It is known as Pedro I of Castile, called the Cruel or the Just, who loses his life and throne in the Battle of Montiel (1369) at the hands of his brother Enrique II, founder of the Trastámara house. However, the lineage of the deceased king is continued by his daughter Constance, who from England will claim her position as the legitimate queen of Castile.
Little has been written about this claimant to the Castilian throne in medieval historiography. In the absence of monographs on her person, it is necessary to refer to mentions in biographies of those who have indeed been the subject of exhaustive studies, such as her father, Pedro I (Díaz Martín, 1995), her husband, Juan de Gante (Goodman, 1992) and more recently her daughter, Catalina de Lancaster (Echevarría Arsuaga, 2002; Carceller Cerviño y Villarroel González, 2021).
Constance was born in 1354. She is the second of four offspring of Pedro I and his mistress María de Padilla, so she is considered an illegitimate daughter. At this time, Pedro I is married to Blanca de Borbón, who remains captive and will be killed on orders of her husband in 1361. That same year, María de Padilla dies from illness.
At the Cortes of Seville in 1362 Pedro I makes a surprising declaration: His marriage to Blanca de Borbón was always null, as he had secretly married María de Padilla beforehand. A convenient statement with poor defense. The secret marriage is deemed valid, and Constance's younger brother Alfonso (born 1359) is declared heir. Unfortunately, the prince dies that same year.
Pedro I considers his daughter Beatriz as heiress, whose fate is uncertain. Some point to her taking religious vows (Cahill Marrón, 2014: 420; Segura Graíño, 1989: 207), while others claim she died (Echevarría Arsuaga, 2002: 27). In any case, the king anticipates that his daughter may die without an heir and in the Ayuntamiento of Bubierca in 1363 he swears to her sisters Constance and Isabel as next in line for succession (Francisco Olmos, 2012: 231-233).
The death of Pedro surprises Constance in the territories of Edward III of England. In search of protection, Constance marries Prince Juan de Gante, Duke of Lancaster, in 1371. A year later she is received at the gates of London by the Prince of Wales and the magnates of the city, who treat her as a queen.
Following this recognition, Juan de Gante includes Castilian arms in his heraldry, placing them before the English ones (Francisco Olmos, 2019: 174-185). The Duke of Lancaster understands a female reign as it is done in Navarre, where women have the right to inherit but their husbands actually govern. Consequently, he begins acting as if he were the legitimate claimant to the Crown of Castile.
This does not prevent Constance from having broad powers, but always as an advisor or by delegation of her husband. Around her a small court of Castilian exiles (called "emperigilados" by the Trastámara) will form, many of whom will have diplomatic roles representing the dukes in various territories. However, most of the Petristas who remain on the peninsula do not support Constance's rights initially, preferring King Fernando I of Portugal.
After Fernando's defeat in the First Fernandine War (1369-1370), he recognizes the rights of Pedro I's daughters. An Anglo-Lusitanian alliance forms that leads Juan de Gante to attempt entering Castile during the Second Fernandine War (1372-1373) and his brother Edmund to participate in the Third (1380-1382).
With Fernando I's death, a new opportunity arises for Constance. The heir to Portugal and Queen Consort of Castile, Beatriz, is overthrown by her bastard uncle João (John) de Avís, who lacks legitimacy. On the other hand, Constance has strong rights to the Portuguese throne through her father. Thus, João proposes an alliance in which he recognizes the Lancaster as Kings of Castile in exchange for their rights over Portugal.
With the support of England and Portugal, Constance and Juan disembark in La Coruña on July 25, 1386. They are accompanied by their only daughter together, Catalina. Juan I of Castile, son of Enrique II, tries to avoid conflict and leaves open the possibility that Catalina marry his heir. Constance and Juan make a journey through Galicia, where they spend the winter. Subsequently, they move to Portugal to formalize an alliance with King João and cede him their rights over the Lusitanian throne (Olivera Serrano, 2005: 99-103).
Both in Galicia as well as in Portugal, silver Castilian reals are minted in favor of the Lancaster. It is common for these coins to feature the crowned initial of the monarch. However, it is not a "C" of Constance that appears on the coin but the "IL" of Juan de Lancaster (in Latin, Iohannes Lancastriae), another indication that he believes it should be him who governs and not his wife.
The only possible reference to the coin would be in the legend repeated on both sides: DEUS IVDICIUM TUUM REGID AET IUSTICIAM TUAM FILIE REGIS. Following the fashion of the time, this phrase comes from the Book of Psalms, specifically verse 1 of Psalm 2: "Oh God, give your judgments to the king and your righteousness to the son of the king," with the difference that the word "son" is in feminine form. It is most likely a reference to Constance, daughter of the late King Pedro, and Juan's desire to restore her to the throne to govern for her.
After nearly two decades of preparation, the conflict of the Lancaster does not have a long run. After losing many troops, Juan and Constance are forced to accept Juan I's offer and commit their respective heirs (Francisco Olmos, 2012: 247-251). Despite receiving generous compensation for the renunciation of their rights, Constance will not be allowed to enter Castile until after Enrique and Catalina's wedding (1388).
Later, the Duchess of Lancaster meets Juan I in Medina del Campo, where she gifts her cousin the crown that Juan de Gante had used as king. With this symbolic act, her claim to the throne ends, although Constance will continue to style herself firstborn of Castile and daughter of King Pedro, much to the Trastámara's chagrin.
Constance, the king's daughter who could not govern or defend her cause on her own, lived to see her daughter Catalina as Queen Consort of Castile. Despite her failed claims, she is an ancestor of all the kings of Castile and later Spain. The Duchess of Lancaster died on March 24 or 25, 1394 in Leicester, far from the lands over which she wanted to rule. Her funeral was postponed until July 5 due to her husband's absence, who decided to bury her at the Collegiate Church of Newarke, destroyed in 1545 during Henry VIII's Protestant Reformation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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