Maria of Aragon, Queen of Castile

Maria of Aragon
Maria of Aragon
Queen consort of Castile and León
Tenure	c. 1420–18 February 1445
Born	24 February 1403; Crown of Castile
Died	18 February 1445 (aged 41); Villacastín, Crown of Castile
Burial	Santa María de Guadalupe, Spain
Spouse	John II of Castile
Issue; Detail	Catherine, Princess of Asturias; Eleanor, Princess of Asturias; Henry IV of Castile;
House	Trastámara
Father	Ferdinand I of Aragon
Mother	Eleanor of Alburquerque

Maria of Aragon ((1403-02-24)24 February 1403 – (1445-02-18)18 February 1445) was the Queen of Castile as the first wife of King John II from their marriage in 1420 until her death in 1445. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque.

Life

Maria was married by her brother in his ambition to place his father's issue on the thrones of Castile and Aragon. The marriage took place in simplicity. Maria was occasionally politically active on behalf of her brothers, the princes of Aragon; she disregarded her husband's policy in favor of her brothers and the relationship between Maria and John was somewhat tense.

After her death on 18 February 1445, her husband married Isabella of Portugal and they became the parents of Isabella I of Castile. Maria has no descendants today, her line having gone extinct within a few decades of her death.

Children

Maria and John II of Castile had four children:

Catherine, Princess of Asturias ((1422-10-05)5 October 1422–(1424-09-17)17 September 1424).
Eleanor, Princess of Asturias ((1423-09-10)10 September 1423–(1425-08-22)22 August 1425).
Henry IV of Castile ((1425-01-05)5 January 1425–(1474-12-11)11 December 1474). First married Blanche II of Navarre and later married Joan of Portugal.
Infanta Maria (c. 1428–c. 1429).

Ancestry

**Maria's ancestors in three generations**^[1]
Maria of Aragon	Father: Ferdinand I of Aragon	Paternal grandfather: John I of Castile	Paternal great-grandfather: Henry II of Castile
			Paternal great-grandmother: Juana Manuel
		Paternal grandmother: Eleanor of Aragon	Paternal great-grandfather: Peter IV of Aragon
			Paternal great-grandmother: Eleanor of Sicily
	Mother: Eleanor of Alburquerque	Maternal grandfather: Sancho Alfonso of Alburquerque	Maternal great-grandfather: Alfonso XI of Castile
			Maternal great-grandmother: Eleanor de Guzmán
		Maternal grandmother: Beatrice of Portugal	Maternal great-grandfather: Peter I of Portugal
			Maternal great-grandmother: Inês de Castro

References

^ de Sousa, Antonio Caetano (1735). Historia genealogica da casa real portugueza [Genealogical History of the Royal House of Portugal] (in Portuguese). Vol. 2. Lisboa Occidental. p. 497.

Royal titles
Maria of Aragon, Queen of Castile House of Trastámara Born: 24 February 1403 Died: 18 February 1445
Preceded by Catherine of Lancaster	Queen consort of Castile and León 1420–1445	Succeeded by Isabella of Portugal