Isabella of Portugal (c. 1364–

Marans The Marans, , is a French breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for meat and for its dark brown eggs. It originated in or near the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-w ...

, 4 April 1435) was the natural daughter of King

Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I (; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. He was also briefly made King of Galicia, in 1369 (a claim whi ...

, from an unknown mother. Though, it was rumored at the time that her mother was none other than the king's half-sister,

Beatrice, Countess of Albuquerque Beatrice of Portugal ( – ) was Countess of Alburquerque as the wife of Sancho Alfonso of Alburquerque. She was the daughter of Peter I of Portugal and his wife Inês de Castro. Life Beatrice's entitlement to be considered an ''Infanta'' of P ...

, with whom he was said to have had an

incestuous relationship Incest ( ) is sex between close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineage. It is condemned and cons ...

according to the chronicler

Fernão Lopes Fernão Lopes (; – after 1459) was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained. His way of writing was based on oral discourse, and, o ...

.Bonat Trevisan, Mariana. 2020.
Das representações às experiências femininas vividas: As irmãs Maria e Leonor Teles na corte e na cronística portuguesas da Baixa Idade Média
�. ''De Medio Aevo'' 9, nº July: 72. https://doi.org/10.5209/dmae.69916

Biography

Before 1373 she was betrothed to João Afonso Telo de Menezes, 1st

Count of Viana (do Alentejo) Count of Viana (do Alentejo) was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. João Afonso Telo, who was the second son of João Afonso Telo, 4th Count of Barcelos and a cousin of Queen Leonor Teles, by King Ferdinand I of Portugal pursuant ...

, son of the powerful

João Afonso Telo, 4th Count of Barcelos {{Infobox noble, type , name = João Afonso Telo , image = Afonso Telo de Menezes, Conde de Ourém - História de Portugal, popular e ilustrada.png , title = 1st count of Ourém4th count of Barcelos , birth ...

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

Alfonso Enríquez, Count of Gijón and Noreña Alfonso Enríquez (Gijón, 1355Marans 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 feudal ...

, 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 List of Castilian monarchs, King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from the House of Trastámara. He became ...

. Her marriage was one of the clauses of the

Treaty of Santarém A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

, signed in 1373, between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and Castile. Through a royal letter issued on 2 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 Viseu District, district of the same name, with a population of 100,105 inhabitants in the entire municipality, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões Interm ...

, Celorico,

Linhares Linhares is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, north of the state capital, Vitória, Brazil, Vitória. It is the largest municipality by area in the state, at 9,501.6 km2, and has a population o ...

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 app ...

of King

where she lived while waiting for an appropriate age to get married. They finally married in November 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 populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

. This marriage gave rise to the

Noronha Noronha is a family name that is found among some aristocratic families in Portugal, and in areas such as Brazil, India, Mozambique, Angola and Macau that were colonized by the Portuguese. The family has its origins in the marriage of Alfonso E ...

family, still represented in several

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

houses, both in

and in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

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

Archbishop of Lisbon The Metropolitan Patriarchate of Lisbon () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchate, patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Its episcopal see, archiepiscopal see is the Lisbon Cathedra ...

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

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha (), officially the State District of Fernando de Noronha () and formerly known as the Federal Territory of Fernando de Noronha () until 1988, is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and ...

, second count of

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

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, ...

, ''comendador mayor'' of the

Order of Santiago The Order of 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 pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, '' 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 h ...

and

Elvas Elvas (), officially the City of 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 ab ...

, Lord of Vimieiro,

Mortágua Mortágua ( ) is a municipality in the district of Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,607, in an area of . The present mayor is Ricardo Sérgio Pardal, elected in 2021 by the Socialist Party. History Legend suggests that that village ...

, Aveiro and other territories, married to Mécia de Sousa. He is the ancestor of Queen

Luisa de Guzmán Luisa María Francisca de Guzmán y Sandoval (;. 13 October 1613 – 27 February 1666) was a Spanish noblewoman who became Queen of Portugal as the wife of King John IV, the first Braganza ruler. She was the mother of two kings of Portugal ( A ...

; * Henrique de Noronha, captain in

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

, 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 Ebro. The municipality includes an exclave to the east. Balaguer also has a sister city ...

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 the ...

'' 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 (title), 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 be ...

, without issue. Isabella eventually returned to her native

where her uncle, King

John I of Portugal John I ( WP:IPA for Portuguese, �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 1383–85 crisi ...

, 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. * 14th-century Portuguese nobility 1360s births 1435 deaths House of Burgundy-Portugal 14th-century Portuguese women Daughters of kings {{Portugal-royal-stub

Biography

See also

References

Bibliography