Mafalda of Savoy, Queen of Portugal
| Matilda of Savoy | |
|---|---|
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| Queen Consort of Portugal | |
| Tenure | 1146–1157/1158 |
| Born |
c. 1125 County of Savoy |
| Died | 4 November 1157 (aged 31–32) Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Burial | Santa Cruz Monastery, Coimbra, District of Coimbra, Portugal |
| Spouse | Afonso I, King of Portugal |
| Issue |
Infanta Mafalda Urraca, Queen of León Sancho I, King of Portugal Theresa, Countess of Flanders |
| House | House of Savoy |
| Father | Amadeus III, Count of Savoy |
| Mother | Mahaut of Albon |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Matilda of Savoy (French: Mathilde, Portuguese: Mafalda; c. 1125– 3 December 1157/58) was Queen of Portugal. after her marriage to King Afonso Henriques, the first sovereign of Portugal, whom she married in 1146.
She was the second or third daughter of Amadeus III, Count of Savoy, Piedmont and Maurienne, and Mahaut of Albon (the sister of Guigues IV of Albon, "le Dauphin"). One of her aunts, Adelaide of Maurienne,was queen consort as the wife of King Louis VI of France, and one of her great-granduncles was Pope Callixtus II whose papacy lasted from 1119 until 1124, the year of his death.
Her father had participated in the Second Crusade and this could have been one of the reasons why she was chosen as the consort of Portugal's first monarch. Such an alliance would contribute to expelling the Moors from Portuguese territory and would also show the new King's independence by selecting a wife outside the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of León. It is also possible that he was not able to select one of the infantas from the neighboring Iberian kingdoms due to reasons of consanguinity. The wedding could have also been suggested by Guido de Vico, the papal representative in the Iberian Peninsula who had been one of the witnesses of the Treaty of Zamora in 1143.
Matilda first appears with her husband on 23 May 1146 confirming a donation that had been made previously by her mother-in-law, Teresa of León, to the Order of Cluny. She was very devoted to the Cistercian Order and founded the Monasterio of Costa in Guimarães and a hospital/hostel for pilgrims, the poor and the sick in Canaveses. She stipulated in her will that this hospital was to be kept always clean, that it should be furnished with good and clean beds and that, if any of those lodged at the institution should die there, three masses were to be celebrated for the salvation of their souls.
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