Elvira of Castile | |
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Queen consort of Sicily | |
Tenure | 1130 – 8 February 1135 |
Predecessor | New title |
Successor | Sibylla of Burgundy |
Born | c. 1100 |
Died | 8 February 1135 (aged 34–35) |
Spouse | Roger II of Sicily |
Issue More... |
Roger III, Duke of Apulia Tancred, Prince of Bari Alfonso of Hauteville William I of Sicily |
House | Jiménez |
Father | Alfonso VI of León and Castile |
Mother | Isabella (possibly identical to Zaida of Seville) |
Elvira of Castile (c. 1100 – 8 February 1135) was the first Queen of Sicily.
She was a daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile by his fourth queen, Isabella (perhaps identical to the Moslem convert Zaida of Seville, baptized as Isabel, who had been Alfonso's mistress). Elvira was raised in Toledo, so she must have been accustomed to a significant level of convivencia, which was present in Sicily as well.
Elvira married Roger II of Sicily in 1117. In 1130, she became queen of Sicily when her husband had himself crowned king. She bore Roger five sons and one daughter by 1135.
In 1135, both Roger and Elvira fell ill. The illness was grave and infectious. Roger survived, but Elvira did not. Roger remained a widower for fifteen years and remarried only when four out of five of his sons with Elvira died.