Urraca of Castile
| Urraca | |
|---|---|
13-century miniature of Queen Urraca presiding the Court from Tumbo A codex
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral |
|
| Empress of Spain; Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia | |
| Reign | 1109–1126 |
| Coronation | 1108 |
| Predecessor | Alfonso VI |
| Successor | Alfonso VII |
| Born | April 1079 Burgos |
| Died | 8 March 1126 (aged 46) Saldaña on the Río Carrión in Castilla |
| Burial | Basilica of San Isidoro |
| Spouse |
Raymond of Burgundy Alfonso I of Aragon and Navarre (annulled) |
| Issue |
Sancha Raimúndez Alfonso VII of León and Castile Fernando Pérez Furtado (illegitimate) Elvira Pérez de Lara (illegitimate) |
| House | House of Jiménez |
| Father | Alfonso VI of León and Castile |
| Mother | Constance of Burgundy |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Urraca (April 1079 – 8 March 1126) called the Reckless (la Temeraria), was Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1109 until her death in childbirth. She claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains and Empress of All Galicia.
Born in Burgos, Urraca was the eldest and only surviving child of Alfonso VI of León with his second wife Constance of Burgundy; for this, she was heir presumptive of the Kingdoms of Castile and León until 1107, when her father recognized his illegitimate son Sancho as his heir.
Urraca’s place in the line of succession made her the focus of dynastic politics, and she became a child bride at age eight (1087) to Raymond of Burgundy, a mercenary adventurer. Urraca's marriage to Raymond was part of Alfonso VI's diplomatic strategy to attract cross-Pyrenees alliances. Author Bernard F. Reilly suggests that, rather than a betrothal, the eight-year-old Urraca was fully wedded to Raymond of Burgundy, as he almost immediately appears in protocol documents as Alfonso VI's son-in-law, a distinction that would not have been made without the marriage. Reilly doubts that the marriage was consummated until Urraca was 13, as she was placed under the protective guardianship of a trusted magnate. Her pregnancy and stillbirth at age 14 suggest that the marriage was indeed consummated when she was 13 or 14 years old.
In addition to this stillborn child, Urraca gave birth to two more children by Raymond: a daughter, Sancha Raimúndez (born before 11 November 1095 and after 1102) and a son, Alfonso Raimúndez, who would become Alfonso VII (born 1 March 1105). Raymond died in 1107, leaving Urraca a widow with two small children.
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