Maria of Aragon (1482-1517)
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Maria of Aragon (Mary of Aragon or Mary of Spain or even Mary of Castile) (June 29, 1482 - March 7, 1517) was an Aragonese princess, second wife of Portuguese King Manuel I and because of that queen consort of Portugal from her marriage on 30 October 1500 until her death.
She was the third surviving daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (the Catholic monarchs). Her eldest sister Isabella of Asturias was the first wife of Manuel I, but her death in 1498 created a necessity for Manuel to remarry; Maria became the next bride of the Portuguese king, reaffirming dynastical links with the future Spain, that in 1580 lead to a dynastical crisis in Portugal that made Philip II of Spain king of Portugal as Philip I (See: Struggle for the throne of Portugal and Iberian Union). Queen Maria was able to bear a multitude of surviving children.
[edit] Children
Her marriage with Manuel produced the following children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John III | June 6, 1502 | June 11, 1557 | succeeded Manuel as 15th King of Portugal. |
| infanta Isabella | October 24, 1503 | May 1, 1539 | married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. |
| infanta Beatrice | December 31, 1504 | January 8, 1538 | married Charles III, Duke of Savoy. |
| Louis, Duke of Beja | March 3, 1506 | November 27, 1555 | Unmarried but had illegitimate descendants, one of them being Anthony, Prior of Crato, a claimant of the throne of Portugal in 1580 (See: Struggle for the throne of Portugal). |
| Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda | June 5, 1507 | November 7, 1534 | Married Guiomar (Guyomare) Coutinho, Countess of Marialva (?-1534). |
| infante Afonso | April 23, 1509 | April 21, 1540 | Cardinal of the Kingdom. |
| infanta Maria | 1511 | 1513 | |
| infante Henry | January 31, 1512 | January 31, 1580 | Cardinal of the Kingdom who succeeded his grandnephew King Sebastian (Manuel's great-grandson) as 17th King of Portugal. His death triggered the struggle for the throne of Portugal. |
| Edward, Duke of Guimarães | October 7, 1515 | September 20, 1540 | Duke of Guimarães and great-grandfather of John IV of Portugal. Married Isabella of Braganza, daughter of Jaime, Duke of Braganza. |
| Prince Anthony | September 9, 1516 | 1516 | He might have been a son of Eleanor, Manuel's third wife (rather than of Maria). |
Her widowed husband remarried yet once more, also this time from her family: Maria's niece Eleanor of Habsburg.
| Preceded by Isabella of Aragon, Princess of Asturias |
Queen Consort of Portugal 30 October 1500 - 7 March 1517 |
Succeeded by Eleanor of Habsburg |
