Blanche I of Navarre

Blanche I
Queen regnant of Navarre
Reign	8 September 1425 – 1 April 1441
Coronation	15/18 May 1429 (Pamplona)
Predecessor	Charles III
Successor	Charles IV
Queen consort of Sicily
Reign	26 December 1402 – 25 July 1409
Spouse	Martin I of Sicily John II of Aragon
Issue among others...	Charles IV of Navarre Blanche II of Navarre Eleanor I of Navarre
House	House of Évreux
Father	Charles III of Navarre
Mother	Eleanor of Castile
Born	6 July 1387 Pamplona
Died	1 April 1441(1441-04-01) (aged 53) Santa María la Real de Nieva
Burial	Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Blanche I (6 July 1387^[1] – 1 April 1441) was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441. She became queen regnant upon the death of her father King Charles III of Navarre. She was married twice, but only had surviving issue from her second husband, King John II of Aragon, as her only son by Martin I of Sicily died in early infancy.

Life

She was the second eldest daughter and heir of King Charles III of Navarre and infanta Eleanor of Castile. She became heiress on the death of her elder sister Joan.

Blanche married firstly Martin the Younger, King of Sicily and Prince of Aragon. They were married by proxy on 21 May 1402 in Catania. Blanche travelled to meet her new husband and they were married in person on 26 December 1402. The bride was about fifteen years old and the groom twenty-eight.

Martin had been in need of legitimate heirs, as he had survived his previous wife and former co-ruler, Queen Maria of Sicily, and their only son. When Martin died on 25 July 1409, he was succeeded by his own father, Martin I of Aragon.

Blanche remained a widow for a decade. On 6 November 1419, Blanche married her second husband, John, duke of Peñafiel, the second son of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque, by proxy in Olite. Ferdinand had succeeded his maternal uncle Martin I in 1412.

John travelled to meet her. On 10 June 1420, they were married in person in Pamplona. Charles III died on 8 September 1425 and Blanche succeeded him as Queen regnant of Navarre. John became King of Navarre in her right as John II.

Blanche died in Santa María la Real de Nieva in 1441. After her death, John kept the government of Navarre in his own hands, from the hands of their own son Charles of Viana, the rightful heir of the line of Navarrese kings. He would become King of Aragon and King of Sicily upon the death of his elder brother Alfonso V of Aragon in 1458.

Issue

Martin and Blanche only had one son:

• Infante Martin of Aragon and Sicily (1406–1407).

Blanche and John II of Aragon had four children:

• Charles (IV) of Navarre (1421–1461)
• Joan of Navarre (1423 – 22 August 1425)
• Blanche (II) of Navarre, married Henry IV of Castile. The marriage was never consummated. After 13 years of marriage, Henry sought and obtained a divorce. Blanca was sent home, where her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed by poison.
• Eleanor (1426–1479) Queen of Navarre (1479)

Ancestry

Bibliography

• Anthony, Raoul: Identification et Etude des Ossements des Rois de Navarre inhumés dans la Cathédrale de Lescar, Paris, Masson, 1931
• Maria Rita Lo Forte Scirpo: C'era una volta una regina ... : due donne per un regno: Maria d'Aragona e Bianca di Navarra, Napoli : Liguori, [ISBN 88-207-3527-X], 2003

References

External links

• Marek, Miroslav. "A listing of descedants of Philip III of Navarre". Genealogy.EU. 

Monarchs of Navarre House of Íñiguez Íñigo Arista García Íñiguez Fortún Garcés House of Jiménez Sancho I Jimeno II Garcés García Sánchez I Sancho II García Sánchez II Sancho III García Sánchez III Sancho IV Sancho VA Peter IA Alfonso IA García Ramírez Sancho VI Sancho VII House of Champagne Theobald I Theobald II Henry I Joan I House of Capet Philip IF Louis IF John IF Philip IIF Charles IF Joan II House of Évreux Philip III Charles II Charles III Blanche I House of Trastámara John IIA Charles IV Blanche II Eleanor House of Foix Francis Phoebus Catherine House of Albret John III Henry II Joan III House of Bourbon Antoine Henry IIIF Louis IIF AAlso King of Aragon. FAlso King of France.