Spain Substates

Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Spain Substates

Also see Spain Heads and Spain Ecclesiastical Territory

Go to Aragón,  Barcelona,  Carcasson, Castellbo, Castilla and Cordoba, León, Mallorca, Navarra, Pamplona, Pallars, Ribagorza, Toledo, Toro, Urgell, Valencia, Vizcaya and Zamora

A

Kingdom of Aragón

922-33 Countess Andregoto Galíndez de Galicia of Aragón
She succeeded her father Galindo II Aznaréz, and married Ordoño II of Galicia, Leon, Castilla y Alava. (d. 972).

994-circa 1004 Regent Dowager Queen Urraca Fernández of the County of Aragón
1004-circa 07 Member of the Regency Council of NavarraAfter the death of her third husband, Sancho II of Pamplona, her oldest son, García Sánchez II, granted the County of Aragon to the younger, Gonzalo, under her regency. After García's death she became member of the Navarrese Regency together with her sister-in-law, Jimena Fernández, daughter of the count of Cea on the Galician frontier and the local bishops, his mother Jimena, and grandmother Urraca Fernández. Urraca had first been married to Ordoño III of León and had 2, and possibly 3 children before their divorce in 956, she secondly married Ordoño IV, who died in 960 and 10 years later she marreid her last husband and had about 4 children with him. She (d. 1007).

1137-63 Queen Regnant Petronilla I 
1163-69 Regent of Arágon and Barcelona
Succeeded father, Ramiro II the Monk, who had received papal dispensation to abdicate from his monastic vows after the death of his brother in order to secure the succession to the throne. When she was two years old, he abdicated and returned to the monastery. She married to Count Berenguer IV of Barcelona (circa 1113-62), who became regent of the kingdom. In 1163 she abdicated in favour of her son, Alfonso II. and continued as his regent, and even after he came of age she continued to control the state affairs. Alfonso later named himself king of Aragon and Cataluña. She lived (1135-73).

1310 (April-June) Lieutenant Queen Blanche d'Anjou
Regent when her husband, Jaime II of Aragon, was on crusade on Almeria. The daughter of Carlos II of Napoli and Maria Arpad of Hungary, she was mother of 10 children, and lived (1280-1310).


1324-27 Lieutenant Queen  Teresa d'Entenza de Urgell of Aragon
Regent during the ilness of her husband, Alfono IV de Aragón, but it is not clear whether she was a lieutenant earlier. There is no official privilege or other document naming her as lieutenant and because Alfonso was incapable of ruling she acted more as regent than a lieutenant. Countess Regnant of Urgell 1314-27.

1349-75 politically influential Queen Leonor of Sicily 
Became a powerful influence at the Aragonese court, replacing Bernardo de Cabrera as King Pedro IV's chief adviser. In 1357, faced with mounting opposition in Sicily, her brother King Federigo proposed that Athens and Neopatras be transferred to her in return for military help from her husband in Sicily, a proposal which was refused. She was the daughter of king Peter II of Sicily and Elizabeth of Carinthia and lived (1325-75).

1388-95 Lieutenant Queen Violante de Bar
Also known as Yolande, she wielded considerable administrative power during the frequent illnesses of her husband, Juan I of Aragón. She transformed the Aragonese court into a center of French culture, and especially cultivated the talents of Provençal troubadours. In the face of her husband's unwillingness or inability to act in the face of demands for reorganisation of the royal household and other administrative reforms from urban deputies in the Cortes which met at Monzón in Nov 1388, she made compromise proposals which averted the crisis. Mother of 3 children: Violante of Aragon, Jaime and Antonia. She was daughter of Robert I, Duke of Bar and Marie of Valois and lived (circa 1365-1431)

1395-97 and 1398-99 Regent-Governor Queen Maria López de Luna 
Her husband, King Martin I was king of Aragon (1395-1410) and in 1409 he succeeded his son as King of Sicily, where he reigned one year. Their son, Martin the Younger's wife Maria of Sicily inherited the kingdom in 1377 but 1379-88 she was in-exile in Sardegna because of civil war in Sicily. In 1390 they married and two years later they returned together with Martin I. After her death in 1402 Martin the Younger married the later Queen Blanca II of Navarre (1391-1425-42). Maria succeeded her father Lope de Luna as Countess of Luna.  (d. 1406).

1412-21 Lieutenant Queen Dowager Margarida de Prades
Though she held the title of Queen Lieutenant, she did not govern because she was only 15 when her husband, Martin I de Aragon died after 6 months of marriage. Since he had no children by any of his marriages, his death led to a 2 year interregnum, which was ended by the Pact of Caspe, in which Ferdinando I of Aragon, infante of Castile's House of Trastámara, younger son of his sister Leonor de Aragon, was chosen as the next king from among at least five contenders. She married her second husband Juan of Vilaragut in 1414, and when he died 1422, she entered the monastery of Monrepes. The daughter of Pedro de Aragon, Baron of Entenza (1352-1395) and Juana of Cabrera, she did not have any children and lived (1395-1422)

1420-23 Lieutenant-General Queen Maria de Trastámara de Castilla of Aragon, Valencia and Mallorca
1432-58 Lieutenant-General of the Principality of Catalunya
Regent in Aragón and Cataluña during her cousin and husband, Alfonso V's warfare in Italy, conquering Napoli from Giovanna II in 1442. He was king of Aragon (1416-58), Napoli (1435-58) and Sicily (1442-58) and spent most of the time in Italy from around 1435. She was daughter of king Enrique III of Aragon and Catherine of Lancaster, was heir to the Castillian throne as Princess of Asturias 1402-05, had no children and lived (1401-58).

1451-61 Governor Queen Juana Enriquez de Mendoza of Navarra 
1461-62 Governor of Cataluña  
1466-68 Presiding over the Cortes of Aragón

Very influential during the reign of her husband, Juan II of Aragón, who took over the crown of Navarra after the death of his first wife Queen Blanca I (1391-41). After he tortured Don Carlos, his son by Blanca to death in 1461 the nobles of Cataluny offered the crown to various neighbouring kings and princes who held to e principality for brief periods until 1479 when Juan won the battle. She was daughter of Fadrique Enríquez de Mendoza and Marina de Ayala, mother of one son and three daughters, and lived (1425-68).
 

Asturias

...Ermensinda
Daughter of of the first Asturian king, Pelay,o and sister of King Fauila. Matriarch in the kingdom of Alfonso I (739-57) to whom she transimtted the right of inheritance

...Adosinda
The daughter of King Alfonso I and Ermesinda. king Silo (7774-83).
Her husband, Silo, probably succeeded to the throne by election because he was related by marriage to both of the previous ruling families. Some scholars have even posited a matrilineal succession. Anyway, she gave Silo no heir and, upon his death, her nephew Alfonso II was proclaimed king, but he was deposed by her half-brother, Mauregatus, and she was placed in the monastery of San Juan de Pravia. She used her influnce to found monestaries.


B

Country of Barcelona (Cataluña/Catalunya)

1018-24 Regent Dowager Countess Ermessenda de Carasconne of Barcelona  
1035-44 Regent of the County
During the reign of her husband husband Ramon Borrell presided over assemblies and tribunals, participated in military campagns, and after his death she contuned as regent first for son Berenguer Ramon I and then for grandson Ramon Berenguer I and became the stabilizing factor in the politics of the state. She lived (795-1058).

1194-1203 Regent Dowager Countess Adelaide de Toulouse of Carcasson-Barcelona

C

Canary Islands (The feudal system in the islands lasted until 1812)

1452-1477 Acting Governor Inés de Peraza de las Casas of The Canary Islands, Tenerife and La Palma.
1452-85 Reigning Lady of Lanzarote
1477-1503 Countess of La Gamora
Inherited the governorship from her father, Ferdinand de Peraza, together with her husband, Diego García de Herrera y Ayala, who was Governor by the rights of his wife (jure uxoris) but ruled the his absence and defend the islands. In 1576 there was a revolt against their rule
because of their continuos reclutings of islanders to fight against the „unfaithful islands", but they won the battle, but Queen Isabel I took over the protection of Lanzarote and send a commission leaded by Estevan Perez de Cabitos to examin their rights over the Canary Islands and the following year they were given a large sum of money and the title of Countess and Count but was deprived of Tenerife, Canaria and La Palma. After her husband's death in 1485 at the age of 60, the islands were deviced among 2 of their 3 sons and 2 daughters. The daughters Maria de Ayala and Constanza de Sarmiento, split Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste among them. She was daughter of Inés de Las Casas, and lived (circa 1425-1503).

1485... Joint Lady Maria de Ayala of five parts of Lanzarote and half of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste
After the death of her father,
Diego García de Herrera y Ayala, his possessions were divided among her and her brothers and sister. She was married to Diego de Silva Count of Portalegre. Their other brother, Fernan Peraza, got the islands Gomera and Hierro, but was killed by the inhabitants of Gomera. She did not have any children.

1485.... Joint Lady Constanza Sarmiento of three parts of Lanzarote, and half of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste
Her oldest brother, Pedro Garcia de Herrera was disinherited, and t
he third brother, Sancho de Herrera (
1442-1534) inherited five parts (Fuerteventura, Alegranza, Graciosa, Lobos and Santa Clara) She was married to Pedro Fernandez de Saavedra and was mother of 5 sons and 1 daughter.

1488-98 Governor Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ulloa of The islands El Hierro and La Gomera  in the Canary Islands
Also called Isabel or Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio, she acted on behalf of her son Guilléna Perazy de Ayala after the death of her husband, Ferdinand de Peraza y Ayala, the son of Inés de Peraza de Las Casas, Governor of the whole of the Canary Islands 1452-85. In 1498, she married Alphonse Fernández de Lugo, the Governor whole of the Canary Islands. She was known for her beauty and cruelty. the daughter of Juan Fernández de Bobadilla and doña Leonor de Aza y Ulloa and of Jewish origin. At the age of 17 years, was the lady-in-waiting on the court of Isabel the Catholic, and lived (1462-1501).

1534-49 Reigning Lady Constanza Sarmiento y Herrera of Lanzarote
Reigned jointly with her cousin and husband, Pedro Fernandez de Saavedra, after the death of her father,  Sancho de Herrera (Died 23 October 1534). Her granddaughter, Constanza de Herrera Rojas y Béthencourt , succeeded to the title of Second Marquesa of Lanzarote in 1568. Her mother was Catalina de Escobar de las Roelas, and she lived (1489-1549).

15... Regent Dowager Lady María de la O Muxica y Herrera of Fuerteventura
Regent for Fernando de Saavedra. She (d. before 1592)

Until 1598 Regent Dowager Lady Catalina Escobar of Lanzarote
Reigned in the name of Agustin I de Herrera (1537-1598)

1598-1621 Regent Dowager Lady Mariana Enriquez Manrique de la Vega
Reigned in the name of Agustin II de Herrera y Rojas (1594-1631)

1601-? Joint Reigning Lady Maria de Muxica Arias de Saavedra of Fuerteventura
Reigned together with Andrés Lorenzo Arias de Saavedra, who died 1624.

1632-61 Marchioness Luisa Bravo de Guzmán of Lanzarote
Succeeded her son Agustín de Herrera y Rojas (1626-1632), III marqués de Lanzarote, who had succeeded her husband, Agustín de Herrera y Rojas (1694-1631). Her first husband was Antonio de Mendoza, Juan de Castilla and Pedro de Paniagua. She was succeeded by her brother Manuel Duque de Estrada y Meneses, VII marqués de Lanzarote, who again was succeeded by his daughter.
 
Until 1718 Marchiones Leonor Duque de Estrada y Urbina of Lanzarote
She succeeded her father, Manuel Duque de Estrada y Meneses as VIII marquesa de Lanzarote. The succession to the title was settled in court in favour of Martín González de Castejón y Villalonga. She lived (1705-1718).

1764-1805 Marchioness María del Pilar de Castejón y Silva of Lanzarote
Also 4th marquesa de Velamazán, 8th Marquesa de Gramosa, 3rd Marquesa de Albaserrada, Condesa de Coruña, Vizcondesa de Torija, and de las Vegas de Matute. She was married to her uncle Martín Pedro de Castejón y Dávila, XVIII conde de Coruña, marqués de Beleña. conde de Paredes, vizconde de Torija. They did not have any children and she was succeeded by her cousin, María Luisa de Silva y González de Castejón, and lived (1750-1806). 

1792-1825 Marchioness María Luisa de Silva y González de Castejón of Lanzarote
Succeeded her cousin, María del Pilar de Castejón y Silva, as Marquesa de Lanzarote and feudal lady of the island in the Canary Islands, where the feudal system lasted until 1812, though she lived in Madrid. She was also 15th Countess de Cifuentes, Countess de la Rivera, 5th Marquesa de Albaserrada, 9th Marquesa de Alconchel and de Gramosa in succession to both her parents, Juan de Meneses Silva and María Bernarda González Castejón y Villalonga, Marquesa de Albaserrada and was married to Juan Bautista de Queralt y de Pinós, 7th Count de Santa Coloma, marqués de Besora and mother of a son and a daughter. She lived (1765-1825).

1816-37 Joint Reigning Lady Elena Sebastiana Benítez de Lugo of Fuerteventura
Reigned together with Arias de Saavedra Urtusáustegui Monteverde

 

Governorate of Carcasson (City State)

Circa 774 Governor Cara Zon of Carcasson   
According to legent she was daughter of Abderame,  or Ennis-Al-Moumenin, Lord of the Believers, and married to Al-Babel, king of the region of Carcassonne and Narbonne, who was was assassinated. To save her life, she had to flee to her town, swearing to take revenge upon her husband’s murderers. She believed that Charles the Great (Charlemagne) was associated with them. She defends the town, first with her men and then alone, but leaving the impression that she still has plenty of men and food, which makes Charles deside to leave, and then a horn blows on top of the walls. Dame Carcas sonne (she blows her horn). Overwhelmed by the satisfaction of seeing such a mighty warrior giving up because of her creative obstinacy, is surrendering and presenting to the emperor the keys of her town. She asks to be baptized and is married to one of Charles' vassals named Roger, who gives his name to the illustrious counts of the city. Charlemagne makes it a personal point that the name of the city remains Carcassonne to honor such a great Lady.

County of Castellbo

1201-30 Sovereign Dame Ermessenda de Castellbò i Caboët of Andorra 
1226-30 Sovereign Viscountess of Castellbò-Cerdagne  
Inherited Andorra from her mother Arnalda de Carboet (1164-1201) and Castellbò by father Arnaud de Castellbò-Cerdagne (1155-1226). She and married to Roger Bernard II of Foix (1195-1241) in 1208, and trough their descendants Andorra was inherited by the houses of Foix, Bearn and Navarra and France. She lived (1185-1230).

1398-1412 Sovereign Countess Isabelle of Foix-Beárn and Co-Princess of Andorra, Viscomtesse de Castellbo (etc), de Marsan, du Gévaydan et de Lautrec (France and Spain)
Succeeded brother, Mathieu V de Castelbon, and ruled jointly with husband, Archambaud de Grailli, and was succeeded by son, Jean in 1411 or 12.

Kingdom of
Castilla

1017-27 Joint Regent Abbess Urraca Garciez de Covarrubias of Castilla   
Joint regent for nephew Count Garcia II (1110-17-29), after her brother, Sancho was killed. She was daughter of Cout Carcia I and was Abbess of Covarrubias, and ruled together with bishop Pedro of Burgos.

1017-.. Joint Regent Dowager Countess Urraca Gómez of Castilla (Spain)
After the death of Sancho García of Castilla in 1017 she became regent for her son, García Sánchez, who was murdered in 1029, and was succeeded by her daughter, Mayor.

1029 Sovereign Countess Mayor of Castilla 
Also kown as Muniadomna, she was daughter of García I of Castilla and married Count Sancho III of Navarra (999-1035). As "Domna major regina" she confirmed a charter of "Sancius Hispaniarum rex" dated 26 Jun 1033 which related to concessions to the monastery of Oriense. She succeeded to the County when her brother, García Sánches was murdered in 1029. As "Sancius…rex…cum coniuge mea regina domina Maiora", she donated the monastery of San Sebastian to the monastery of Leire by charter. She became a nun after her husband died. The testament of "Maior regina Christi ancilla", by which she founded the monastery of San Martín de Fromista 13 Jul 1066, names her father but not her husband. She lived (circa 994/96-after 1066).


1109-29 Queen Regnant Urraca I Alfonsez of Castilla and Léon   
In 1107 she reigned over her Dowry Galicia and Zamora which was given to her first husband, Count Raimond de Bourgogne, as a fief. She inherited the throne from her father King Alfonso VI Fernandez of Castile and Leon (1040 - 1109) in 1109.Her second marriage in the year 1109 to Alfonso I Perez de Aragon (d. 1134) ended in divorce in 1112. She also fought a war against her half-sister Tarasia of Portugal who tried to expand her territories. She died in childbed, unmarried and 46 years old. She was succeeded in 1128 by her son Alfonso VII Raymundez of Castile and Leon "Imperator totus Hispaniae" (d. 1157). Urraca lived (1082-1128/29).

1214 Regent Dowager Queen Leonor de Plantagenet of Castilla    
Co-Regent for Enrique I (1214-17) and her daughter, Princess Bergengula became regent after her death. She was daughter of Duchess Leonora of Aquitanie and King Henry II of England. (d. 1214).

1214-15 Regent Princess Berenguela of Castilla
1217 Queen Regnant of Asturias-León and Castilla
1217-19 Regent
1230 Regent in León
First she governed in the name of her brother Enrique I (1204-14-15-17). Later she divorced - under Pope Innocent III's orders - from her second-degree cousin King Alfonso IX de Leon (King of Leon 1188 -1230). When her brother died in 1217, she renounced her rights in favour of her son, Fernando II de Castilla, and she acted as his regent, according to the Cronica Latina, her "total intent and desire being to procure honor for her son in every way possible". She helped quell the rebellious nobles, and then arranged for Fernando to marry a high-born wife, Elisabeth of Swabia. She often found herself politically at odds with her former husband. Alfonso had two daughters, Sancha and Dulce, by an earlier wife, and wished to disinherit her children in favour of these daughters. To this end, he invited Jean de Brienne to marry his eldest daughter and thus inherit his kingdom. She sabotaged this plan by convincing Jean to marry her own daughter, also named Berenguela, instead. Later, in 1230 when Alfonso died, she and her son Fernando acted to set aside the rights of the older daughters, and seized the Leonese throne. She maintained close connections with her sister, Queen Blanche of France, and lived (1180-1246).

1275-1300 Politically Active Queen Violante de Aragón of Castilla (Spain)
When her eldest son, Fernando de la Cerda, died suddenly, and her husband, Alfonso X of Castile, named their second son as heir instead of the sons of the Dowager Crown-Princess Blanche de France. Violante and her daughter-in-law escaped with the the children to Aragon, where Violante’s brother was king. The two ladies tried to find supporters everywhere in Europe, and started to build up a political network bywriting letters to Blanche's mother Marguerite de Province, the French dowager queen, to other royals, to the pope and other important personalities. Finally, after negotiating, Violante returned home but never was really reconciled with her husband. Violante spent several years in Castile consecrating her life to pious works, but occasionally made her way back to the political scene supporting for
example her son Sancho, who had started a rebellion against her estranged husband, the king. (d. circa 1300).

1275-1320 Politically Active Dowager Princess Blanche de France of Castilla (Spain)
After the death of her husband, the Castillian Heir, Prince Fernando de la Cerda, she started the fight to have her children, Alfonso de la Cerda and Ferdinando de la Cerda recognized as rightful heirs to the throne. She went in exile together with her mother-in-law, Violante de Aragón. She received open support from the queens and princesses, creating thus a kind of female network in politics. After Violante reconziled with her husband, Blanche continued her fight until her brother signed a peace treaty with king Sancho IV of Castile and recognised him as king. She was forced to ratify that treaty as well and then she retired to a French nunnery. She lived (1253-1323).

1295-1301 Regent Dowager Queen María de Alfonso de Molina 
1312-21 (†) Regent
Lady de Molina in her own right, she was widow of Sancho IV. As regent for her son, Ferdinando IV, she defended his throne against several pretenders, who were at various times supported by France, Aragón, Portugal, Navarre, and Granada. After Ferdinando’s death (1312), she acted as a guardian to her grandson Alfonso XI, while the regency was contested among his other relatives.

1350-57 Politically Influential Queen Maria of Portugal of Castile
After the death of her husband, king Alfonso XI, she was very influential in the government of her son, king Pedro the Cruel, who began to reign at the age of sixteen. She controlled him, but emancipated himself with the encouragement of the minister Juan Alfonso de Albuquerque (her favourite) and became attached to María Díaz de Padilla, marrying her in secret in 1353. She turned him against Albuquerque and joined the rebellion against her son, but when it collapsed, she returned to Portugal in 1357. She lived (1313-57).

1369-94 Claimant to the Throne and Titular Queen Constanza 
Daughter of King Pedro I of Castillan and Léon, who was murdered in 1369. Since her brother had died in 1362 and her sister was a nun, she and her husband since 1371, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, persued the throne of her father, though unsuccessfully. Their daughter Catalina Plantagenet (1372-1418) married King Enrique III of Castile (1379–1406) of the Trastamara line. She lived (1354-94)

1390-95 Politically Influential Queen Leonor de Castilla y León of Navarra 
She left her husband, Carlos II of Navarra (1361-1425), with her 4 daughters in 1390, returning to Castile where she lived at Valladolid and played an active political role. She opposed her nephew Enrique III King of Castile, forming the League of Lillo together with her half-brother Fadrique de Castilla Duque de Benevente and cousin Pedro de Castilla Conde de Trastámara. King Enrique besieged her in her castle at Roa [mid-1394] and obliged her to return to her husband in February 1395. Crowned Queen of Navarre at Pamplona 3 Jun 1403. And later had one more surviving daughter, and two sons and a daughter who died as infants. She was daughter of Enrique II of Castile and doña Juana Manuel de Castilla, Señora de Villena, Peñafiel y Escalona. She lived (circa 1363-1415/16).

1406-18 Regent Dowager Queen Catalina de Lancaster of Castilla  
Widow of Enrique III (1379-90-1406) she was joint regent with Fernando de Antequera for son, Juan II (1405-06-54). She was an active regent, involved in financial matters, using her influence in negotiation about matrimonies and peace-treaties in the most important European nations. She was daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Aquitaine (1340-99) and his second wife, Constance, titular Queen of Castile (1354-94) whose father, Pedro I of Castile and Leon (1350-69), was succeeded by a brother. Catalina was considered heiress of Castilla and married her half-cousin, King Enrique, and became the mother of one son and two daughters, and lived (1374-1418).

1474-1504 Queen Isabel I de Trastamara of Castilla and León  
She was the daughter of Juan II of Castile and León by his second wife, Isabella of Portugal. In 1469 she married Fernando de Aragón. She succeeded her brother Enrico IV, but Alfonso V of Portugal, who supported the claim of her brother's daughter, Juana la Beltraneja, attacked Castile and León but was defeated by the Castilian army in 1476. Three years later her husband became King Fernando V the Catholic of Aragón. This union of the two main Spanish kingdoms laid the foundation of Spain's future greatness. They had five children, including Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII of England, and Juana the Mad. Isabella and her husband (known together as "the Catholic monarchs") are remembered for initiating the Inquisition in 1478, for completing the reconquest of Spain from the Moors and for their ruthless expulsion of the Spanish Jews, both in 1492. That same year they sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage, which led to the creation of the overseas Spanish colonial empire, bringing great wealth and power to Spain. She lived (1451-1504).

1474-76 Pretender Infanta Juana da Beltraneja of Castilla  
In 1470 her father, Enrico IV appointed her heiress to the throne after he had disinherited Isabel after her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon. Rumors had it that she was the result of an affair between her mother, Juana of Portugal, and Beltrán de la Cueva, and therefore the paternity was disputed, and therefore she was passed over in the succession in favour of her aunt, Queen Isabel I. She rebelled but in 1479 she signed off her rights to the throne and the following year she entered a convent in Portugal. Juana lived (1462-1530).

1504-55 Queen Juana I  of Castilla, Des Asturias and Galicia
1516-55 Queen of Castilla, Leon, Granada, Toledo, Galicia, Sevilla, Cordova, Murcia, Jaen, the Algarves, Algenciras, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the Indias, the Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea
Her full title was By the Grace of God, Queen of Castilla, Aragon, Leon, Sicily, Grenada Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Majorca, Seville, Sardinia, Cordova, Corsica, Murcia, Jaen, the Algarve, Algeciras, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Countess of Barcelona, Roussillon and Cerdagne, Lady of Biscay and Molina, Duchess of Athens and Neopatria, Margravine of Oristano and Gocian
She succeeded her mother, Isabel I in 1505 and father Fernando in 1516. Her father had nominated her as heir of all his possession with her son as regent, because of her mental instability, which is why she is known as Juana la Loca. Her husband Felipe I was king and regent 1504-06 and her son, Carlos I (and V of the Holy Roman Empire) became king in 1516. Juana lived (1479-1555).
 

Kaliphate of Cordoba (Cordova)

976-86 Regent Subh
She was also known as Sabiha Malika Qurtuba or Sobeida was born a Christian with the name of Aurora, she was concubine of she was Caliph Hakam, and de-facto ruler during his reign, who, especially during his later years, retreated to religious contemplation. After his death, she was regent for son, Hishram Ibn al Hakram. In 966 she appointed Ibn 'Amir was her secretary and in 976 she appointed him Hajib - chief of viziers. In 997 he ended up deposing her from influence.

1482-92 Regent Dowager Sultana 'A'isha al-Hurra

L

Kingdom of León

927-30 Regent Dowager Queen Onecca de Navarra
For Alfonso IV (926-31). He abdicated

966-75 Regent Doña Elvira Ramírez of León and Asturias
The daughter of Ramiro II, she left the convent to become regent for her nephew, Ramiro III, after the death of her brother, Sancho I. In 968-69 the Normans raided the country, and in 975 she was replaced as regent by her sister-in-law, the Dowager Queen Teresa.

975-80 Regent Dowager Queen Teresa Ansúrez of León and Asturia
The widow of Sanchos I, she replaced her sister in law, Princess Elvira as regent for son, Ramiros II, after his troops was beaten by the Arab forces by Gormaz in 975. From 977 the kingdom was systematically attacked by al Mansur, and in 981 Ramiros was deposed after a riot, and replaced by Vermundo II in Asturia, and was now only king in Leon until he was deposed here too, and killed.

999-1008 Regent Dowager Queen Elivra García of León
After the death of her husband, Bermudo II (953-84-99), she was joint-regent with Mendos Gonzales for son Alfonso V (989-999-1028). Born as Princess of Castilla and lived (965-1017)

1037-65 Co-Queen Regnant Sancha of León   
In 1029 Count García Sánchez of Castilla was about to be married to Sancha of León, the sister of Vermudo III, an arrangement apparently sanctioned by the king of Navarra, when the count was murdered in the city of León. Sancho el Mayor of Navarra then claimed the county of Castilla in his wife's name and installed in it their son, Fernando, as the new count of Castilla. After he had forced the marriage between Fernando and Sancha in 1032, those lands went to Castilla as part of her dowry. In 1034 he wrested the city of León itself from Vermudo, who retreated into Galicia, and began to style himself "Emperor" on his coinage. He was killed at a battle in 1037 and succeeded by Sancha and her husband. During their reign the kingdom was consolidated and expanded further.

1109-29 Queen Regnant Urraca of Castilla and León
In 1107 she reigned over her Dowry Galicia and Zamora which was given to her first husband, Count Raimond de Bourgogne, as a fief. Her second husband was Alfonso V of Aragon, but they engaged in a power-struggle and divorced 1112. She also fought a war against her half-sister Tarasia of Portugal who tried to expand her territories. Urraca died in childbed, unmarried and 46 years old.

1217-43 Joint Reigning Lady Sancha de Léon y Portugal of the villages of Portela de San Juan, Burgo de Ribadavia and Allariz
1224-30 Co-Heir of Leon
1230 Joint De Jure Queen of Leon
She was daughter of King Alofonso IV and Teresa of Portugal, whose marriage was annuled in 1195 whereafter she was raised at the court of her father, where her sister, Dulce was raised in Portugal.
When their stepmother, Berengeria, abdicated as Queen of Castille in favour of their half-brother, their father attempted to have her and her sister proclaimed co-heiresses, and named them officially so in 1224, but when he died in 1230, the people of Leon refused to recognise them and they in turn ceded their rights to the kingdom to their half-brother. This agreement, negotiated at Valencia de Don Juan by Berengaria and Theresa, with Sancha and Dulce present, is known as the "pact of the mothers". The treaty was signed Benavente and in compensation Ferdinand promised a yearly stipend of 30.000 maravedíes to each of his half-sisters and the lordship of certain castles, but she resigned to the Monastary of San Guillermo Villabuena. She lived (circa 1192-1243)

1217-48 Joint Reigning Lady Dulce of León y Portugal of the villages of Portela de San Juan, Burgo de Ribadavia and Allariz
1224-30 Co-Heir of Leon
1230 Joint De Jure Queen of Leon
After ceeding the rights to the kingdom of Leon, like her sister, she resigned to the Monastary of San Guillermo Villabuena in León. She lived (circa 1194—1248)

1230 Regent Dowager Queen Berenguela
She had been regent of Castilla in 1214 and in June-August 1217 its Queen Regnant (June-August). She divorced under Pope Innocent III orders from her second degree cousin King Alfonso IX de Leon (King of Leon 1188 - 1230). Her first male son, born 1201 and separated from his father Alfondo IX "El Baboso" of Leon by the Pope orders, became King Fernando II of Castile by succession and transmission of her rights to the Castilian Crown in 1219. Eleven years later, when his biological father died in 1230, then he became, too, King Fernando III of Leon. 

M

Kingdom of Mallorca

1375-1403 Titular Queen Isabel
The daughter of King Jaime III of Mallorca etc.
(1315-24-49). The king of Aragon had retaken Majorca during the 1340s, labeling him as "a contumacious vassal". She succeeded her brother, Jaime VI (husband of Queen Joanna I of Napoli (1326-82)) to the titular dignity and lived in her family's possessions in Southern France at Chateau de Gallargues. Her first husband was Margrave Giovanni II of Montferrato (1313-72) and the second Konrad von Reischach zu Jungnau. She was mother of four sons (three of whom became Margraves of Monferrato) and a daughter, and lived (1337-after 1403)

N

Kingdom of Navarra

931/33-ca.93 Regent Dowager Princess Toda Nzhar Aznárez of Pamplona
For son Garcia II Sánchez, king of Navarra.

1004-circa 07 Member of the Regency Council Dowager Queen Urraca Fernández of Navarra
After the death of her third husband, Sancho II of Pamplona, in 994 her oldest son, García Sánchez II, granted the County of Aragon to the younger, Gonzalo, under her regency. After García's death she became member of the Navarrese Regency together with her sister-in-law, Jimena Fernández, daughter of the count of Cea on the Galician frontier and the local bishops, his mother Jimena, and grandmother Urraca Fernández. Urraca had first been married to Ordoño III of León and had 2, and possibly 3 children before their divorce in 956, she secondly married Ordoño IV, who died in 960 and 10 years later she marreid her last husband and had about 4 children with him. She (d. 1007).

1004-circa 07 Member of the Regency Council Dowager Queen Jimena Fernández of NavarraWhen her husband García Sánchez I, she asumed the regency for her son, Sancho III together with her mother-in-law, Urraca Fernandez, who had been regent of Aragón from 994, and the local bishops. She was daughter of the count of Cea on the Galician frontier.

1191-94 Queen Regnant Berenguela of Navarra   
She succeeded her father King Sancho VI and was succeeded by brother, Sancho VII, and married to Richard I Lionhart of England and became known as Queen Berengere or Berengaria. Her sister later became Blanca I. Berengere lived (1163-1230).

Until 1229 Regent Princess Blanca of Navarra
She was daughter of Sancho VI and Sancha Beatriz de Castilla, and after the death of her brother, Sancho VII her son succeeded as King Teobaldo I of Navarra. She was the widow of  Thibaud of Champagne and had been regent of the County 1201-22. She lived (1177-1229).

1253-5.. Regent Dowager Princess Marguerite de Dampierre-Bourbon of Navarra and Champagne
After the death of her husband, Thibaut, who succeeded his father as Count of Champagne and mother, Queen Blanca, as king of Navarra, Marguerite was regent for her son Thibaut II (also Thibaud V de Champagne). She (d. 1256).

1274-76 Regent Dowager Queen Blance d'Artois of Navarra and Champagne
After the death of her husband Henri III, she was regent for daughter Juana I. She left the administration of Navarra to King Philippe III of England after her marriage to Edmond of Lancaster, brother of Edward I of England, and they administered Champagne until Juana came of age in 1284.

1274-1305 Queen Regnant Juana I of Navarra, Countess of Champagne and Brie 
Also known as Jeanne, she was married to king Philippe V of France (1268-1314), who became king of Navarra by the right of his wife. She left him to reign in Navarra and stayed in Champagne. Succeeded by her son, Louis X, king of France and Navarra. She lived (1272-1305).

1328-49 Queen Regnant Juana II Capet
Daughter of Juana I. She married Louis I of France and lived (1228-49)

1402-13 Temporary Regent Hereditary Regent Juana de Navarra
Recognised as heiress to the throne of Navarre at Olite 3 December 1402, and governed Navarre in the name of her parents during their absences abroad. 1401 she was bethrothed to King Martin I of Sicily, who married her sister, Blanca, after her death. She lived (1382-1413)

1402-13 Second-in-line of Navarra
1409-15 Vice-Reine of Sicilia (Italy)
1416 Hereditary Princess of Navarra
1425-41 Queen Regnant Blanca I  Navarra, Countess de Nemours and Everux  (Spain and France)
The daughter of King Carlos II of Navarra, Comte d’Évreux and Duc de Nemours (1361-1425) and Leonor de Castilla y León, she was recognised as second in line to the throne at Olite in 1402 and as heiress to the throne of Navarre at Olite in 1416, and succeeded her father in 1425. Her first husband was Martin I de Aragón (1392-1409), who had first been married to Queen Maria of Sicilia, Duchess of Athens, and was succeeded by his father, Martin II (1409-10), who named her as regent in Sicily. Her second husband was Federico I de Aragon, who became King Consort of Navarre in her right. Their son, Carlos de Aragón y Navarra (1421-61) was designated heir to Navarre from birth by the Cortes, but her husband was already trying in 1427 to change the order of succession in favour of their daughter Infanta doña Leonor. Infante Carlos was excluded from the succession on her death, with her husband as King. Carlos left Navarre 1451 for Guipúzcoa, supported by the Beaumont clan. Imprisoned 1453-1455, and after a brief reconciliation in 1460, Carlos was incarcerated at Lérida. And after his death in 1479 her daughter, Leonor became Queen. Blanca de Navarra lived  (1385-1441).

1402-10 Third-in-line Infanta Beatriz de Navarra
Recognised as third in line to the throne at Olite in 1402. Married to Jacques II de Bourbon, Comte de la Marche et de Castres - who succeeded his father Jean I as Count de la Marche and his mother, Catherine, as Count de Vendôme et de Castres. She lived (1386-1410).

1451-61 Governor Queen Juana Enriques de Melagar
For her husband, Juan II of Aragón, who took over the crown of Navarra after the death of his first wife Queen Blanca I. 1461-62 she was Governor Cataluña/Catalunya

1455-79 Lieutenant General Princess Leonor I Trastmara of Navarra
1479 Queen Regnant
She was daughter of Blanca I of Navarra and King Juan II de Aragón, and at the age of 2 she was acclaimed by the cortes in Pamplona as the legitimate heir of her brother and sister; Carlos, Prince of Viana, and Blanca of Navarra, but when their mother died in 1441, their father ursurped the throne. She was appointed Governor General of the Kingdom in 1455 civil war broke out between her father and brother until the latter's death in 1461. Her father made a treaty making her his heir, excluding her older sister, Blanca II, who was left with Foix and Moncada, but died in 1464. The following year she signed a treaty with the Beamontese using the title of "Primogenic Princess, Heiress of Navarra, Infanta of Aragón and Sicilia, Countess of Foix and Bigorra, Lady Béarn, Acting General for the Serene King, my wery reduptable lord and father in this his Kingdom of Navarra". And when her father died, she succeeded him as monarch of Navarra, but died soon after. She was married to Gaston IV, count of Foix, and had 11 children with him. The oldest, Gaston died in 1470 and her daughter-in-law, Madelaine de Valois was regent for her two children, Francisco and Catalina who succeeded their grandmother. She lived (1425-79).

1461-64 Titular Queen Blanca II of Navarra  
Proclaimed Queen on the death of her brother, Carlo, but was imprisoned by her father Juan II, King of Aragon since 1458, who then became King of Navarra, and was succeeded by her younger sister, Leonor in 1479. Blanca II was married to Enrico IV of Castilla and Léon, until their marriage was annulled in 1454 because she had chosen to remain a virgin. She lived (1420-64).

1479-83 and 1483-84 Regent Princess Madeleine de France (Magdalena de Valois)
She was regent for Francesco in Foix-Beárn and Andorra 1470-83 after her husband, Count Gaston V's death. In 1479 her son succeeded his paternal grandmother in Navarra. She lived (1443-86)

1483-1512 Queen Regnant Catalina de Grailly of Navarra, Co-Princess of Andorra, Duchesse de Gandía, Montblac, Peñafiel, Countess de Foix, Bigorre, Ribagorza and Vicomtesse de Béarn
1513-18 Queen of Baja Navarra
Also known as Catharine de Foix-Grailly, she succeeded brother, King Francesco under the regency of her mother, Leonor de Navarra, and until 1492 she fought over the throne with her uncle, Juan de Foix. 1484 she married Jean II d’Albert and ruled jointly with him. In 1512 the Duke of Alba occupied Pamplona and the following year the Cortes of Navarra proclaimed Fernando the Catholic as king of Navarra, and since then, Alta Navarra has been an integral part of Spain. All subsequent attempts by her and her husband to reassemble their kingdom were futile, and she was queen in Lower Navarre, north of the Pyrenees, alone. Succeeded by son, Enrique II, and lived (1468/70-1517).  


1555-1572 Queen Regnant Juana III d’Albret of Navarra and Co-Princess of Andorra, Duchess d'Albert
Also known as Jeanne d'Albert, she had the additional titles of Comtesse de Foix (etc.) and Périgod, Viscomtesse de Limoges, Comtesse de Rodez, d'Armagnac, Perche, Fezensac, de L'Isle-Jourdain, Porhoët, Pardiac, Viscomtesse de Lomagne, Fezenzaguet, Brulhois, Cressey, d'Auvillars, Baroness de Castelnau, Caussade, Montmiral and Dame de La Flêche and Baugé. Married to Guillaume, duc de Clèves. Her son became king of France and trough him the post of Co-prince has passed on  the Presidents of the French Republic. She lived (1528-72). 

1795-1851 Titular Pretender Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon
The daughter of Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette, she inherited the claim to the Navarese throne after the death of her brother. She did not have any children wither husband, Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, Jelgava, Courland. She had no children and was succeeded by a relative. She lived (1778-1851).

1974-83 Titular Pretender Elisabetta de Borbon-Parma
Took over the claims after her unmarried brother, Robert de Borbon-Parma. She was also unmarried and was succeeded by her sister, Maria Francesca, and lived (1904-83).

1983-94 Titular Pretender Maria Francesca de Borbon-Parma
Inherited the claims from her unmarried sister, Elisabetta. Also unmarried and succeeded by another sister, Alice. Lived (1906-83)

1994- Titular Pretender Alice de Borbon-Parma
Married to Infante Alonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Borbón, Duke of Calabria (1901-64. She is also the senior genealogical heir of Louis XIV and Infanta Maria Teresa, his wife, Infanta Alicia is also the genealogical representative of the ancient Kings of Castille and Kings of Aragon and the Kings of Naples and Sicily. She is mother of 1 son and 2 daughters. (b. 1917-).



P

Principality of Pamplona (Basque Princes)

931/33-ca.93 Regent Dowager Princess Toda Nzhar (Aznárez)
For son Garcia I

County of Pallars (and Pallars Bajo)

960-64 and 1103-11 Countess Tota Ramon of Pallars-Ribagorza
She was co-regent with Isaro in the first period - in the second alone. 

1177-82 Sovereign Countess Valença of Pallars-Jussá   
In charge of Pallars Jussa in succession to her father, Raimondo V, who had succeeded his father, who succeeded a distant relative, Valença was succeeded by another distant relative, Dolça de So.

1182-92 Sovereign Countess Doña Dolça de So of Pallars-Jussá   
She succeeded Doña Valença. In 1192 Bajo Pallars was incorporated into Cataluña-Aragón.

1199-1231 Sovereign Countess Guillermina Ramonida of Pallars-Sobirá  
She succeeded brother Guillermo II. First she ruled alone, then together with Guillermo IV, Lord de Erill (1204-16) and with Roger I, Vicomte de Couserans (1216-29). 

1295-1327 Sovereign Countess Sibila of Pallars-Sobirá  
Successor of Ramón Roger I (1288-94) she ruled jointly with Hugo I de Mataplana from 1297.

R

County of Ribagorza

1003-11 Countess Regnant Tota de Ribagorza
Succeeded her brother, Isern. Her older brothers, Unifredo and Arnau de Ribagorza had also ruled the county.
She was married to Suñer I de Pallars. She was daughter of Ramon II de Ribagorza and Garsenda de Armañac.
Sucedió a su hermano Isern a su muerte en el año 1003. She was succeeded by her nephew, Guillermo de Ribagorza,  the natural son of her brother, Isern. (d. 1011).

 

T

Toledo

1099-1102 Sovereign Countess Jimena Díaz de Oviedo of Toledo
1099-1102 Governor of Valencia and Toledo   
She was widow of Governor Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid Campeador) and for a long time she defended Valencia against the Muslims, but in the end she lost.

City of Toro

1065-1101 Lady Elvira
When their father, Fernando I of Castlla (1035-65) and Leon (1037-65), died, he devided his lands among his three sons and two daughters. García became king of  Galicia, Alfonso received León and Sancho was named king of Castilla. Garcia revolted against his brothers and sisters and attacked both Toro and Zamora, but was killed outside Zamora. Their mother was Sancha of Leon (1013-67). She lived (1033/4-1101)
 

U

County of Urgell


1208-14 Regent Dowager Countess Elvira of Urgell  
For daughter Aurembaix, jointly with Pedro I el Catolico of Aragon. 

1208-19 and 1228-31 Sovereign Countess Aurembiaix de Castellbò i Caboët of Urgell   
Also known as Ermessende or Ermessanda, she was daughter of Ermengol VIII (1184-1208/9).She was deposed in 1214 by Guerau I de Urgel. 1228 Aurembiaix began her second reign, from 1229 together with husband Pierre I de Bourgogne. She had no children and the country was incorporated in Cataluña-Aragón. 

1314-27 Countess Regnant Teresa d'Entenza
She was married to Alfono IV de Aragón

1433-43  Sovereign Countess Isabel de Urgell, Dame of Andorra  
The daughter of Jaime II, Count de Urgel, etc, who died in jail in Jativa and Princess Isabel of Aragon (1380-1424), she was married to Pedro of Portugal, Duque de Coimbra (1392-1449). They did not have any children, and she lived (1409-43).

V

Governerate Valencia and Toledo  Urgell

1099-1102 Governor Jimena Qiedo de Diaz 
She was widow of Governor Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid Campeador) and for a long time she defended Valencia against the Muslims, but in the end she lost.
 

Kingdom of the Visigots (Visigodo)

Queen Baddo
She married Recaredo (586-601), who was non-noble, but christian.

Queen Clothilde
Married Amalarico, a noble

Queen Goswintha
Married Leovigildo, a noble


Lordship Vizcaya (Biscaya)


1310-22 and 1326-1334 Sovereign Lady María Díaz I de Haro of Vizcaya  
Her father was the 7th Señor de Bizkaia, Lopez Díaz de Haro III, died in 1288 and was succeeded by her brother, Diego López de Haro IV, who died the following year. The king of Castilla then usurped the seigneurity. He was succeeded by her uncle, Diego López de Haro II, who proclaimed her heir in 1307. In 1322 she resigned in favour of her son, Juan de Haro, and after his death she became
Señora once again. In 1334 she resigned in favour of her niece, María Díaz de Haro II. Doña María (d. 1342).

1334-48 Sovereign Lady María Díaz II de Haro of Vizcaya  
Became the 18th señora soberana of Biscaia upon the abdication of her aunt María Díaz de Haro I, who had reigned since 1310. She married Infant Juan Núñez de Lara (1313-50), son of Infant Fernando de la Cerda of Castilla and Juan Núñez de Lara. King Alfonso XI of Castilla had usurped the lordship in 1333 which resulted in internal warfare. Her husband was
Señor for one year after her death and was succeeded by their son, Nuño de Lara and when he died in 1355 by their daughter, Juana. Doña Maria lived (d. 1348).

1355-58 Sovereign Lady Juana Núñez de Lara I of Vizcaya and Lara  
Asumed the title after the death of her brother, Núño, who had succeeded their mother, María Díaz de Haro II and their father Juan Núñez de Lara, and. After she was assasinated during the civil war between Pedro I the cruel and Enrique II de Trastámara, her husband, Tello de Castilla, Lord of Aguilar y Castaneda, kept the lordship until 1370. Her sister, Isabel claimed the position as titular sovereign Lady, but Pedro I de Castilla ursuped the territory 1358-66 and then her husband, Tello of Aragón was seigneur until 1370, when he was succeeded by her father's sister, Juana II. Juana I was murdered, and lived (circa 1333-59).

1358-61 Titular Lady Isabel de Lara of Vizcaya and Lara  
She succeeded her sister, Juana I, as sovereign Lady, but Pedro I de Castilla ursuped the territory 1358-66, when her brother-in-law became Sovereign Lord. Isabel was married to Infant Juan of Aragon, Lord of Elche (d. 1358). And like her sister, she was murdered and lived (circa 1335-61).

1370-81 Sovereign Lady Juana Mauel II of Vizcaya, Villena, Escalona, Penafiel and Larabother  
Had succeeded her niece Blanca, as Lady of Villena, Escalona y Penafiel in 1361 and succeeded Tello of Castilla in Vizcaya, who was the husband of her brother's daughter, Juana Núñez de Lara I, as s
eñora soberana. Juana II was married to King Enrique II of Castile (1333-79) and after her death, the Basque Country was incorporated into Castilla and later Spain. She was daughter of She was the daughter of the Infante Juan Manuel of Castile (1282-1349) and his second wife Blanca Núñez de Lara de La Cerda, mother of several children, and lived (1339-81).

[Until 1379 Contessa Marie of Spain
She was the daughter of Ferdinand II of Spain and Jeanne de Lara and was the second wife of Charles II de Valois, comte d'Alençon.]

Z

City of Zamora

1065-1101 Lady Urraca
When their father, Fernando I of Castlla (1035-65) and Leon (1037-65), died, he devided his lands among his three sons and two daughters. García became king of  Galicia, Alfonso received León and Sancho was named king of Castilla. Garcia revolted against his brothers and sisters and attacked both Toro and Zamora, but was killed outside Zamora. Their mother was Sancha of Leon (1013-67) She lived (1038/9-1101)

 

 

Last update 24.02.14