Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León

Theresa of Portugal (Coimbra, October 4, 1178 – Lorvão, June 18, 1250; or ), also known as Tarasia of Portugal and later as the Infanta-Rainha (Eng. Princess-Queen), was the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. She was also wife of Alfonso IX of Leon.
Teresa was the mother to three of Alfonso's children - two daughters and a son who died young - but when her marriage to Alfonso was declared invalid because of a discovered familial link which proved them to be cousins, she returned to her familial home of Lorvão, Portugal. There, she founded a Benedictine monastery. Soon after, she converted the monastery into a large Cistercian convent, with over 300 nuns.
In 1230, Alfonso died after having several children with a second wife, Berengaria of Castile. This second marriage was also annulled because Berengaria was Alfonso's second cousin. With two invalid spouses, there was dispute among the children as to who would inherit the throne. Theresa stepped in and allowed Ferdinand III of Castile, Berengaria's first son, to take the throne of León. After the succession battle, Theresa returned to Lorvao and finally took her convent vows after years of living as a nun. She died in the convent on June 18, 1250 of natural causes.
On December 13, 1705 Teresa was beatified by Pope Clement XI's papal bull Sollicitudo Pastoralis Offici, along with her sister Sancha of Portugal. Her Catholic feast day is June 17.
Category:1181 births
Category:1250 deaths
Category:Beatified people
Category:Benedictine nuns
Category:Leonese queen consorts
Category:Women of medieval Portugal
Category:Women of medieval Spain
Category:Portuguese Roman Catholic nuns
Category:Portuguese infantas
Category:Portuguese Roman Catholics
Category:13th-century venerated Christians
ca:Teresa de Portugal i de Barcelona
es:Teresa de Portugal, reina de León
it:Teresa del Portogallo
nl:Theresia van Portugal
pl:Teresa Portugalska (królowa Leónu)
pt:Beata Teresa de Portugal