Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark

For other people of the same name, see Eleanor of Portugal.

Eleanor
File:D. Leonor de Portugal, Rainha da Dinamarca - The Portuguese Genealogy (Genealogia dos Reis de Portugal).png Eleanor of Portugal, in Antonio de Hollanda's Genealogy of the Royal Houses of Spain and Portugal (1530–1534)
Junior Queen consort of Denmark
Tenure	1229–1231
Born	c. 1211 Kingdom of Portugal
Died	28 August 1231 (aged 19–20) Denmark
Burial	St. Bendt's Church
Spouse	Valdemar the Young
Issue	Princess Infanta Ingeborg
House	House of Burgundy
Father	Afonso II of Portugal
Mother	Urraca of Castile
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Eleanor of Portugal (Portuguese: Leonor [liuˈnoɾ]; c. 1211 – 28 August 1231) was a Portuguese infanta, the only daughter of Afonso II of Portugal and Urraca of Castile, Queen of Portugal. Eleanor was Queen consort of Denmark by marriage to Danish King Valdemar the Young, son of Valdemar II, in 1229.

Bishop Gunner of Viborg had first thought of the idea of the marriage, as Eleanor's aunt Berengaria had been Valdemar's stepmother. The wedding took place in Ribe on 24 June 1229, and the next day Eleanor received southern half of the island Funen as a wedding present from her husband. Even though she was junior queen, she was the only queen since her aunt had died eight years prior and her father-in-law had not remarried.

File:Eleonor 1231.jpg

Silk and lock of hair from tomb of Queen Eleanor

Only two years later Eleanor died in childbirth on the 28 August 1231, and three months later her husband was killed by an accidental shot.

When examining Eleanor's grave in Ringsted Church, it was discovered that her skeleton showed traces of cancer of the bones, which probably was contributory to her death. At the foot piece of Eleanor's grave was a leaden coffin, which contained the bones of a child about 6 months old, already sickly and scrofulous from birth. So Eleanor probably gave birth to a child, who survived her by only six months.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark

16. Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal               8. Afonso I of Portugal                       17. Teresa of León, Countess of Portugal               4. Sancho I of Portugal                             18. Amadeus III, Count of Savoy               9. Maud of Savoy                       19. Mahaut of Albon               2. Afonso II of Portugal                                   20. Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona               10. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona                       21. Douce I, Countess of Provence               5. Dulce of Aragon                             22. Ramiro II of Aragon               11. Petronila of Aragon                       23. Agnes of Aquitaine               1. Eleanor of Portugal                                         24. Alfonso VII of Castile               12. Sancho III of Castile                       25. Berenguela of Barcelona               6. Alfonso VIII of Castile                             26. García Ramírez of Navarre               13. Blanche of Navarre                       27. Marguerite de l'Aigle               3. Urraca of Castile                                   28. Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou               14. Henry II of England                       29. Matilda of England               7. Eleanor of England                             30. William X, Duke of Aquitaine               15. Eleanor of Aquitaine                       31. Aenor de Châtellerault

References

Eleanor of Portugal House of Burgundy Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: circa 1211 Died: 28 August 1231
Danish royalty
Vacant Title last held by Berengaria of Portugal as senior queen	(Junior) Queen consort of Denmark 1229–1231	Vacant Title next held by Jutta of Saxony