Maria, Queen of Portugal

## Maria of Brandenburg

Queen Consort of Portugal

Constance of Portugal

Ferdinand of Portugal

Eleanor of Portugal

**Maria of Brandenburg** (March 15, 1171 - October 3, 1242) was Queen Consort of Portugal as the first wife of Alfonso III of Portugal, born the eldest daughter of Konrad I of Brandenburg and Berengaria of Castile, she was a Princess of Brandenburg and a Castilian Infanta from birth, she was born with a half-sibling named Ferdinand of Léon from his mother's first marriage, when she was 16, she was betrothed to the 12 year old Alfonso III of Portugal, but they did not marry until C. 1200 when Alfonso was 18, and Maria was 28, the 2 shared a happy marriage and they lived in Viseu, until her father-in-law and cousin Sancho III of Portugal died in 1207, after the birth of Maria's 4th child Ferdinand. Maria was described as very beautiful even in her senior years, she died in 1242 at age 70, her husband briefly mourned her death before remarrying.

## Early Life

### Childhood

Maria of Brandenburg was born in on March 15, 1171 to Konrad I of Brandenburg and his wife Berengaria of Castile the Kingdom of Castile, her birth was unexpected, but well praised and many celebrations followed it, her full name was, Maria Sybilla Berengaria Isabella van Brandenburg, her name was in German sense her father was a German noble, she had an older half brother Ferdinand of Léon whom she was very close to, she attended the 'Madrid Royal Cathedral School' with her older brother and was sorted into the Perlá house with her brother, her younger brothers later joined her.

### Education

Teachers thaught Maria Latin, French, English, Portuguese, Dutch, and Flemish, and she impressed the boarding school with her great German. In the school she learned reading and writing, she also learned how to knit and sing. She was a favorite of the school and many portraits around the school are of her.

### Marriage prospects

Maria was considered a possible bride for the Byzantine Emperor or the Duke of Bavaria, she was temorarily pulled out of her school to be betrothed to the Duke of Bavaria, but the betrothal broke off after he chose another woman. She was swiftly sent back to the school to continue her education.

### Second Betrothal

When she was 16, she was considered the best match for her 12 year old second cousin Alfonso, Prince of Portugal, Maria was pulled out of school early and graduated with royal honours, and sent to Toledo to be betrothed to her fiancé, but her fiancé was considered to young to marry, so the marriage would take place when Alfonso turned 18 and Maria turned 28, she moved to Lisbon where she lived in the company of her fiancé's mother Matilda II, Countess of Boulogne, she learned the customs of the Portuguese people, and wrote to her parents everyday about her day.

## Marriage

When Maria turned 28, her fiancé was 18, and the 2 where wed in Lisbon Cathedral, she was greeted by her sister-in-law Constance, Queen of Aragon after the wedding. The Portuguese court was not used to Maria's German accent and during her early marriage, she was not well liked by the Portuguese court, she spent most of her time in Viseu, Portugal as she was not insulted as much there, her father-in-law King Sancho forced Maria of Brandenburg back to Lisbon, where the nobles there where not as harsh on her as they used to. She gave birth to her first child Blanca of Portugal there. She named her daughter Blanca after her mother, who's real name was Blanca of Castile, though her mother preferred the name Berengaria of Castile.

## Queen of Portugal

When Maria was 36 after the birth of her second child Denis, third child Constance, and fourth child Ferdinand of Portugal, her father-in-law caught Malaria while on a grand-tour of Portugal after being but by a bug. Doctors said he was on his death-bed, and Maria rushed to her father-in-law's death bed to say her goodbyes, he died 8 hours later on October 18, 1207. She was crowned Queen after her husband on October 19, 1207, during her early years as Queen, her popularity and respect sky rocketed, she and her husband became closer and she gave birth to her last child Eleanor of Portugal that year. Maria acted as regent in 1210, when her husband wen't on Crusade, her mother often visited her and Maria even allowed Berengaria to raise her daughter Blanca of Portugal and other daughter Eleanor. Maria was no longer seen as a useless German Princess, she was now a Queen with athority. Her brother Ferdinand of Léon wrote to Maria even though he rarely got the chance to as he delt with 2 kingdoms on his own. Maria's personal life is unknown, though she wrote a few surviving letters that depict her personal life, the other letters though are either destroyed or in broken Portuguese. When she was in her 60's, she wrote to her younger brother Fredrick of Brandenburg that she had a private garden that he would like him to see, but the private garden is still unknown.

## Death

When maria was 70 years old, she experienced sweating sickness which greatly affected her health, her children visited her on her death-bed, she died on October 3, 1242.