Maria of Castile
| Maria of Castile | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of Aragon | |
| Tenure | 2 April 1416–27 June 1458 |
| Born | 14 September 1401 Segovia, Kingdom of Castile |
| Died | 7 September 1458 (aged 56) Valencia, Kingdom of Aragon |
| Burial | Royal Monastery of the Trinity, Valencia later Piccolomini Chapel, Sant'Anna dei Lombardi, Naples |
| Spouse | Alfonso V of Aragon |
| House | House of Trastámara |
| Father | Henry III of Castile |
| Mother | Catherine of Lancaster |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Maria of Castile (14 September 1401 – 7 September 1458) was Queen consort of Aragon and Naples as the spouse of Alfonso V of Aragon. Maria acted as the regent of Aragon during the reign of her spouse, as he was absent during most of his reign; her regencies lasted between 1420 and 1423 and between 1432 and 1458. She was also briefly Princess of Asturias in her own right as the heir presumptive to the throne of Castile.
Maria was the eldest child of King Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster. Her godmother was her mother's aunt, Maria de Ayala, a nun and illegitimate daughter of King Peter of Castile. She grew up in an entirely Castilian household in which she lived until her marriage, which was unusual for a royal daughter destined to marry a foreign prince. Her education was supervised by the Great Steward, Pedro González de Mendoza, while her governess was Inés de Ayala y Toledo, 3rd Lady de Casarrubios del Monte. As the King's eldest child, Maria was granted the title of Princess of Asturias, the title reserved for the first-in-line to the throne. Her father had her formally recognised as heiress presumptive at the Cortes of Toledo on 6 January 1402. At the same time, she was bethrothed to her first cousin, Alfonso, the son of her paternal uncle Ferdinand, as a way to strengthen her status. However, the birth of her brother John (the future king) displaced the Princess in the line of succession; from that moment on, she was merely an infanta.
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