Queen Maria of Molina is one of the most important political figures of her time. As queen consort and twice regent, she must face numerous rivals to stabilize her kingdom. Among them stands out King James II of Aragon, who will use all means at his disposal to weaken Castile in order to increase his own political and territorial power. One of these means is contact with a Byzantine princess.
Vataza Láscaris-Veintimilla was born around 1270. Her parents are Count William Pedro Balbo and Princess Eudoxia Láscaris. When Peter dies, Eudoxia settles in Aragon with her daughters to place herself under the protection of her step-grandmother Constance. Empress Constance is the great-aunt of King James II, who recognizes the Lascaris as relatives (Masía de Ros, 1947). Due to their imperial lineage, both Eudoxia and her daughters are referred to as "infantas of Greece."
When Princess Isabel, daughter of James II, marries Dionysius I of Portugal in 1282, Vataza is included among her retinue due to the affinity between the Lascaris and the Aragonese royal family. Three years later, the Greek princess also gets married. Her husband, Martin Anes de Soverosa, is much older than she is. She becomes a widow in 1295 after ten years of marriage.
In 1302, a similar situation arises that led her to settle in Portugal. The daughter of King Dionysius and Isabel, Constance, marries King Ferdinand IV of Castile. Vataza is designated as the lady-in-waiting for the princess, or put differently, she is entrusted with the care of Constance and her household in her new kingdom. Traditionally, it has been considered that Vataza is the ideal candidate for this role because she is a widow without descendants (Florez de Setién Huidoro y Velasco, 1790, p. 581). However, Antonio Rei (2013, pp. 166-168) has proposed that Vataza might have had a daughter. Therefore, her choice as lady-in-waiting for Princess Constance could be due to the affinity with the kings of Portugal and Aragon.
Both Constance of Portugal and her lady-in-waiting are tasked with defending the interests of the kings of Portugal and Aragon. It is common for both to write to them about what happens at the court of King Ferdinand IV (Rochwert-Zuili, 2018). Using spies to receive secret information from enemies was common in diplomacy during that time. The "queen mother," Maria de Molina, also uses informants to control both her enemies and her own son (Gaibrois de Ballesteros, 1967, pp. 143-147; Rochwert-Zuili, 2015). In exchange for their services, James II maintains his protection over Princess Eudoxia, who still resides in Aragon.
As queen consort, Constance of Portugal is completely overshadowed by her mother-in-law, Maria de Molina, who continues to act as governor and advisor (Pelaz Flores, 2017, pp. 239-241). The failure of her mistress does not harm Vataza, who receives various favors from Ferdinand IV, including the hereditary lordship of Villalar and the position of lady-in-waiting for his children. Thanks to her influence over King Ferdinand, she manages to convince him to leave his mistress, Sancha Gil (Gaibrois de Ballesteros, 1967, p. 161), thus avoiding a diplomatic conflict with Portugal.
Vataza's rising trajectory declines with the death of the king in 1312. His son, Alfonso XI, is one year old, so several princes compete for the regency (Francisco Olmos, 2011, pp. 236-237). Different factions consult Maria de Molina and even offer her power on behalf of her grandson. However, she declines the offer and agrees with her daughter-in-law Constance to share the regency with another son of Maria, Prince Peter. As part of the agreement between the two queens, Vataza hands over the young king to the Bishop of Avila, where he will be protected until a ruler is agreed upon (Rodríguez Porto, 2006, p. 227).
The agreement between Constance and Maria seems to resolve the disputes for power. However, James II of Aragon influences his niece to break her alliance and share power with another member of the royal family more aligned with his interests, Prince John. In response to this betrayal, Maria de Molina reneges and joins the struggle for the regency. The difference between the other claimants is that Maria also claims tutelage over the king, meaning she wants to supplant Constance's rights as mother of Alfonso XI. The dispute between the two women only resolves with the sudden death of Constance in 1313.
The death brings stability to Castile. A triple regency is agreed upon between Maria de Molina and Princes John and Peter, with the blessing of the King of Aragon. However, by no longer being a lady-in-waiting for the queen or caretaker of the king, Vataza loses most of her influence and becomes useless to James II. The Greek princess remains at the Castilian court until 1317.
She retires to Portugal and exchanges the lordship Fernando IV granted her over Villalar with the Order of Santiago for a lifelong lordship over Santiago de Cacem (Rei, 2013, p. 165). Political instability continues in both Castile and Portugal due to unexpected deaths, family disputes, and personal ambitions of rulers. However, Vataza does not interact in these conflicts. She spends her last years in Porto, where she also resides the former benefactor who brought her to that kingdom, Isabel of Aragon. The Greek princess dies in 1330 and is buried in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, where she still rests today.
The complex life of Vataza serves as a good example of how a woman could intervene in politics in the thirteenth century. As an exiled Italian noblewoman and descendant of a deposed imperial family, Vataza has a complicated social and economic situation. Thanks to her personal skills and support from a female clientel network introduced by her mother, she manages to rise in the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, she achieves influence at different royal courts and even becomes lady over her own lands. Her fate is cut short when she faces Queen Maria de Molina, considered one of the best diplomats of her time, and even in her delicate situation Vataza only withdraws when she chooses to do so freely. The only punishment was silence regarding her figure, which has persisted until today.
Bibliography
Florez de Setién Huidoro y Velasco, E. (1790). Memorias de las reynas catholicas tomo II. Oficina de la viuda de Marín.
Francisco Olmos, J. M. (2011). La evolución de la sucesión al trono en la Europa Medieval Cristiana. II Siglo XIII. Los Casos de Castilla y Aragón. Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía, 15, 169-276.
Gaibrois de Ballesteros, M. (1967). María de Molina: tres veces reina. Espasa-Calpe.
Masía de Ros, A. (1947). La emperatriz de Nicea, Constanza, y las princesas Lascara y Vataza. Nuevas notícias acerca de sus relaciones con las Cortes de Aragón, Castilla y Portugal. Butletí de la Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona, 20, 145-169. https://raco.cat/index.php/BoletinRABL/article/view/199068
Pelaz Flores, D. (2017). Reinas consortes. Las reinas de castilla entre los siglos XI-XIV. Sílex.
Rei, A. (2013). Uma Senhora Bizantina nas cortes de Aragão, Portugal e Leão e Castela Dona Vataça Lascaris (c. 1270-1336), Em torno às suas origens e descendencia. Revista Roda da Fortuna: Revista Eletrónica sobre Antiguidade e Medievo, 1, 157-171.
Rochwert-Zuili, P. (2015). La actuación pacificadora de María de Molina. e-Spania: Revue électronique d'études hispaniques médiévales, 20. https://doi.org/10.4000/e-spania.24170
Rochwert-Zuili, P. (2018). La correspondencia de Constanza de Portugal con Jaime II de Aragón (1302-1313). En J. P. Jardin et al. (coords.), Cartas de mujeres en la Europa medieval: España, Francia, Italia, Portugal (siglos XI-XV). 55-67. La Ergástula.Rodríguez Porto, R. M. (2006). María de Molina y la educación de Alfonso XI: Las semblanzas de reyes del ms. 7415 de la Biblioteca Nacional. Quintana, 5, 219-231.
Comments