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
On 27 October 1418, Maria's engagement to her first cousin, King John II of Castile, was celebrated in Medina del Campo.[1] The marriage was officialized on 4 August 1420, when John reached the age of majority.[2] Maria was granted the incomes of the towns of Molina de Aragón, Huete, Atienza, Deza, Arévalo, and Soria.[3]
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:[4]
- Catherine, Princess of Asturias ((1422-10-05)5 October 1422–(1424-09-10)10 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 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 |