Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal
| Maria of Aragon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of Portugal and the Algarves | |
| Tenure | 30 October 1500 – 7 March 1517 |
| Born |
29 June 1482 Córdoba, Kingdom of Castile |
| Died | 7 March 1517 (aged 34) Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Burial | Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Spouse | Manuel I of Portugal |
| Issue among others... |
See Issue |
| House | Trastámara |
| Father | Ferdinand II of Aragon |
| Mother | Isabella I of Castile |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Maria of Aragon (29 June 1482 – 7 March 1517) was a Spanish infanta and the second wife of Portuguese King Manuel I, thus queen consort of Portugal from her marriage on 30 October 1500 until her death.
She was born at Córdoba on 29 June 1482 as the third surviving daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (the Catholic monarchs). She was the fourth of five surviving children and had a twin sister, Anna, who was stillborn.
Maria did not inherit the insanity that supposedly ran in the royal family and was said to have affected her sister, Joanna, known as "Joanna (or Joan) the Mad".
As an infanta of Spain, her hand in marriage was very important in European politics; before her marriage to Manuel I of Portugal, her parents entertained the idea of marrying her off to King James IV of Scotland. This was at a time when her younger sister Catherine's marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales, was being planned. Ferdinand and Isabella thought if Maria was Queen of Scotland, the two sisters could keep the peace between their husbands. These plans, however, came to nothing. Her eldest sister Isabella, Princess of Asturias, was the first wife of Manuel I, but her death in 1498 created a necessity for Manuel to remarry; Maria became the next bride of the Portuguese king, reaffirming dynastic links with Spanish royal houses. Manuel and Maria were married in Alcácer do Sal on 30 October 1500, and had 10 children, eight of whom reached adulthood, including King John III of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress Isabella of Portugal, and Beatrice, Duchess of Savoy.
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