Eleanor of Castile (1246-1290)
| Eleanor of Castile | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 16 November 1272 – 28 November 1290 |
| Coronation | 19 August 1274 |
| Countess of Ponthieu (with Edward I) | |
| Reign | 1279–1290 |
| Predecessor | Joan |
| Successor | Edward II |
| Born |
1241 Castile, Spain |
| Died | 28 November 1290 (aged 49) Harby, Nottinghamshire |
| Burial | Westminster Abbey, London |
| Spouse | Edward I of England |
| Issue among others |
Eleanor, Countess of Bar Joan of Acre Alphonso, Earl of Chester Margaret, Duchess of Brabant Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Edward II of England |
| House | Ivrea |
| Father | Ferdinand III of Castile |
| Mother | Joan, Countess of Ponthieu |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was an English queen, the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony.
The marriage was known to be particularly close, and Eleanor travelled extensively with her husband. She was with him on the Eighth Crusade, when he was wounded at Acre, but the popular story of her saving his life by sucking out the poison has long been discredited. When she died, near Lincoln, her husband famously ordered a stone cross to be erected at each stopping-place on the journey to London, ending at Charing Cross.
Eleanor was better educated than most medieval queens and exerted a strong cultural influence on the nation. She was a keen patron of literature, and encouraged the use of tapestries, carpets and tableware in the Spanish style, as well as innovative garden designs. She was also a successful businesswoman, endowed with her own fortune as Countess of Ponthieu.
Eleanor was born in Burgos, daughter of Ferdinand III of Castile and Joan, Countess of Ponthieu. Her Castilian name, Leonor, became Alienor or Alianor in England, and Eleanor in modern English. She was named after her paternal great-grandmother, Eleanor of England.
Eleanor was the second of five children born to Ferdinand and Joan. Her elder brother Ferdinand was born in 1239/40, her younger brother Louis in 1242/43; two sons born after Louis died young. For the ceremonies in 1291 marking the first anniversary of Eleanor's death, 49 candlebearers were paid to walk in the public procession to commemorate each year of her life. Since the custom was to have one candle for each year of the deceased's life, 49 candles would date Eleanor's birth to the year 1241. Since her parents were apart from each other for 13 months while King Ferdinand was on a military campaign in Andalusia, from which he returned to the north of Spain only in February 1241, Eleanor was probably born toward the end of that year. Both the courts of her father and her half-brother Alfonso X of Castile were known for their literary atmosphere. Both kings also encouraged extensive education of the royal children and it is therefore likely that Eleanor was educated to a standard much higher than the norm, a likelihood which is reinforced by her later literary activities as queen. She was at her father's deathbed in Seville in 1252.
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