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 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 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 Austria.