#queen beatriz of portugal

[elephantlovemedleys]

medieval women week (day three)

favourite royal mistress: inês de castro (1325-1355)

Inês de Castro hailed from the Galician region of Iberia that bordered Portugal. She was born in 1325 to Pedro Fernández de Castro, Lord of Lemos and Sarria, and his mistress Aldonça Lourenço de Valadares. In 1340 Inês travelled to Portugal as a lady in waiting to her newly married cousin Constanza of Castile. The diplomatic match with Infante Pedro of Portugal, the heir of King Afonzo IV of Portugal, was contracted to improve the strength of relations between Castile and Portugal. Pedro's mother, Queen Beatriz, was the youngest legitimate daughter of King Sancho IV of Castile. Pedro swiftly fell in love with Inês, and he neglected his wife, and this unsurprisingly angered the Castilians, they had begun an affair that didn't remain a secret for long. In January 1355, Inês was forcibly removed from court while Pedro was away hunting. She was taken to the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra. She had an emotional interview with the king, which evidently failed to dissuade him from killing her. On January 7 1355, his henchmen Diogo Lopes Pacheco, Pêro Coelho and Álvaro Gonçalves decapitated her in front of one, maybe both, of her and Pedro's small children. It is said that Pedro exhumed Inês' body from its grave in Coimbra and that he had her dressed, crowned and placed on the throne for her coronation.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (September 1)

Beatrice of Silva, born Beatriz de Menezes da Silva, was a Portuguese noblewoman who became the foundress of the Monastic Order of the Immaculate Conception. 

She was born in 1424 in Cuerta, Portugal.

She was the daughter of the Count of Viana and the sister of Saint Amadeus of Portugal.

She was raised in the household of the future queen, Isabel of Portugal. She then spent some time in her royal court in Castile following the Queen's marriage to John II.

Although Isabel and Beatrice were friends, Isabel became jealous of her beauty and had her locked up.

When Beatrice was imprisoned, she had a vision telling her she should found a new order dedicated to the Mother of God.

Beatrice managed to escape her cell and spent the next 37 years living in the Dominican monastery in Toledo, although she never became a member of the order.

In 1489, by permission of Pope Innocent VIII, the nuns adopted the Cistercian Rule.

They bound themselves to the daily recitation of the office of the Immaculate Conception and were placed under obedience to the ordinary of the archdiocese.

The foundress determined on the religious habit, which is white, with a white scapular and blue mantle, with a medallion of Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception.

Beatrice died in the monastery she had founded on 16 August 1492. Her remains are still venerated in the chapel of that monastery.

Beatrice was beatified by Pope Pius XI on 28 July 1926. She was canonized by Pope Paul VI on 3 October 1976.

She is venerated as the patron saint of prisoners as well as the Conceptionist Nuns, the religious order she founded.

Her feast days are celebrated on August 17 (her principal feast day), August 16 and 17 on some calendars, and September 1 on other calendars.

[lacoronarp]

where do you see romola garai fitting in?

Romola!! I love her to the point that even if she doesn’t fit a specific muse, I will squint and pretend that she does!! But how about: Dowager Queen Marguerite of Scotland (a person fave); Beatriz, Queen of Portugal; Elizabeth of York; or Isabella Trastamara? I’ve given a bit of flexibility with ages — one, because I adore her — and two, because I think Romola is one of those chameleons that can play a wide variety of muses, but ultimately your call.

[sporadiceagleheart]

Heaven tribute edit for all old angels Mei Shan “Linda” Leung, Barbara Yung Mei-ling, Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, Elyas Yakub Abowath, William Makoto “Bill” Doi, Yuriko Lillie Kita Doi, Patty Elaine Higgins, Thomas E. Higgins, Lela Ellen Reed Kneiding, Bert Clyde Reed, Abana Bethalda Booth Reed, Maxson Carl “Max” Kneiding, Joyce Lucille Brown Nelson, Eris I Brown, Alma Winfred Coombe Owsley, Eugene Theodore Nelson, Margaret Ada Brown Yarnell, Tsai Lian “Veronica” Yu, Maxine Levenia Tedder Zazzara, Vincent Charles Zazzara, Betty Grace Peterson Zazzara, Edward Peterson, Violet Louise Dunlop Peterson, Katie Lee Smith Maggiore, Brian Keith Maggiore, Manuela Eleanore Rohrbeck Witthuhn, Dr Debra Alexandria Manning, Cheryl Grace “Cheri” Smith Domingo, Wayland Clifton Smith Jr., Janelle Lisa Cruz, Lyman Robert Smith, Charlene Herzenberg Smith, April 21, 1951: Lois Janes, 7, disappears from Harrisburg, Little Miss Nobody/Sharon Lee Gallegos, Louis XVII, Mary Crocker, Mary Kornman, Judy Garland, Rosina Lawrence, Joan of Arc, Jean d'Arc, Ilse Weber, Eazy-E, Ella Harper, Annie Oakley, Anne Frank, Margot Frank, Hana Brady, Pauline Adelaar, Annie Kerr Aiken, Gracie Perry Watson, Inez Clarke Briggs, Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Valentine, Saint Patrick, Mona Lisa, Saint Mark, Saint Peter, Saint Rosalia, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Constantina of Rome, Saint Helena of Constantinople, Saint John the Baptist, King David, Matilda of Denmark, Anna D Crnkovic, Irmgard Christine Winter, Saint Clare of Assisi, Saint Ita of Killeedy, Saint Agnes of Rome, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Rita of Cascia, Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, Sainte Bernadette Soubirous, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Teresa de Jesus, Saint James the Less, Catherine of Aragon, Olivia Twenty Dahl, Anne de Beauchamp, Isabel Despenser, Countess of Warwick, Isabella I, Isabella of Portugal, Isabel of Barcelos, Beatriz Pereira de Alvim, Mary I, Lucy M Haynes, Isabelle Romée, Anne Boleyn, Cleopatra, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jacques d'Arc, Mary, Queen of Scots, Marie Curie, Pierre Cauchon, Catherine II of Russia, Anna Petrovna, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia,

[anythingeverythingm]

Day 2: Beatrice of Castile

Beatrice of Castile  (also spelled Beatriz)

Born: 1293

Died: 25 October 1359

Parents: Sancho IV and María de Molina

Infanta of Castile

Queen of Portugal as the wife of Afonso IV ( 7 January 1325 – 28 May 1357)

Children: Maria (1313 – 18 January 1357) - the wife of Alfonso XI of Castile and mother of the future king Peter I of Castile.

Alfonso (1315– 1317) 

Denis (born 12 February 1317) - died a few months after his birth

Peter (8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367) - King of Portugal

Isabel (21 December 1324 – 11 July 1326)

John (23 September 1326 – 21 June 1327)

Eleanor (1328 – 1348) - the wife of Peter IV of Aragon

She was born in Toro, Kingdom of Castile.

On 13 September 1297, the Treaty of Alcañices was signed by her mother, regent at the time, and the King of Portugal. The treaty included marriage clauses to reinforce the peace.

The four year old Beatrice abandoned Castile the same year to move to the Portuguese court where she was raised alongside her future spouse , Infante Afonso, who was 2 years her senior. She was raised in a refined environment, courtesy of her future father-in-law King Denis of Portugal.

Upon her arrival, she was given multiple wedding tokens including properties by the king. After marriage the number of estates increased, her husband gifting her a great number before even ascending the throne. She received even more properties after her son became king.

Before the marriage could take place a papal dispensation was required.

The papal bull was issued in 1301 but the marriage was postponed until Beatrice and Alfonso were of age.

In 1309 the two were married, aged 16 and 18. The marriage was celebrated in Lisbon on 12 September 1309. The marriage was happy and successful, Alfonso did not have a single child out of wedlock. The couple had 7 children, 3 living past infancy.

She played an important role in the affairs of the kingdom, mediated numerous conflicts, founded a hospital and left numerous properties and sums to religious establishments.

She had 7 children, only 3 reaching adulthood.

Beatrice died aged 66 in Lisbon. She is buried in Lisbon Cathedral next to her husband.

[kkorechika]

Queen Urraca I of Leon inherited the throne in her own right and was made clear she was the authority despite intrusions from her husbands, the second of which, Alphonse I of Aragon had numerous conflicts in what seems to be a mutually abusive relationship, with her often exclaiming angrily “The king is I”. The kingdom of Portugal was founded under the authority and inheritance of a woman, Theresa of León (Urraca’s half sister). Isabel I of Castile fought and rode (albeit symbolically) into battle against the moors, as did her daughter Catherine of Aragon in the Scottish borders while her husband Henry VIII was out in France, she (Isabel) also personally financed Columbus’s voyage and project to reach the East via the West, the was enraged at him though when he returned with chained natives and ordered their immediate release, Columbus and his sons were stripped of all authority after claims of their mistreatment of the natives was confirmed, and on her deathbed she added a request to her will that any natives on any lands furthermore discovered under the crown of Castile were to be treated with dignity and had rights to property and protection under Castile’s laws. She was also an avid politician who formed strategic alliances to isolate France, marrying her children to the royal families of neighbouring countries, which ultimately failed as did her attempts at unifying Aragon, Castile, and Portugal under one heir, sure paint a complex portrait of one of the most important political figures of her time. She had her children educated by Beatriz Galindo, a notable intellectual and polymath. Isabel de Barreto, wife of Admiral Alvaro de Mendaña, inherited her husband’s position which was to lead expeditions to the Pacific Ocean gathering information on sea routes, lands and peoples of Southeast Asia and Oceania.

litany against the GOTification of history.

[lukeskywaker4ever]

Beatriz of Castile, Queen of Portugal (Wife of King Afonso IV of Portugal)

Tenure: 7 January 1325 – 28 May 1357

Beatrice of Castile or Beatriz (8 March 1293 in Toro – 25 October 1359 in Lisbon), was an infanta of Castile, daughter of Sancho IV and María de Molina. She was Queen of Portugal from the accession of her husband, Afonso IV, until his death on 28 May 1357.

Daughter of Sancho IV and of María de Molina, Infanta Beatriz was born in Toro. She had six siblings, including King Fernando IV of Castile and Queen Isabel, wife of King James II of Aragon, and later duchess as the wife of John III, Duke of Brittany.

On 13 September 1297, when Beatriz was only four years old, the bilateral agreement, known as the Treaty of Alcañices, was signed between Castile and Portugal, putting an end to the hostilities between both kingdoms and establishing the definitive borders. The treaty was signed by Queen María de Molina, as the regent of Castile on behalf of her son, Fernando IV, who was still a minor, and King Dinis of Portugal. To reinforce the peace, the agreement included clauses arranging the marriages of King Fernando and Constança of Portugal and that of her brother, Afonso, with Beatriz; that is, the marriage of two siblings, infantes of Portugal, with two other siblings, infantes of Castile.

Beatriz abandoned Castile in the same year and moved to the neighboring kingdom where she was raised in the court of King Dinis together with her future spouse, Infante Afonso, who at that time was about six years old. Her future father-in-law "had inherited from his grandfather, Afonso X of Castile, a love of letters, literature, Portuguese poetry, and the art of the troubadours" and Beatriz grew up in this refined environment. Two of the Portuguese king's illegitimate sons, both important figures in the kingdom's cultural panorama, were also at the court: Pedro Afonso, Count of Barcelos, a poet and troubadour and the author of Crónica Geral de Espanha and the Livro de Linhagens; and, Afonso Sanches, the favorite son of King Dinis and a celebrated troubadour.

After the signing of the Treaty of Alcañices and upon their return to Portugal, King Dinis gave his future daughter-in-law the Carta de Arras (wedding tokens) which included the señoríos of Évora, Vila Viçosa, Vila Real and Vila Nova de Gaia which generated an annual income of more than 6000 pounds of the old Portuguese currency. After the marriage, these estates were increased. In 1321, her husband, who had not ascended to the throne yet, gave her Viana do Alentejo; in 1325, he gave her other properties in Santarém; in 1337, properties in Atalaia; in 1341, a manor house in Alenquer; in 1350, the prior of the Monastery of San Vicente de Fora gave her Melide, a manor house in Sintra; and later, in 1357, her son, King Pedro, gave her more estates which included Óbidos,

Atouguia, Torres Novas, Ourém:

 Porto de Mós:

 and Chilheiros.

The marriage was celebrated in Lisbon on 12 September 1309. Before the marriage could take place, a papal dispensation was required since Afonso was a great-grandson of King Afonso X of Castile through his illegitimate daughter, Beatriz of Castile (King Dinis’s mother and Afonso grandmother), and Beatriz, betrothed to Afonso, was a granddaughter of the same Castilian king. In 1301, Pope Boniface VIII issued the papal bull authorizing the marriage, but since both were underage, it was postponed until 1309 when Afonso was eighteen years old and Beatriz had turned sixteen. It was a fertile and apparently happy marriage. Four out of the seven children born of this marriage died in their infancy.

Like her mother-in-law, Isabel of Aragon, who had raised her as a child, during her marriage Beatriz played a relevant role in the affairs of the kingdom and was "the first foreign-born queen who was perfectly versed in the language and customs of Portugal which facilitated her role as a mediator of conflicts". She discreetly supported her husband when he confronted his father on account of his half-brother, Afonso Sanches. In 1325 after the death of King Dinis, Afonso "who had not forgotten former hatreds", demanded to be acclaimed king by the court and was responsible for having his half brother João Afonso killed, and his great rival, his other bastard brother, Afonso Sanches, banished to Castile".

When her husband and her son-in-law King Alfonso XI of Castile fought in the war that took place in 1336 – 1339, Beatriz crossed the border and went to Badajoz to meet the Castilian king to try to reach an agreement that would bring peace to both kingdoms, although her efforts proved to be fruitless. She sent her ambassadors in 1338 to the court of King Afonso IV of Aragon to strengthen the alliance between both kingdoms which had been weakened when her son, the future King Pedro I of Portugal, refused to marry Branca, a niece of the Aragonese king because of her proven "mental weakness (...) and her incapacity for marriage".

Queen Beatriz and Guilherme de la Garde, Archbishop of Braga, acted as mediators in the quarrel, which lasted almost one year and posed the threat of another civil war in the Kingdom of Portugal following the assassination of Inês de Castro, and in 1355, father and son reached an agreement.

On the religious front, she founded a hospital in 1329 in Lisbon and later, with her husband, the Hospital da Sé to treat twenty-four poor people of both sexes, providing the institution with all that was required for its day-to-day maintenance. In her last wills and codicil, she left many properties and sums for religious establishments, particularly for the Dominican and Franciscan orders, and asked to be buried wearing the simple robe of the latter order.

Beatriz and Afonso IV were the parents of the following infantes:

Maria (1313 in Coimbra – 18 January 1357), was the wife of Afonso XI of Castile, and mother of the future king Pedro I of Castile. Due to the affair of her husband with his mistress Leonor de Guzmán "it was an unfortunate union from the start, contributing to dampening the relations of both kingdoms";

Afonso (1315 in Coimbra), heir to the throne, was a stillbirth. Buried at the disappeared Convento das Donas of the Dominican Order in Santarém;

Dinis (12 January 1317 - 18), heir to the throne, died a year after and was buried in Alcobaça Monastery;

Pedro (8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), the first surviving male offspring, he succeeded his father. When his wife Constança died in 1345, Queen Beatriz took care of the education of the two orphans, the infantes Maria and Fernando, who later reigned as King Fernando I of Portugal;

Isabel (21 December 1324 – 11 July 1326), buried at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra;

João (23 September 1326 – 21 June 1327), buried at the Monastery of São Dinis de Odivelas;

Leonor (1328 in Coimbra – October 1348), born in the same year as her sister Maria's wedding, she married King Pedro IV of Aragon in November 1347 and died a year after her marriage succumbing to the Black Death.

Queen Beatriz executed three wills and one codicil. She died in Lisbon when she was 66 years old and was buried at Lisbon Cathedral next to her husband as she had stipulated in her will.

While the definitive tombs were being built, the royal couple was originally buried at the choir of the church and it was not until the reign of King João I that their remains were transferred to the new sepulchers in the main chapel of the cathedral. These sepulchers were destroyed during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and were replaced in the 18th century. The Livros do Cartóiro da Sé (Charters of the Cathedral) written between 1710 and 1716, describe the burial of Queen Beatriz, very similar to that of her husband, with an engraving that read: Beatriz Portugaliae Regina / Affonsi Quarti Uxor. (Beatriz Queen of Portugal, wife of Afonso IV).

[realcatalina]

Hi! I really enjoy your blog and have read through all of your posts on Eleanor of Austria, her ladies and the cofia hairstyle. I wondered, do you have any theories or analysis of what's going on with Empress Isabel's hair? It looks similar to the cofia but with braids in front and in some depictions doesn't seem to have the cloth braid in the back. i know the famous portraits of isabel are idealized and painted after her death, so maybe its that kind of interpretation?

Very good question. I've been trying to figure this out for while. As far as I could find, there isn't single portrait which would show Empress Isabella with cofia de tranzado.

But yes, most aren't original. So it could be due to that! Or due to later alterations to those copies.

And even if she wore just 'cloth braid', the angle in which she is painted would make it very hard for it to show.

I cannot rule out that it was there, but with so many portraits(or rather their copies) to have 0, that suggests it wasn't there.

I cannot defenitely prove either way.

But in Museo del Prado, there are two posthumous sculptures which might hold at least part of the answer. They are both from c. 1550-1555. Posthumous depictions can be inaccurate, but the sculptor Leone Leoni, has worked for Isabella's husband and her son, and it is unlikely that there would be big mistakes.

Photos of full figure sculpture don't show it well.

But the other shows it perfectly. All her hair is on top of her head.

At least towards end of her lifetime, this would be style she wore.

Prior, we cannot conslusively prove it either way, partially because we don't know identity of sitter of this painting:

100% that is not Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark. Because she grew up in Netherlands and kept to its fashion even in Denmark.

So she'd not be wearing outfit clearly belonging to royal woman of Iberian peninsula. Problem is, after long research i only narrowed it down to Eleanor of Austria, Isabella of Portugal and Beatriz of Portugal. Despite many darkened portraits, they all had strawberry blond hair. So it could be Isabella, but i cannot prove it.

Hence I don't have definitive answer to Empress Isabella's hairstyle and headwears she might have worn. But at least at end of her life, she'd simply wear her hair up in complicated braids.

Thank you for the questions, keep them coming. :-)

[dwellordream]

“…Catalina, born in the archbishop of Toledo’s palace at Alcalá de Henares on 16 December 1485, was an attentive child who spent much of her childhood in the newly conquered kingdom of Granada alongside her mother. To care for and educate Catalina and her siblings –Juan, Isabel, Juana, and María– Isabel selected members of her own itinerant court who were trained in Latin, religious conduct, and decorous behavior. These women, bound to the queen and her daughters by ties of service and friendship, combined sewing, embroidery, spinning, and weaving with intellectual and cultural pursuits. Andrés de Miranda and Beatriz Galindo supervised the formal education of Isabel’s daughter, but prominent noblewomen shaped the social and cultural education of the infantas.

They were expected to be clever, cultivated and sophisticated but not learned, and to be friends and servants and guides to the cultural norms of life at court. This relationship is not easily defined, with fluid boundaries dependent on personality and experience. Over the course of a lifetime, a noblewoman serving at court could be tutor, mentor, casual friend, close confidante, and as intimate as a favorite sister. The relationship was reciprocal, and not just in terms of monetary compensation. Both sides gained much: the royal family received vital loyal service from noblewomen who, in return met their future husbands from the pool of noblemen in service to the king and infante Juan.

Isabel and Fernando’s children received a rigorous education in an intellectual milieu where literacy was expected and cultural patronage the norm. Household accounts show that Isabel carefully selected and compensated her children’s tutors. Isabel’s servants, Andrés Miranda, a Dominican at the monastery of Santo Domingo (Burgos) and Beatriz Galindo (la Latina, “the Latinist”), were important in educating the children. At age six, Catalina began her studies with the Geraldino brothers. Alessandro accompanied Catalina to England in 1501, served as her confessor, and wrote De eruditione nobelium puellarum (On the Education of Noble Girls, 1501), at Isabel’s request. At age eleven, Catalina owned a breviary. At age twelve she was expected to exercise some discretion and had learned to supervise servants. Her studies included philosophy, literature, and religion, and music (she could play the clavichord and harp).

She could speak French, English, and German in addition to Castilian and Latin, prompting Beatriz Galindo to note that Catalina surpassed her mother in Latin learning. She studied late medieval ideas on virtue, justice, and proper queenly behavior and Christianized versions of Classical philosophy and natural science concerning medical understandings of the differences between the sexes. She would have read, or known of, works that dealt with the education of women such as Juan Rodriquez de la Camara’s El triunfo de las donas (The Triumph of Women, 1443), Alvaro de Luna’s El libro de las virtuosas y claras mugeres (The Book of Virtuous and Famous Women, 1446), Fray Martín Alonso de Córdoba’s Jardín de la nobles doncellas (The Garden of Noble Maidens, 1468), and Francesc Eiximenis’s manual for female instruction, the Carro de las donas (The Carriage of Women, 15th century), that may have been brought to court by Beatriz Galindo.

It is also likely that she read or knew of Juan de Flores’s Grisel and Mirabella, The Slander against Women, and The Defense of Ladies against Slanderers, works in the querelle des femmes genre that were dedicated to an unnamed female reader who may well have been Isabel. Isabel continued to pay annuities to Alessandro Geraldino (“maestro de las ynfantes”) until her death in 1504. The royal account books report expenditures for Catalina from 1478 to 1504 and include books, patronage, philanthropy, alms, as well as clothing and jewelry.

Some of the earliest records that mention Catalina are found in the household accounts of Isabel’s court and date from 1486, just after her birth. They record purchases of fabric for blankets and baby clothes, items for her baptism, shoes, food (honey, silver flatware, and glass cups and the expenses for moving the households of Catalina and her elder sisters Juana and María from Murcia to Valladolid (in 1488) and from Valladolid to Jaén (1489). Álvaro Fernández de Córdova Miralles counted 92 women at Isabel’s court, 61 who served the queen, with thirteen in the household of the infanta María, six for infanta Catalina. The Isabelline court appears to be typical of the age but much smaller than that of later queens, Isabel of Valois (178 women) and Mariana of Austria (over 300 women). Typical also of royal households is a significant number of noblewomen, many of whom were daughters of or married to the highest ranking nobles at court.

…More lowly were Catalina’s attendants –both men and women– caring for clothing, shoes, jewelry, and personal objects (such as books and toys), who were paid between 6,000 and 10,000 annually. What these sums do not show, however, is the marriage gifts (often monetary, but also valuable objects) bestowed by Isabel, which could be substantial and which men at court did not receive. Gentlewomen of modest rank, such as Francisca de Torres, Juana de Porras (called Porricas), and Nieta were paid 10,000, 6,000, and 8,000 maravedís on 20 October 1500. Little is known about these women beyond the fact that they were permanent members of the household. They were paid for expenses they incurred to move Catalina’s household from Ecija to Seville, and the same three were paid the same amounts again on 10 March 1501. Nieta may be just a nickname suggests that she is part of the intimate circle around Catalina but probably not a noblewoman.

At the bottom of the social hierarchy are a few slaves and a female dwarf who was first part of infanta María’s court at Lisbon, then came to Catalina’s court in Spain, and moved with her to England where she was known as the Spanish fool. But these women at court were valued highly and respected. After queen Isabel’s death, king Fernando ordered a final set of annuity payments to be paid to the women who had served in Isabel’s court, among them some of the loftiest and lowliest. On 10 June 1504, Blanca Manrique, Aldara de Portugal, Francisca de Ayala, Isabel (daughter of Costança), Marina Ruiz, and Inés (a slave) received payments of an unspecified amount.”

- Theresa M. Earenfight, “RAISING INFANTA CATALINA DE ARAGÓN TO BE CATHERINE, QUEEN OF ENGLAND.”

[isadomna]

“There were very few queens like Berenguela. There were not many kings like her either. She deserves to be reinstated to the place she earned in the pantheon of medieval monarchs, for the history of Iberia, of Europe, and of the Middle Ages was as much the work of women’s hands as men’s. “-  Janna Bianchini, The Queen's Hand

She was the eldest daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England. Many of the children born later to the couple died shortly after birth or in early infancy, and so Berenguela became a greatly desired bride throughout Europe. Berenguela's first engagement was agreed in 1187 when her hand was sought by Duke Conrad of Swabia, the fifth child of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The marriage was not consummated, due to Berenguela's young age, as she was less than 10 years old. By 1191, she requested an annulment of the engagement from the pope but the duke’s assassination in 1196 finalized the situation. In 1197, it was decided that Berenguela should marry her father’s cousin King Alfonso IX of León in an effort to bring peace to the two kingdoms. After seven years of marriage and five children, their marriage was voided by Pope Innocent III due to consanguinity. Berenguela returned to Castile and to her parents, where she dedicated herself to the care of her children.

After her father’s death in 1214, Berenguela was regent for her younger brother Enrique I of Castile until internal strife, instigated by the nobility, forced her to cede regency and guardianship to Count Alvaro Núñez de Lara. By May 1216, the situation in Castile had grown perilous for Berenguela, so she decided to take refuge in the castle of Autillo de Campos and sent her son Fernando to the court of his father. Circumstances changed suddenly when King Enrique died on 6 June 1217, after receiving a head wound from a tile which came loose while he was playing with other children at the palace of the bishop of Palencia. The new sovereign was well aware of the danger her former husband posed to her reign; being her brother's closest agnate, it was feared that he would claim the crown for himself. Therefore, Queen Berenguela kept her brother's death and her own accession secret from Alfonso IX of León. She wrote to Alfonso asking that Fernando be sent to visit her, and then abdicated in their son's favour on 31 August. In part, she abdicated as she would be unable to be the military leader Castile needed its king to be in that time.

Although she did not reign for long, Berenguela continued to be her son's closest advisor, intervening in state policy, albeit in an indirect manner. Well into her son's reign, contemporary authors wrote that she still wielded authority over him. Berenguela’s political acumen helped quell the rebellious nobles and provided her son with crucial support in his crusade against the Muslims of Al-Andalus. Berenguela communicated with, negotiated with, and advised other rulers across Europe, including a succession of popes, the queen of France, and the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. She arranged the marriage of her son Fernando III of Castile with Beatriz of Swabia, and her daughter Berenguela to John of Brienne, a maneuver which brought Fernando III closer to the throne of León, since John was the candidate Alfonso IX had in mind to marry his eldest daughter Sancha. By proceeding more quickly, Berenguela prevented the daughters of her former husband from marrying a man who could claim the throne of León.

Perhaps her most decisive intervention on Fernando's behalf took place in 1230, when Alfonso IX died and designated as heirs to the throne his daughters Sancha and Dulce from his first marriage to Theresa of Portugal, superseding the rights of Fernando III. Berenguela met with the princesses' mother and succeeded in the ratification of the Treaty of las Tercerías, by which they renounced the throne in favor of their half-brother in exchange for a substantial sum of money and other benefits.Thus were the thrones of León and Castile re-united in the person of Fernando III.  

She intervened again by arranging the second marriage of her son with a French noblewoman, Joan of Dammartin, a candidate put forth by Berenguela's sister Blanche of France. Berenguela served again as regent, ruling while Fernando was in the south on his long campaigns of the Reconquista. She governed Castile and León with her characteristic skill, relieving him of the need to divide his attention during this time. She is portrayed as a wise and virtuous woman by the chroniclers of the time. Much like her mother, Berenguela was a strong patroness of religious institutions. She was also concerned with literature and history, charging Lucas de Tuy to compose a chronicle on the Kings of Castile and León to aid and instruct future rulers of the joint kingdom. The necrology of Las Huelgas gives November 8, 1246, as the date of Queen Berenguela’s death. Her son was canonized as St. Fernando by Pope Clement X in 1671.  (x)(x)(x)

[latristereina]

Isabel of Aragon’s letter to her father, Fernando II of Aragon, in which she tells him about her life in Portugal, and expresses her feelings and worry about her parents and her sister-in-law following her brother’s death.

Isabel of Aragon was the firstborn child of the Catholic Monarchs, born in Dueñas, on 2 October 1470. When her parents ascended the throne of Castile in December 1474, she became the Princess of Asturias, sworn in as such during the session of the Cortes in April 1476. During the said session her hand was also promised in marriage to Ferdinand, Prince of Capua, the grandson of Ferdinand I of Naples, formerly having been engaged to Dauphin Charles [future Charles VIII of France]. After her brother Juan was born, on 30 June 1478, she became second in the line of succession. The negotiations with Portugal to end the war of the Castilian Succession began at the time, and according to the Treaty of Alcáçovas, signed on 4 September 1479, Isabel was to marry Alfonso, the grandson of Alfonso V of Portugal, the only son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Viseu. It was also stipulated the infanta had to move to Portugal in order to live with her betrothed in the Castle of Moura, in the custody of Beatriz of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu, her mother’s aunt until 1483. The marriage was contracted by proxy in Seville, on 18 April 1490, and was ratified in Évora, on 27 November. One year later the prince fell off his horse and died. Isabel was claimed back by her parents. She was devastated, starved herself and plunged into depression, determined not to remarry. At first her father agreed not to force her into new marriage, but when John II of Portugal died in 1495, and Manuel I succeeded him, Fernando changed his mind, considering the new king had declined his proposal to marry his younger daughter, María. Manuel I was determined to marry Isabel. It cost the Catholic Monarchs a lot to persuade their daughter, and although she eventually agreed, she demanded something in return; the expulsion of Jews from Portugal, although it is being debated by scholars whether she had a definitive say in Manuel’s decision on the matter. Isabel's second marriage took place in Valencia de Alcántara, on 30 September 1497. Her brother, Prince Juan, died four days later, and shortly afterward his widow, Margaret of Austria, suffered a miscarriage. Those unfortunate events made Isabel and her newly-wed husband the new princes of Asturias, sworn in as such at the Cortes of Toledo, on 29 April 1498. Unfortunately, Isabel died in childbirth in Saragossa, on 23 August 1498, while she was waiting to be sworn in as the Princess of Girona by the Aragonese Cortes. Her son, Miguel de la Paz, died on 19 July 1500.

Most high and most puissant King, my Lord

I am not asking Your Highness for forgiveness for not writing to you more often because it is not possible for you to make me feel more shame, no matter how blamed I might be, than the shame I feel for not being able to do it as I would like, and even more so, guessing the command of Your Highness, to abide by and satisfy these people [the Portuguese], who are very lovely, I cannot do as I wish, and the best I can is to see myself having palaces at my disposal until I am deadly tired both physically and spiritually. Truly, my Lord, now I would gladly excuse myself from such pleasures in order to find myself at the service and in the presence of Your Highnesses, so we could live together through the sorrow, that I am hoping our Lord, considering His infinite mercy, will soothe by giving the Lady Princess [Margaret of Austria] a son, guarding him and making him as Your Highnesses wish, in the face of such a misfortune [Juan’s death], we should promptly expect His compassion. And I, my Lord, live in this hope, and I beg Your Highness to take relief in it and in any other thing that may bring it. And for the love of God, sometimes Your Highness ought to take a rest, with all the rest you might have, such distress is very sorrowful and disguised to kill. May God guard Your Highness as the Queen, my Lady, desires, and it seems to me such sorrow is particularly bad for the kidneys. I hope Your Highness has not felt it that way and never will. I kiss the feet and the hands of Your Highness for such favor you do me, by the care you have for my well-being, that everything I would do, following the orders of Your Highness, and everything that would come of it, is for my sake. I, my Lord, will work as much as I can to do so, and will do everything in my power to follow the customs of this place [Portugal], and later I will do so in everything. As for other trivialities of my household and the treatment I receive; no woman has been treated in a more honorable manner by her husband; and I believe it will serve Your Highness better that it is to my advantage and honor of my household, unlike it was under the King of Portugal, my Lord [John II], for he was not well-disposed. I am of such goodwill to show myself Portuguese that without such urgency as the counsel of Your Highness, which is a command to me, I have shown myself as such; and thus I determined to follow the rule of using horses, but now for the trip that we are to take, to visit the Queen of Portugal, my Lady [Eleanor of Viseu, John II of Portugal’s wife and Manuel I’s sister], the King, my Lord, let the Castilian women travel on mules, and the two Portuguese women, whom I already have in my household, are to go on horses that their father will provide them with, so they can have them in my stable. [The Catholic Monarchs’ court traveled on mules.] As for the other things of this place, [Portugal] if I had such a good knowledge of them as Your Highness has of those of that place [Castile and Aragon], when it was necessary for me to show myself Portuguese, considering there are a few Castilians here, I would already speak, but Your Highness should believe that since the majority of people I have to spend time with, are those whom I did not have much contact with when I was here for the first time, I still have much work to do in getting to know them. And without this, and knowing well the things of this place, which are very different from those of the other, I would err in what I would like to say. The King, my Lord, has told me to occupy myself with certain business, pray God I may do this in such a manner that I learn and so that it serves him and Your Highnesses. May God guard and increase the royal life and state of Your Highness with much pleasure, and let me serve Your Highness as I wish. The favor you do me, besides others, in writing to me about the state of the Queen, my Lady, and the Lady Princess [Margaret of Austria], God knows the pity I feel at all times, knowing they are not doing very well; I would like it to be extended, and for Your Highness to command someone to write to me about Your Highness, so that I am informed of everything.

From Évora on 13 November [1497].

From the humble servant and daughter of Your Highness, who kisses your royal feet and hands. The Queen

Source: Nicolás Ávila Seoane, Documentos de las hijas de los Reyes Católicos: Isabel, pp. 26-27, Archivo General de Simancas, Patronato real, leg. 50, doc. 31, ff. 101-102v.

[allfcnso]

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐄.

Following the events of the Lisbon Summit of 1458, the Castilian monarch remained in Portugal longer than was necessary in order to set the seal on trade relations between Portugal and Castile, two crowns bonded in an intense Catholic fervor and neighbored by the ever expanding Emirate of Cordoba. During this time, Alfonso attempted to improve the preexisting neutral to positive relations with the King and Queen of Portugal, with whom he maintains a power blockade to prevent the Emirate from expanding directly east and west. Rumours of the Holy Roman Empire’s recent upsets unnerve the King, but frequent correspondence with his mother in law the Empress assure him of her capabilities and exceptional fortitude in the face of adversity (November, 1459).  

Upon returning to Castile by way of the Tagus, Alfonso and his court launch intense pageantry and celebration for the occasion of the King’s birthday: an event marked with passionate displays of fealty to both crown and country, albeit plagued by the enduring reminder that, while the King was hale and hearty, he had no son to succeed him as he rapidly approached his fortieth year. Behind closed doors, the vacant chill of the royal cradle continued to fester animosity between Alfonso and Queen Magdalena. Yet, unbeknownst to them, the new year would bring reason to suspect their fortune had turned... 

The court also had reason to celebrate when Beatrice, Dowager Duchess of Burgundy (fondly called Beatriz, as the beloved niece of Queen Crara) sojourned in Toledo as a representative of the Portuguese crown, conveying with her missives and tidings from the court of Lisbon. Sumptuous arrangements were made to receive and host the Dowager Duchess in comfort and luxury, as it was with the Queen’s niece that Alfonso spent ample time, introducing her to the various castles, customs, and treasures strewn across the capital city. Brief was Alfonso’s royal progress, concluded by Yuletide celebrations in the city of Fermoselle, where King and Queen watched the court honour the birth of Christ with uninhibited displays of lobbying, favour-asking and favour-granting, commemorated under the guise of devotion and festivity. For whatever acrimony lingered between himself and Magdalena, Castile remained radiant in the face of it. 

The most important plot development remains that ... !! Magdalena and Alfonso are now expecting a child. Given that their first child –– a son –– was born dead, this is an exceptionally important yet delicate time for the King and Queen, with few beside their inner circle privy to the Queen’s condition.

[infantateresa]

intro

✧ ━━ the courts of switzerland present TERESA TRASTAMARA of SPAIN, the INFANTA of SPAIN. the TWENTY THREE year old had been CHARISMATIC and  COMPASSIONATE before the break of war but have now become  A HOPELESS ROMANTIC and COMPLAISANT. SHE is often remembered by their likeness to ELEANOR TOMLINSON and ROMANCE NOVELS HIDDEN UNDER HER PILLOWS, EFFORTLESS DANCES TILL DAWN, A PAWN WAITING FOR INSTRUCTIONS. the rumor mills of europe claim that her allegiance lies with THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE and that she is for PEACE.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME :  teresa juana trastamara

MEANING : 

Form of THERESA used in several languages. Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Spanish nun who reformed the Carmelite monasteries and wrote several spiritual books.

Spanish form of Iohanna (see JOANNA), making it the feminine form of JUAN (1). This name was borne by Juana the Mad, a 16th-century queen of Castile

Unknown

name: teresa

middle name: juana

surname: trastamara

MONIKERS / NICKNAMES : resa (family nickname)

TITLE : 

infanta of spain

GENDER & PRONOUNS : 

ETHNICITY : white spanish

DATE OF BIRTH & AGE:december 15th 1535 

ZODIAC SIGN : sagittarius 

ORIENTATION : heterosexual, heteroromantic

MARITAL STATUS : unmarried

OCCUPATION : none? patron of the arts?

CURRENT LOCATION : castelgrande castle

BACKGROUND

PLACE OF BIRTH : royal alcazar of madrid

RESIDENCES : royal alcazar of madrid

RELIGIOUS VIEWS : roman catholic

EDUCATION : private tutoring befitting her status though she excelled more in her social education then her academic subjects (besides languages)

LANGUAGES SPOKEN : spanish (native), portuguese (fluent), italian (fluent), latin (proficient nearly fluent), french (proficient), english (proficient), arabic (conversational can’t read it), german (conversational, can’t read it) 

ALLEGIANCES : 

monarch house, if applicable ; trastamara

house of birth  ; trastamara

FAMILY :

       king alonso of spain (eldest brother) 

       duke tomas of barcelona (older brother) 

       infanta luciana (older sister, deceased) 

       infanta mariana (older sister)

OTHER FAMILIAL RELATIONS :

      queen beatriz of portugal (sister in law) 

      manuel, prince of asturias (nephew)

      infante christobal (nephew) 

      infante miguel (nephew) 

      infanta ines (niece) 

      infanta carlota (niece)  

      princess adalaide of masovia (sister in law)

APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM : eleanor tomlinson

HAIR COLOUR / STYLE : teresa has vibrant red hair that if she spends too much time in the sun with sometimes appears nearly golden colored. when not perfectly styled her hair can easily be described as a wild mane (especially after horseback riding) but in most social situations is perfectly styled in a fashionable updo. 

EYE COLOUR / SHAPE : teresa was blessed with big round blue green eyes that you can see every emotion she has in, her eyes are truly the gateways to her soul 

HEIGHT : 167 cm / 5′6″.

BUILD : teresa has never been able to keep any meat on her bones or muscle always looking more like a twig then anything else despite being in perfectly good health and relatively physically active

SPEECH STYLE : teresa has always been gifted with a skill for language and generally speaks with very little accent. her tone is almost always soft and she generally speaks at a calm and quiet voice. she has the sort of voice that you could listen to all day.

RECOGNIZABLE MARKINGS : though her wild red mane is her most recognizable feature, she does have a large birth mark on the right side of her hip

BEAUTY HABITS : hygiene is very important to teresa, she can not stand bad smells of any kind. is also a sucker for a red lip and is often seen wearing one

PERSONALITY

TROPES : beauty = goodness, indifferent beauty, spoiled sweet 

INSPIRATIONS : allie hamilton (the notebook), rose (the titanic), and edith crawley (downton abbey)

MBTI : esfj

ENNEAGRAM : type 2- the helper

ALIGNMENT : lawful good

TEMPERAMENT : phlegmatic

HOGWARTS HOUSE : hufflepuff

POSITIVE TRAITS : loyal, compassionate, charismatic 

NEGATIVE TRAITS : naive, complaisant, hopeless romantic

HABITS : when bored she tends to hum since she always have a song stuck in her head, when nervous though she fidgets a lot with her favorite ring she wears daily on her left pinky

HOBBIES : teresa’s two favorite hobbies are dancing and horseback riding. she will take any opportunity for either though she often wishes she was more skilled in the formal arts but she isn’t so she simply enjoys viewing them and being an active patron of various artists

USUAL DEMEANOR : teresa is a very calm person and her company is usually enjoyed because of her gentle demeanor. despite that she is definitely not a boring person and will do anything she can to make people happy and love to laugh and enjoy life making her very popular with most people.

HEALTH

PHYSICAL AILMENTS : thankfully is very physically healthy though she did catch two very terrible fevers as a child but they do not appear to have effected her long term

NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION : teresa is also blessed to have relatively stable mental health. she does have some anxiety about her unstable future but she is very private about it

PHOBIAS : autophobia (fear of being alone), claustrophobia (fear of small spaces)

ALLERGIES : a pretty severe allergy to peanuts, had a severe reaction as a child and her family became very protective keeping them away

SLEEPING HABITS : teresa has always been an early riser and loves watching the sun rise when possible, can not sleep when there are storms though

SOCIABILITY : the poster child for a social butterfly, not just because her social position requires it, she genuinely just loves being around people. almost never alone because of it and becomes incredibly anxious if left alone for too long. the only social situations she dislikes is ones discussing politics because she is not very politically minded.

ADDICTIONS : teresa has never used drugs and is not a big fan of the taste of alcohol. she understands drinking though is a part of socializing and will drinks when it is required at social events but generally is always sober

[dukeofviseu]

TASK 001.

FULL NAME : antónio afonso de bragança MEANING: an apt noble of incalculable worth, from the district of braga.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME : antónio afonso de bragança

MEANING :

antónio: of incalculable worth, worthy

afonso: 'noble', alternatively 'ready', 'apt' - the first king of portugal

bragança: from the capital city of braga, of the braga district

MONIKERS / NICKNAMES : nino ( family & close friends ), tonho ( vitoria )

TITLE : infante de portugal, duque de viseu/duque de beja, governador geral do brasil ( infante of portugal, duke of viseu, governor-geral of brazil )

GENDER & PRONOUNS :

cisgender male

he / his

ETHNICITY : white european & african black

DATE OF BIRTH & AGE : march 28th, 1531 / twenty-eight

ZODIAC SIGN : aries

ORIENTATION : bisexual biromantic

MARITAL STATUS : unmarried

OCCUPATION : governor-geral of brazil

CURRENT LOCATION : castelgrande castle, switzerland

BACKGROUND

PLACE OF BIRTH : lisboa, portugal

RESIDENCES : paço da ribeira

RELIGIOUS VIEWS : roman catholicism

EDUCATION : antónio was educated accordingly for a second son in his time - firstly in how to behave properly as a royal, then to fulfill what was expected of him at all moments. he was raised to be a skilled strategist and counselor for his father and his older brother, who will one day assume the throne. aside from being taught his duties as infante, antónio had tutors for many of his interests - some that his father deemed useful for him as a prince, some that he didn't (such as specific subjects in arts and literature). antónio has great swordsmanship and horsemanship, as well as well stretched social skills that range from the lowest to highest social class.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN : portuguese ( native ), latin ( fluent ), spanish ( fluent ), english ( fluent ),  italian ( conversational ) french ( conversational ), german ( learning )

ALLEGIANCES :

house of bragança ( first, by birth )

brazilian colony ( second, by vocation )

the holy roman empire & its allies ( third, by tact )

FAMILY :

king joão of portugal ( father )

queen carlota of barcelos ( mother, deceased )

beatriz of portugal, queen of spain ( sister )

prince sebastião ( brother )

infanta vitória ( sister )

OTHER FAMILIAL RELATIONS :

archduchess louisa of portugal ( aunt )

grand duchess augusta of styria ( cousin )

grand duke lucas of carinthia ( cousin )

archduke augustinus of bavaria-munich ( uncle )

king alonso of spain ( brother-in-law )

tomás, duke of barcelona ( brother-in-law )

infanta luciana ( sister-in-law, deceased )

infanta mariana ( sister-in-law )

infanta teresa ( sister-in-law )

manuel, prince of asturias ( nephew )

infante cristóbal ( nephew )

infante miguel ( nephew )

infanta inés ( niece )

infanta carlota ( niece )

APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM : keiynan lonsdale

HAIR COLOUR / STYLE : black in color. cut short, well trimmed and cared for, in an unusual manner for the time.

EYE COLOUR / SHAPE : deep set, black eyes, piercing in stare.

HEIGHT : 1.83 m / 6'0’’

BUILD : athletic in build ; little body fat due to extensive athletic leisure, toned but proportionate muscles..

SPEECH STYLE : antónio is a soft spoken young man, with vast rhetorical knowledge, which he uses accordingly to social situations. his portuguese accent is always present and considerably heavy to the ears, and he will speak in his mother tongue whenever he can. when talking amongst his cared for, he will enthusiastically ramble and often get lost in his own thoughts. in official situations (or around his father), his tone and speech pattern will change, turning into a calmer, more responsible sounding tone, proper of a young infante. antónio seeks to always better represent his country and family.

RECOGNIZABLE MARKINGS : squared jaw

BEAUTY HABITS : bathes regularly, likes infused water with herbs and flowers (the latter mostly for aesthetic pleasure). takes care of dental hygiene (accordingly to the time). carries a nosegay when strolling through in public. wears bright colored attire, harmonious with his country colors - mostly red, golden and bege - in undershirts, trousers, tunics and cloaks, frequently uses leggigns for protection or belts to secure his trousers. sometimes will wear wrap-over coats and puffier sleeves for more official and/or social occasions.

PERSONALITY

TROPES : crowd pleaser, like a duck takes to water, wake-up call

INSPIRATIONS : i literally do not know?? maybe a bit on dom pedro i just because of the whole 'choosing the colony over the metropole, despite him being far from like dom pedro (also cause dom pedro is from the 1700s-1800s)

MBTI : enfp-t ; the campaigner

ENNEAGRAM : type 9 ; the peacemaker

ALIGNMENT : lawful good

TEMPERAMENT : sanguine ( melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric )

HOGWARTS HOUSE : hufflepuff

POSITIVE TRAITS : buoyant, altruistic, merciful, principled, loyal, tolerant, gregarious

NEGATIVE TRAITS : tactless, quixotic, lenient, hesitant, submissive

HABITS : switching between accents/dialects/languages, pacing, overly expressing physically, restless leg

HOBBIES : athletic leisure (quarter staff, jousting, archery, riding, hunting), music related pastimes (listening to music, playing the moorish guitar and the harpsichord), painting, literature (reading and writing poetry, troubadours), academic endeavors, social encounters (drinking involved) & sailing

USUAL DEMEANOR : surrounded by his closest and most trustworthy, antónio is a bright and light young man, talkative and friendly, full of ideas and easily excited. he stands goofily and doesn't appease to royal standards. amongst court, he's stiffer and less expressive, unless in defence of his family and country's honor, but is more of a listened than a talker - unless in festive environment, when he's capable to mix his public persona with his personal social talents, an energetic and magnetic man.

HEALTH

PHYSICAL AILMENTS : none worth mention. always an active and healthy child, antónio never suffered from grave illness, only usual summer fevers..

NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION : from a young age, tutors and staff noticed antónio's restlessness. even when doing things he enjoyed, he displayed anxious behaviors, such as inability to wait for his own turn, having difficulty maintaining attention in one task - description compatible with symptoms of ADHD-C. despite the hardships of his lack of focus and generalized anxieties, antónio grew up to be an emotionally intelligent man, although only mildly aware of his own emotional dependency on his father's opinions. aside from the above and the sleep disorder, which will be described later), antónio struggles with a sense of lack of self-awareness. not a complete disruption of perception, which would make him identifiable with a dissociative disorder, but mild enough to be considered a sort of dissociation from material reality, such as depersonalization, in which antónio is detached from his surroundings in midst of anxiety episodes and finds himself as a third-party, observant of himself, but is aware that the feeling is not reality. in defiance of all the above, antónio remains a light-hearted individual, usually seem as a happy young man. he would not describe himself as unhappy in any given time, but is aware of his inner turmoils - only to categorize them as usual human emotions. he has no intention of pursuing explanations for his behaviors, nor treatment for them (despite his father's constant attempts of calming him down as a child).

PHOBIAS : fear of disappointing his family, fear of being forgotten

ALLERGIES : none

SLEEPING HABITS : antónio has difficulties in falling asleep, and once he does, he might wake up several times throughout the evening. he's gone through weeks at a time with minimal amounts of sleep, but his overall appearance and posture is hardly affected by it. antónio suffers from episodes of dissociation during sleep, such as being unable to dream in first person, which affects him while awake as he sometimes has a hard time knowing if he's awake or dreaming. overall, antónio sleeps late when he does, just as sun's about to rise, and wakes up throughout his sleep several times, but eventually gets up around 3-5 hours later, average. when he has early duties, he often does not sleep.

SOCIABILITY : extremely extroverted, antónio will make a point to talk to as many people as he can in any given situation, whatever the matter is. he's constantly and impatiently looking for new acquaintances and companies, whether it be for sexual reasons or merely social ones. he is usually seen as the life of the party in many people's eyes. although he prefers writing, painting and studying by himself, all his other leisure activities are prefered to be done with groups of people. antónio is more than capable of spending good alone time, but prefers to keep the company of others.

ADDICTIONS : antónio is exhaustingly drawn to physical activity - for leisure and health purposes. considered addiction of not, he participates in competitions and tournaments often, thrilled by the adrenaline suppressed in it. besides that, he's not much of a heavy drinker, choosing to do so only in social gatherings or to impress someone (he's that guy). he enjoys the feeling of being drunk, and is always aware of his limitations with alcohol.

[vitcrias]

vitória madalena de bragança ( a deeper look )

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME : vitória madalena de bragança

MEANING :

vitória: the portuguese form of victoria, meaning victory in latin.

madalena: named for mary magdalene of the new testament ; portuguese form of magdalena, derived from the latinate form magdalene from a title meaning of magdala, a town on the sea of galilee ; magdala meaning tower in hebrew.

bragança: from the place name braga, capital city of the district of braga in portugal ; derived from bracari, the celtic tribe in the region, and the latin brigantia. current ruling dynastic house of portugal.

MONIKERS / NICKNAMES : vi, lena, vivi ( family & close friends ), the rose of portugal ( court )

TITLE : infanta of portugal

GENDER & PRONOUNS :

cisgender female

she / hers

ETHNICITY : white european & african black

DATE OF BIRTH & AGE : january 28th, 1536 / twenty-three

ZODIAC SIGN : aquarius

ORIENTATION : bisexual biromantic

MARITAL STATUS : unmarried

OCCUPATION : princess of portugal, patron of the arts

CURRENT LOCATION : castelgrande castle, switzerland

BACKGROUND

PLACE OF BIRTH : lisboa, portugal

RESIDENCES : paço da ribeira

RELIGIOUS VIEWS : roman catholicism

EDUCATION : vitória was educated in the humanistic method as befitting a princess of her time, and her lessons included etiquette, linguistics, religion, literature, mathematics, law, and philosophy, as well as equestrian skills, dancing, singing, and music ( the clavichord, music reading, and composition ). additionally, she was taught needlepoint, embroidery, and sewing, though, like mathematics, were not her favourite. while not necessarily hammered with the responsibility of ruling like her older sister or brother, she was given an education that would prepare her for diplomacy and becoming a consort.

an active girl, she is both a graceful dancer and skilled equestrian. she has also cultivated a passion for the arts and humanities, and enjoys both reading ( spiritual, philosophical, and renaissance works ) and writing. she's also skilled at languages.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN : portuguese ( native ), latin ( fluent ), spanish ( fluent ), german ( fluent ),  english ( conversational ), italian ( conversational ), french ( conversational ), arabic ( learning ), mandarin ( learning )

ALLEGIANCES :

house of bragança

the holy roman empire & its allies

FAMILY :

king joão of portugal ( father )

queen carlota of barcelos ( mother, deceased )

beatriz of portugal, queen of spain ( sister )

prince sebastião ( brother )

infante antónio, governor-geral of brazil ( brother )

OTHER FAMILIAL RELATIONS :

archduchess louisa of portugal ( aunt )

grand duchess augusta of styria ( cousin )

grand duke lucas of carinthia ( cousin )

archduke augustinus of bavaria-munich ( uncle )

king alonso of spain ( brother-in-law )

tomás, duke of barcelona ( brother-in-law )

infanta luciana ( sister-in-law, deceased )

infanta mariana ( sister-in-law )

infanta teresa ( sister-in-law )

manuel, prince of asturias ( nephew )

infante cristóbal ( nephew )

infante miguel ( nephew )

infanta inés ( niece )

infanta carlota ( niece )

APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM : greta onieogou

HAIR COLOUR / STYLE : black in color. prefers to wear her hair loose and down, but will also wear it done up and covered as befitting the fashion of the time.

EYE COLOUR / SHAPE : dark brown, balanced and rounded. has a bright, curious gaze.

HEIGHT : 1.73 m / 5'8’’

BUILD : slender and tall ; lean from dancing and horseback riding. excellent posture. known for her height — it is one of her most recognizable features.

SPEECH STYLE : pleasing to the ear and marked by a portuguese accent that bleeds into the other languages she speaks. when speaking freely, she talks quickly and animatedly ; she has a voice full of passion that pitches and rises with enthusiasm. tends to use hand gestures when particularly emotional. among most, she tries to keep her tone measured and polite to match the demeanor of a proper, elegant woman.

RECOGNIZABLE MARKINGS : none of note

BEAUTY HABITS : bathes regularly. enjoys floral and herbal scents in her soaps and perfumes, and is also partial to spice and citrus. follows the fashion trends of portuguese court ; likes vivid, colorful fabrics and jewelry. uses lotions and balms to clarify and cleanse skin and makes use of cosmetics, especially vermillion for red lips and blush.

PERSONALITY

TROPES : brainy brunette, spoiled sweet, spirited young lady, caged bird metaphor

INSPIRATIONS : isabella of portugal ( history ), elizabeth bennet ( pride & prejudice ), belle ( beauty and the beast )

MBTI : enfp-t

ENNEAGRAM : type 6 ; the loyalist

ALIGNMENT : lawful good

TEMPERAMENT : sanguine ( melancholic secondary )

HOGWARTS HOUSE : ravenclaw

POSITIVE TRAITS : genial, kind, intelligent, vivacious, passionate, sincere, tenacious

NEGATIVE TRAITS : ambivalent, forthright, doubting, insecure, reticent, jaded, resentful

HABITS : hand gestures when speaking, fiddling with rings or necklaces when nervous or impatient, picking at loose threads.

HOBBIES : reading, writing ( poetry, letters, prose ), music ( clavichord & composition ), horseback riding, dancing, archery, chess, philanthropy & charity. enjoys the sun and outdoors.

USUAL DEMEANOR : among court, she is affable and gregarious ; a softened version of herself. displays an air of amiability, yet can’t quite match up to demure or gentle. she has a tendency to become animated when she talks about what she loves, but depending on the company, she’s quick to temper her enthusiasm once she realizes it. her truest self is bold, inquisitive, and spirited, though she feels like she must temper this to fit into the role of the perfect lady.

HEALTH

PHYSICAL AILMENTS : none of note. aside from summer fevers she suffered from as a child, she has been blessed with fairly good health.

NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION : growing up, she was capricious and energetic, failing to sit still during lessons unless she enjoyed them. ( luckily for her tutors, she liked most of them. ) she is still rather emotional, though has become better at concealing changes of mood to the point of pretending nothing is wrong when that might not be the case. indecisive and uncertain, she doubts herself constantly, and it doesn’t help she feels as if she doesn’t have many to turn to. she believes her siblings and father are too busy to be concerned with her problems, and knows almost every portuguese noblewoman is only helping her for their own gain. she will sometimes fall into periods of melancholy because of this, and her brightness can be quickly dimmed without notice.

PHOBIAS : fear of failure

ALLERGIES : none

SLEEPING HABITS : she tries to get a restful amount of sleep ( per the directions of her physician ), though she doesn’t always succeed. has stayed up late one too many times, whether due to festivities or being unable to put a book down. averages 6-10 hours of sleep a night, and doesn’t fall asleep easily. the type to overthink the day’s events and race through a number of thoughts and ideas while in bed.

SOCIABILITY : an ambivert. she enjoys the company of others, and is eager to meet new people and learn about the world, but also needs time to herself and her hobbies. at her core, she is an adventurous, curious soul, and this bleeds into her interactions with others. she likes honest, lively conversation and wit, especially if her companion shares common interests. finds small talk a chore she must endure for the sake of propriety.

ADDICTIONS : none of note. though she enjoys alcohol and merriment, she prefers her mind sharp and to be aware of her surroundings. she doesn’t particularly like the feeling of being drunk, anyway. however, her ladies-in-waiting would say she can get too absorbed in whatever might be occupying her mind at the moment — be it a piece of literature, a song she wants to learn, or prose she wishes to write — to the detriment of her sleep and health.

[kingxfspain]

Timeline

1524- Alonso is born

1533- Spain attacks France and French lands are claimed by Spain 

1537- The Queen of Spain dies suddenly after a wretched fever lasting only a month, to the great sorrow of Spain 

1539- Spanish forces are repelled from France

1540- His father arranges a betrothal between Alonso and Beatriz Bragança of Portugal to cement their alliance 

1544- Alonso and Beatriz are married in a grand ceremony befitting their stations

1545- Infante Manuel is born to the great joy of his parents and Spain 

1546- The King of Spain dies after battling an infection for five months and Alonso is crowned King Alonso I of Spain

1547- Infante Cristóbal is born

1549- Infante Miguel is born

1551- Infanta Inés is born

1555- Infanta Carlota is born

1557- Princess Lucianna of Spain dies in Portugal after many failed pregnancies, igniting tensions between Spain and Portugal*

*This date may be changed in accordance with Mariana’s player’s wishes.