Berengaria of Castile

Berengaria I
Detail of the 13th-century cartulary of the Toxos Outos Monastery
Queen of Castile and Toledo
Reign	6 June – 31 August 1217
Predecessor	Henry I
Successor	Ferdinand III
Queen consort of León
Tenure	1197–1204
Born	1179 or 1180 Burgos
Died	8 November 1246 (aged 66) Las Huelgas near Burgos
Burial	Las Huelgas near Burgos
Spouses	Conrad II, Duke of Swabia ​ ​ (m. 1187; died 1196)​ Alfonso IX of León ​ ​ (m. 1197; ann. 1204)​
Issue more...	Ferdinand III, King of Castile Alfonso, Lord of Molina Berengaria, Latin Empress
House	Castilian House of Ivrea
Father	Alfonso VIII of Castile
Mother	Eleanor of England

Berengaria (Castilian: Berenguela), nicknamed the Great (Castilian: la Grande) (1179 or 1180 – 8 November 1246), was Queen of Castile^[1] for a brief time in 1217, and Queen of León from 1197 to 1204 as the second wife of King Alfonso IX. As the eldest child and heiress presumptive of Alfonso VIII of Castile, she was a sought-after bride, and was engaged to Conrad, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I. After Conrad's death, she married her cousin Alfonso IX of León to secure the peace between him and her father. She had five children with him before their marriage was voided by Pope Innocent III.

When her father died, Berengaria served as regent for her younger brother Henry I in Castile until she succeeded him on his untimely death. Within months, she turned Castile over to her son Ferdinand III, concerned that as a woman she would not be able to lead Castile's forces. However, she remained one of his closest advisors, guiding policy, negotiating, and ruling on his behalf for the rest of her life. She was responsible for the re-unification of Castile and León under her son's authority, and supported his efforts in the Reconquista. She was a patron of religious institutions and supported the writing of a history of the two countries.