Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon
Overview
Biography
(See also Genealogical Table(s): 2.1, 2.4.3, 3, 6.)
Sancha was the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile and his second wife Richeza of Poland. In 1174, she married Alfonso/Ildefonso II of Aragon with whom she had at least six children, among them Sancha of Aragon, countess of Toulouse, Alfonso II, count of Provence, Peter II of Aragon, Constance of Aragon, queen of Hungary, then of Germany and Sicily, Eleanor of Aragon, countess of Toulouse, and Fernando of Aragon. Her signature/sign appears on various letters of the king, usually right after the king’s: Signum + Ildefonsi, regis Aragonensium, comitis Barchinone et marchionis Provincie. Sig+num Sancie, dictorum dominatricis atque regine ("lady and queen of the said,"LFM 1.177-79, #168, dated January 1179); at the end of this letter the writer identifies himself as her scribe “Ego Guilielmus de Bonastre, scriptor domine regine, scripsi hanc cartam.” The court patronized Provençal poets, Giraud de Calanson and Peire Raymond, who praise the king in their poems but do not clearly mention the queen. There is a report attributed to ancient memories in a 16th century chronicle of Jeronimo Zurita that Sancha seized royal castles and fortresses in Ribagorza, while the king was occupied in Provence: En este año (1176) por el mes de mayo, estando el rey ocupado en las cosas de la Proenza, la reina doña Sancha – según parece en memorias antiguas – entró en el condado de Ribagorza y se apoderó de todas las fuerzas y castillos que eran de la corona real.* Unfortunately, there are no extant charters relating to the event, if it occurred, or to legal issues around it.
Letters from Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon
A letter to Berengar Compan (October 15, 1178)Letters to Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon
A letter of donationA letter of sale
An oath of fidelity