catalonia in the 10th through 13th centuries. c. 798–870 Counts appointed by the Carolingians *798–820 Borrell, Count of Osona, Borre ...

, and Isabella of Aragon. Isabella was one of five children. The county of Urgell was dissolved in 1413, following her father's revolt against the new King

Ferdinand I of Aragon Ferdinand I (Spanish: ''Fernando I''; 27 November 1380 – 2 April 1416 in Igualada, Òdena) named Ferdinand of Antequera and also the Just (or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and (nominal) Corsica and king of Sicily ...

who had been chosen to succeed to the throne of Aragon in 1412 despite James being the closest legitimate

agnate Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

to the Royal House of Barcelona.

Marriage

On 13 September 1428 at Alcolea del Cinca she married

(9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449 at the

Battle of Alfarrobeira The Battle of Alfarrobeira () took place on 20 May 1449. It was a confrontation between the forces commanded by King Afonso V of Portugal and his uncle Afonso, Duke of Braganza, against the army of the rebellious Peter, Duke of Coimbra Inf ...

), a younger son of

John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...

. During her husband's regency for his nephew,

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...

, the marriage of the couple's daughter Isabella to the King was arranged.

Issue

Peter, Constable of Portugal Peter of Coimbra (also known as Peter the Constable) ( pt, Pedro, pronounced ; c. 1429 – Granollers, 30 June 1466), sometimes known as Peter V of Aragon, was the son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, who became the fifth Constable of Portu ...

(23 October 1429, Coimbra, Portugal – 29 June 1466) At the age of fourteen he became

Constable of Portugal {{Short description, Defunct office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal Constable of Portugal ( pt, Condestável de Portugal) was an office created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, to substitute the High Standard-bearer ('' Alferes-Mor'' ...

. In 1464, he was acclaimed King

Peter V of Aragon Peter of Coimbra (also known as Peter the Constable) ( pt, Pedro, pronounced ; c. 1429 – Granollers, 30 June 1466), sometimes known as Peter V of Aragon, was the son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, who became the fifth Constable of Portu ...

. * John of Coimbra, titular

Prince of Antioch Prince of Antioch was the title given during the Middle Ages to Normans, Norman rulers of the Principality of Antioch, a region surrounding the city of Antioch, now known as Antakya in Turkey. The Princes originally came from the County of Sicil ...

(1431, Coimbra, Portugal – 11 September 1457,

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

). On 26 February 1456, he married Queen

Charlotte of Cyprus Charlotte (28 June 1444 – 16 July 1487) was the Queen of Cyprus from 1458 until 1464. She was the eldest and only surviving daughter of King John II of Cyprus and Helena Palaiologina. At the age of 14, she succeeded to the Cypriot throne upo ...

(28 June 1444 – 16 July 1487) as her first husband. *

Isabella of Coimbra Infanta Isabel of Coimbra (Isabella of Portugal) (1 March 1432 – 2 December 1455) was a Portuguese infanta and Queen of Portugal as the first spouse of King Afonso V of Portugal. Life Isabella was a daughter of the Infante Peter, Duke of Co ...

(1 March 1432, Coimbra, Portugal – 2 December 1455). Married her cousin, King

on 6 May 1448, as his first wife. They had three children, including King

John II of Portugal John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...

. * James of Coimbra, Cardinal and Archbishop-elect of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

(17 September 1433, Coimbra, Portugal – 27 August 1457,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy) *

Beatrice of Coimbra Infanta Beatrice of Coimbra (1435–1462) was the fifth child of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Urgell. After the Battle of Alfarrobeira, where her father's army was defeated by the Portuguese royal army, she left the country an ...

(21 November 1435, Coimbra, Portugal – 22 February 1462,

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

). Married 13 May 1453 Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein (28 June 1425 – 18 September 1492). Her death was attributed to poisoning. *

Philippa of Coimbra Infanta Philippa of Coimbra (1437–1497) was the youngest child of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell (1376 in Barcelona – 1424) was a daughter of Peter IV of Arag ...

(1 June 1437, Coimbra, Portugal – 25 July 1493, Odivelas). She was a nun at the Convent of

Odivelas Odivelas ( or ) is a city and a municipality in Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal, in the Lisbon District and the historical and cultural Estremadura Province. The municipality is located 10 km northwest of Lisbon. The present Mayor is Hugo ...

Widowhood and death

Peter of Coimbra was regent of Portugal from 1439, and engineered the marriage of his young charge,

with his daughter,

in 1447. But he also gathered powerful enemies, most notably the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...

, who ingratiated themselves with the young king and managed to drive Peter from power immediately after. The parties remained at odds and Portugal careened into civil war. After Peter of Coimbra was killed at the

in May 1449, his family was immediately and relentlessly persecuted. Isabella of Urgell and her daughter Philippa went into hiding, while her other children were driven into exile abroad - Peter the Constable to Castile, and John, James and Beatrice to the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...

, the lands of their aunt

Isabella of Burgundy Isabella of Austria (18 July 1501 – 19 January 1526), also known as Elizabeth, was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as the wife of King Christian II. She was the daughter of King Philip I and Queen Joanna of Castile and the sister of Em ...

. The threats of the powerful Duke of Burgundy were conjoined to the pleas of Peter's daughter, the young queen

, who pleaded her husband to have mercy on her family. Against the advice of the powerful Braganzas, Afonso V relented (partially) in 1450 and allowed the widowed duchess Isabella of Urgell to reside in

Montemor-o-Velho Montemor-o-Velho () is a town and concelho, municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km². History In 711, the Muslim invasion of Iberia, Arab occupation ...

and

Tentúgal Tentúgal is a parish of Montemor-o-Velho Municipality, Coimbra District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,141, in an area of 34.29 km². The village is well known in Portugal for its old and unique conventual cakes, most notably the '' ...

(Philippa was allowed to reside in a cloister in

, although apparently she later moved in with her mother).J. de Figueiredo (1910) ''O Pintor Nuno Gonçalves.'' Lisbon: Tip. Annuario Commercial, pp.50-53 However, she continued to be harassed by the Braganzas - Afonso, Marquis of Valença reportedly tried to deprive the widowed duchess of her residence, which only the queen's renewed pleading prodded Afonso V to intercede on her behalf. Isabella of Coimbra availed of the king's good mood after the birth of their son, the royal heir John (future king

), in May 1455, to engineer a complete and final rehabilitation of the rest of her family. Peter of Coimbra's remains were allowed to be re-buried at the Aviz dynasty necropolis at

Batalha Monastery The Monastery of Batalha ( pt, Mosteiro da Batalha) is a Dominican convent in the municipality of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Centro Region of Portugal. Originally, and officially, known as the ''Monastery of Saint Mary of the V ...

and the dowager-duchess Isabella of Urgell was granted a royal pension for the remainder of her years. Isabella of Urgell died on 17 September 1459, at the

monastery of Santa Cruz The Monastery of the Holy Cross ( pt, Mosteiro da Santa Cruz, links=no), also known as the Church of the Holy Cross, is a National Monument in Coimbra, Portugal. Because the first two kings of Portugal are buried in the church it was granted the ...

in Coimbra. Her remains were translated to Batalha, into the tomb of her rehabilitated husband.There seems to be some confusion as to whether they were actually translated to Batalha, as there is also a tomb to her at Santa Cruz as well. Her remains may have been paritioned. See A.R. Vasconcelos ''Evolução do culto de Dona Isabel de Aragão'' (1894
p.237
Her father had died while imprisoned at Xàtiva in 1433.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isabella Of Urgell, Duchess Of Coimbra 1409 births 1459 deaths People from Noguera (comarca) Portuguese duchesses Medieval Catalan nobility Medieval Portuguese nobility 15th-century Portuguese people Medieval Catalan women 15th-century Portuguese women 15th-century Catalan people