“Happier in Daughters than in Sons”: The Children of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Leonor Plantagenet

Abstract

This chapter argues that understanding the long-term significance of Alfonso VIII and Leonor of England's political, religious, and dynastic strategies requires considering the lives and careers of their daughters, rather than their sons. Out of this family, it was their daughters who most successfully fulfilled their parents' ambitions. Even as their preference was for a son, Alfonso VIII and Leonor approached the education and rearing of their daughters with care—and obvious success. In particular, the fact that for the first eight years of her life, Berenguela was the acknowledged heir—and then the “mechanism” by which peace was sought with León—established her both in the record and in practice as a viable ruler who would legitimately carry on the dynasty. Ultimately, the web of relations created between Berenguela, Blanca, Urraca, and especially Leonor, with Constanza at Las Huelgas representing a sort of spiritual and domestic focal point, served to strengthen the family, as well as their individual reputations, and provided great resources to the next generation.