Political Women in the High Middle Ages: Berenguela of Castile and Her Family

272 Pages·2002·3.53 MB·English

by  Miriam Shadis

THE NEW MIDDLE AGES
BONNIE WHEELER, Series Editor
The New Middle Ages is a series dedicated to pluridisciplinary studies of medieval cultures, with
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BERENGUELA OF CASTILE
(1180–1246) AND POLITICAL
WOMEN IN THE HIGH
MIDDLE AGES
Miriam Shadis
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BERENGUELA OF CASTILE (1180–1246) AND POLITICAL WOMEN IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES
Copyright © Miriam Shadis, 2009.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2009 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
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ISBN 978–0–312–23473–7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shadis, Miriam.
Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) and political women in the High
Middle Ages / Miriam Shadis.
p. cm.—(The new Middle Ages)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978–0–312–23473–7 (alk. paper)
1. Berengaria, Queen of Castile and Leon, 1181?–1246.
2. Queens—Spain—Castile—Biography. 3. Castile (Spain)—History—
Henry I, 1214–1217. 4. Castile (Spain)—History—Ferdinand,
1217–1252. 5. Leadership in women—Spain—Castile—History—To
1500. 6. Sex role—Spain—Castile—History—To 1500. 7. Power
(Social sciences)—Spain—Castile—History—To 1500. 8. Women—
History—Middle Ages, 500–1500. 9. Spain—Kings and
rulers—Biography. I. Title.
DP139.5.S53 2009
946(cid:1).302092—dc22
[B] 2009006874
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: November 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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For Joe
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
A Note on Names and Translations xvii
Introduction 1
1 Mothering Queenship: Leonor of England,
Queen of Castile, 1161–1214 23
2 Documenting Authority: Marriage Agreements and
the Making of a Queen 51
3 1197–1217: The Limits of Power and Authority 73
4 The Labors of Ruling: The Mothering Queen 97
5 “The things that please God and men”:
Berenguela, Conquest, and Crusade 123
6 “Making Lament”: Death, Grief, Memory, Identity 149
Conclusion: A Perfect Friend of God 173
Notes 177
Bibliography 227
Index 237
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