Eleanor of Aragon

Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal

Infanta Eleanor (Leonor) of Aragon was born on May 2, 1402, to King Ferdinand I of Aragon and his Queen, Eleanor of Albuquerque.

Her father died when she was 14 and her brother, Alfonso, succeeded him.

In 1428, she was betrothed to Infante Edward (Duarte), the heir to the Portuguese Throne. They had nine children, although only five survived to adulthood. Eleanor's mother-in-law was Philippa of Lancaster, a granddaughter of King Edward III of England.

Edward and Eleanor became King and Queen of Portugal on August 14, 1433, following the death of Edward's father, King John I. In a tragic stroke of fate, on the same day the couple's eldest son and heir, John, died at the age of 3.

Queen Eleanor was unpopular with her people for various reasons— she wasn't very publicly active, and she was Aragonese.

When King Edward died in 1438, she was appointed Regent of Portugal for her son, the new King Afonso V. News of her regency caused a riot in the capital, Lisbon, although it was suppressed.

Eventually, the regency was transferred to her brother-in-law, the more popular Peter, Duke of Coimbra. Not long after, she became ill and was exiled by Peter to the Kingdom of Castile.

She died on February 19, 1445, at the age of 42. She is buried at the Monastery of Batalha, a resting place for 15th century Portuguese monarchs.

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Source: De Sousa, Antonio Caetano. “ A História genealógica da casa real portuguesa.” (The Genealogical History of the Portuguese Royal House). 1735.