Violant of Aragon
| Violant of Aragon | |
|---|---|
Violant of Aragon
|
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| Queen consort of Castile and León | |
| Tenure | 1252–1284 |
| Born | 8 June 1236 Zaragoza |
| Died | 1301 (aged 64–65) Roncesvalles |
| Spouse | Alfonso X of Castile |
| Issue among others... |
Beatrice, Marchioness of Montferrat Ferdinand de la Cerda Sancho IV of Castile |
| Father | James I of Aragon |
| Mother | Violant of Hungary |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Violant or Violante of Aragon, also known as Yolanda of Aragon (8 June 1236–1301), was Queen consort of Castile and León from 1252 to 1284 as the wife of King Alfonso X.
Violant was born in Zaragoza, the daughter of King James I of Aragon (1213–1276) and his second wife the queen Yolande of Hungary (ca.1215-1253). Her maternal grandparents were Andrew II of Hungary and Yolanda de Courtenay.
In January 1249, Violant married King Alfonso X of Castile at Burgos, who before his marriage, had a romantic relationship with Mayor Guillén de Guzmán who bore to him an illegitimate daughter Beatrice.
Due to Violant's young age, she was unable to get pregnant for several years. Alfonso came to believe that his wife was barren and came to even consider the possibility of asking the pope for an annulment of the marriage.
Legend has it that the Queen could not get pregnant and the doctor told her to rest. Alicante was recaptured by the Crown of Castile and the King and Queen rested in a farm located in the fields near the city, and there she became pregnant; the King decided to call the place "Pla del Bon Repos" ("Plain of good sleep"), a name that has been left to posterity and today is a suburb of Alicante.
In 1275, Violant's son and heir to Castile, Ferdinand de la Cerda died heir to the Castilian-Leonese throne and Alfonso at first ignored the rights of Ferdinand's two sons, Alfonso and Fernando, and instead made their second son, Prince Sancho heir; he would later succeed as Sancho IV of Castile.
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