Constance of Castile (1354-1394)
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Constance of Castile (1354 Castile – 24 March 1394 Leicester) was claimant of the Castilian throne after the death of her father Pedro the Cruel. Her mother María de Padilla was of Jewish converso descent. [1] She married, at Roquefort, near Bordeaux, Guienne, on 21 September 1371, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, as his second wife.
This was the way for Gaunt to obtain a kingdom of his own (he had also pursued Scotland), as his nephew Richard II and the descendants of his brother Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence stood between him and the Crown of England. John of Gaunt claimed the title of King of Castile jure uxoris, and insisted that English nobles address him as "my lord of Spain", but was unsuccessful in his attempts to obtain the crown. Their daughter Katherine of Lancaster was married to the King of the Trastamara line, Henry III of Castile, thus uniting these two rival claims.
Constance died at Leicester Castle and was buried at Newark Abbey, Leicester.
[edit] Children
- Katherine of Lancaster (1372–1418), married King Henry III of Castile (1379–1406)
- John Plantagenet (1372–1375)
[edit] References
- ^ Peggy K. Liss, "Isabel the Queen," New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 165; James Reston, Jr. "Dogs of God," New York: Doubleday, p. 18.
[edit] See also
- Constance of Castile for other women with this name.
