Constance of Castile
Queen of the Franks from 1154 to 1160
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Constance of Castile (1136 or 1140 – 4 October 1160)[1] was Queen of France as the second wife of Louis VII, who married her following the annulment of his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine.[2] She was a daughter of Alfonso VII of León and Berengaria of Barcelona,[3] but her year of birth is not known.
| Constance of Castile | |
|---|---|
| |
| Queen consort of the Franks | |
| Tenure | 1154 – 4 October 1160 |
| Coronation | 1154 |
| Born | 1136–1140 |
| Died | 4 October 1160 (aged 19–24) |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Castilian House of Ivrea |
| Father | Alfonso VII of León and Castile |
| Mother | Berenguela of Barcelona |
Life
The official reason for her husband's annulment from Eleanor of Aquitaine had been that he was too close a relative of Eleanor for the marriage to be legal by Church standards; however, he was even more closely related to Constance. They were second cousins through William I, Count of Burgundy.
Constance died giving birth to her second child. Desperate for a son, her husband remarried a mere five weeks after her death.
Constance was buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Paris.
Children
Constance had two children:
- Margaret, 1157–1197, who married first Henry the Young King of England,[4] and then Béla III of Hungary[5]
- Alys, 1160–1220, who married William IV of Ponthieu[6]