BERENGUELA OF CASTILE
As in the previous case with Leonor of Aquitaine, Berenguela also cared about the marriages of her children and even those of her own brothers. In fact, she married her daughter, also named Berenguela, to King John of Brienne of Jerusalem, who passed through the peninsula on his pilgrimage to Santiago.
Returning to the marriage negotiations carried out by this queen regarding her son Fernando III, it is important to focus on the first of the marriages she arranged for him. It should be noted that she sought a marriage to solve the inheritance problem in Castile, given that they had come from turbulent times with his father Alfonso of León, who tried to seize the crown of Castile belonging to his son. Therefore, the search for this marriage for Fernando really aimed at solving the succession issue and thus avoiding conflicts with other kingdoms.
It is important to consider the choice of wife and sending the appropriate people to formalize it, a task not easy in this era, as the peninsular kingdoms were very intertwined with each other and had to avoid papal intervention that could annul it, as already happened to Berenguela with Alfonso of León, father of Fernando III himself. Therefore, mainly they sought potential wives outside the peninsula. It was also necessary to avoid marriages with France and England since these countries were among those with whom matrimonial alliances were also made. Thus, Berenguela's task of finding a wife for her son was not easy.
Finally, and possibly thanks to the help received from Paris by her sister Blanche, soon a name emerged: Beatrice of Swabia. This girl was the daughter of Emperor Philip of Swabia and his wife Irene, who in turn was the daughter of Emperor Isaac Angelos and his wife Margaret, daughter of the King of Hungary. The young woman was under the charge of her uncle, Emperor Frederick II, so the embassy sent by Berenguela in mid-1219 was led by Don Mauricio, Bishop of Burgos, the Cistercian abbots of San Pedro de Arlanza and Santa María de Río Seco, the camerarius of San Zoilo de Carrión, the master of the Order of St. John or Hospital, and the master of the Order of Santiago.
The embassy arrived at the German court where it stayed for four months until the emperor gave his consent to this marriage. As autumn began, Frederick sent Beatrice and her solemn entourage, which was well received in Paris before continuing its journey across the Pyrenees towards Burgos. It is precisely here that we see Berenguela forming a small embassy, after being informed of the bride's proximity, and dispatching a commission to welcome her personally at the outskirts of Vitoria and accompany the new queen to Burgos where Fernando III was waiting.
At the entrance of Burgos, King Fernando received his new and future queen triumphantly with a grand reception and the people of Burgos. The wedding and its celebrations lasted several days. Thus, we see in this case mainly the role of organizer and director of this embassy by Queen Berenguela herself, personally choosing the new queen and who should carry out this embassy to the emperor. We can also observe her great involvement in going out to meet Beatrice and accompanying her all the way to Burgos.
In Fernando III's second marriage, which was also organized by his mother Berenguela, we see both her activity as queen mother and as an ambassador, possibly in conjunction with her sister Blanche of Castile.
Fernando III would only be a widower for two years. In 1237 he would marry again to a new woman, Juana de Ponthieu. After Beatriz's death, Berenguela set out to plan another marriage for her son. According to the words of Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada and chronicler, it is hinted that "Queen Doña Berenguela, concerned about the great nobility of her son and so he would not be diminished by other women," began the search for a new wife.
In this case, as can be seen from the name of Fernando's new wife, it will involve a woman of French origin. Although it is possible to consider that this marriage was not carried out solely by Berenguela but with help from her sister Blanche of France, since this marriage benefited the French crown against Henry III of England, who was a threat to French interests and had tried to marry Juana de Ponthieu by proxy.
The participation of Blanche and Berenguela in this marriage was possible through the request for annulment of the marriage by proxy that Henry III of England had with Juana, which was granted by Innocent III. The marriage was thus annulled due to consanguinity between the parties. Subsequently, Fernando and Juana would have to seek papal permission to marry because they were related by consanguinity in the third and fourth degrees. In this case, the pope did grant his consent for the marriage to take place despite the same. Having obtained the consent of the kings of France, the parents of the future bride, Simon de Danmartin and Marie de Ponthieu, as well as papal permission, the bride would be received in Burgos at the beginning of November 1237, with the wedding likely taking place in the same city.
Berenguela did not travel for this occasion. But it is possible that she carried out along with her sister the necessary actions to ensure that these marriage negotiations concluded successfully with Fernando III and Juana de Ponthieu's wedding.
CONCLUSIONS
It is worth noting in this aspect of diplomacy, we see two queens and ambassadors fully committed to achieving a satisfactory outcome from these marriage negotiations. It is essential for them to participate in such negotiations and carry out the wedding with the accompaniment of the future wives. The role that these queen mothers played as ambassadors with the power granted to them was crucial: Leonor of Aquitaine by her husband, Henry II, for the marriage of Leonor and Alfonso; Blanche by Louis, her son; and in Berenguela's case, by Fernando III, her son, to ensure that these negotiations reached a successful conclusion in both marriages. It is also noteworthy their negotiation skills and ability to choose the right people to carry out this task and know how to deal with the other party involved in these unions. It is curious that precisely in this realm of marital relations between monarchies, the role played by these queens is not highlighted more. We can conclude that their role as negotiators and ambassadors was fundamental for the future of these kingdoms and their kings.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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