![Sample our Humanities journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5939/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Humanities.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Leonor de Lencastre was the wife of King João II of Portugal and the sister of his successor, Manuel I. Both she and her mother Beatriz participated in high politics and the government of the realm, administered vast territories, and managed considerable fortunes. They also founded convents of Poor Clares –one of Colettines, the other of Observants of the First Rule– where they chose to be buried in graves dug into the ground covered by stone slabs over which the nuns passed in their daily tasks as a sign of humility. In this article, I analyse the demanding religious practice and pious works of Leonor and Beatriz which inspired other women of their entourage, including Leonor’s sister Isabel and Justa Rodrigues. The exemplary dedication of Leonor and Beatriz led these other women to found female religious houses or join those founded by them, and to lead austere lives that contrasted with their privileged social origins. This demanding practice was not shared by all, however, and I also analyse the case of Isabel de Sousa, another noblewoman of Beatriz’s household, who opted for a different way to be commemorated and attain salvation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 AQVI ESTA A RAINHA DONA LIONOR MOLHER DELREI DOM JOÃO O SEGVNDO QVE E FVNDADORA DESTE CONVENTO.
2 On Portuguese tombs see Ferreira, “A arte tumular;” David, “Escultura funerária;” Ramôa Melo, “O Género Feminino;” Ramôa Melo, “Open Books.”
3 For example, one of the ways King Pedro I (r. 1357–1367) legitimized his lover, Inês de Castro, was to build her a tomb next to his own showing her crowned as a queen, see Afonso, O ser e o tempo, 65.
4 Tomb type studies do not exist for Portugal. For Italy, where tomb types have been studied for the same chronology, see Butterfield, “Social Structure,” 50.
5 Sacramento, Noticia da fundação, fols. 12–13.
6 We will explain who St. Colette was and the practices of her community below.
7 Rodrigues, “The Crown,” 53–57.
8 Rosa, “Exercício do poder,” 423–40.
9 Rosa, “Espiritualidade(s),” 247–50.
10 On the Castilian queen’s desire for a similarly humble burial, see in this special issue Graña Cid, “Isabel la Católica y el hecho funerario.”
11 Notably, the property of Prince Fernando (1402–1443) and Prince Henrique (1394–1460), see Coelho, “O infante,” 1, 114, 117–21.
12 Martins, Dona Brites, 72–83.
13 Martins, Dona Brites, 35.
14 Dávila, A Mulher, 50–109.
15 Martins, “Poder e sociedade,” 214–15.
16 Martins, “A colegiada,” 57.
17 Martins, “Poder e sociedade,” 179.
18 São João, Tratado, fol. 40; Sousa, História Genealógica, XI:232–33; Freire, Brasões, 24–25.
19 Sá, “Rainhas e cultura escrita,” 172. The Avis dynasty was inaugurated by King João I (r. 1385–1433), grandfather of both Fernando and Beatriz and endured until the death of Henrique I (r. 1578–1580). Then the King of Spain Felipe II (r. 1556–1598) became Filipe I of Portugal (r. 1580–1598), inaugurating the “Philippine” or Habsburg dynasty.
20 Martins, “Poder e sociedade,” 38–40.
21 Sículo, Duas orações, 59.
22 Cepeda, “Os Livros da Rainha D. Leonor.”
23 Afonso V married Juana to help her regain the throne and attacked Isabel’s positions in Castile. Concerning the succession dispute, see Carrasco Manchado, Isabel I de Castilla.
24 Dávila, A Mulher, 151–65.
25 Juana’s marriage to Afonso V was considered invalid because they had not obtained a dispensation from the pope for consanguinity (which some historians contest), see Azcona, Juana de Castilla, 123–28.
26 Sá, De princesa, 61–63.
27 On the reasons for and results of this conspiracy against the king, see Fonseca, D. João II, 78–101.
28 Rosa, “Espiritualidade(s),” 232.
29 Other nobles involved in the conspiracy were executed shortly after, see Fonseca, D. João II, 101–07.
30 Dávila, A Mulher, 209.
31 Sá, De princesa, 104–05.
32 Sá, De princesa, 105–06.
33 Martínez Alcorlo, Isabel de Castilla y Aragón, 169–71.
34 Sá, De princesa, 148.
35 Sá, De princesa, 152–55.
36 Isabel, the widow of Prince Afonso of Portugal, married Manuel I in 1497. Her sister Maria married the same king in 1500. On these women, see Sá, “Duas irmãs.”
37 Sá, De princesa, 170–248.
38 As stated by her most recent biographer, Sá, De princesa, 244.
39 Sousa, A rainha, 146–58.
40 Sá, “Pivotal moments,” 129.
41 Rodrigues, “Os hospitais,” 76–103.
42 Rodrigues, “Os hospitais,” 353–70, 667–78.
43 Sá, De princesa, 219–20.
44 São João, Tratado, fol. 29v. The importance of this convent founded by Justa Rodrigues is discussed below.
45 For more on St. Colette de Corbie, see Warren, “The Life and Afterlives.”
46 Roest, “The Poor Clares,” 352.
47 Sousa, A rainha, 491–95.
48 Belém, Chronica serafica, III:72.
49 Pais and Curvelo, “13. View of Jerusalem.”
50 Sousa, A rainha, 505.
51 Sousa, A rainha, 496–513.
52 It has been attributed to each of the three main painters active in Lisbon at the time: Cristóvão de Figueiredo, Gregório Lopes, and Garcia Fernandes, see Carvalho, “15. St. Auta,” 397.
53 Sousa, Provas, 512–22.
54 Sá, “Duas rainhas,” 162–63.
55 The slab says: “Here lies lady Isabel Duchess of Bragança sister of Queen Leonor” (AQVI ESTA DONA ISABEL DVQVESA DE BRAGANSA IRMÃA DA RAINHA DONA LIONOR).
56 Sá, De princesa, 253–58.
57 Rosa, “A fundação,” 266–69.
58 St. Beatriz da Silva, founder of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, was a lady-in-waiting of Queen Isabel of Portugal’s household. For more on St. Beatriz da Silva, see Graña Cid, Beatriz de Silva.
59 Sousa, A rainha, 468.
60 Martins, Dona Brites, 87.
61 Martins, Dona Brites, 74.
62 Rosa, “A fundação,” 268–69.
63 Martins, Dona Brites, 89.
64 Though this document was named by its editors as the last will of Beatriz, the duchess says in its preamble that she shall be buried in the monastery “as declared in my testament,” thus clearly indicating that her last will was a different document, Salgado and Salgado, O testamento, 93.
65 Salgado and Salgado, O testamento, 93–99.
66 Salgado and Salgado, O testamento, 99–104.
67 In the document at the beginning of the book, the king states that a first set of bequests had already been satisfied, Freire, “Inventário,” 64.
68 Freire, “Inventário,” 64–110.
69 Acenheiro, Chronicas, 333.
70 [AQUI JAZ A INFANT]A BEATRIS FALECEO NA ERA 1506 DIDADE DE.77. ANNOS.
71 Freire, Brasões, 10.
72 Boase, “Justa fue mi perdición,” 29.
73 Freire, Brasões, 24. “Justa Rodrigues jousted / With a Carmelite friar / And this damn joust / Left us the Manuéis.” The quatrain plays with one of the meanings of the word “justa” (joust) and the family name adopted by her sons in honour of their milk brother Manuel.
74 Boase, “Justa fue mi perdición,” 26–29. This song plays with another meaning of the word “justa” (fair). Thus, the motto could be read as “My perdition was fair” or “Justa was my perdition.”
75 Góis, Crónica, 11–12.
76 The bull allowed the construction of a small convent, with just an abbess and twelve nuns, Gomes, “Doces obrigações,” 55.
77 In 1496, Pope Alexander VI extended the previous permission up to thirty-three nuns, see Gomes, “Doces obrigações,” 55–56.
78 Silva, “A igreja,” 24–27, 34–37.
79 São João, Tratado, fols. 25–26.
80 Rumeu de Armas, Itinerario, 225.
81 Sá, Duas irmãs, 86–87.
82 Andrés Diaz, El ultimo decenio, CD-ROM, n239.
83 Sousa, História Genealógica, XI:233.
84 São João, Tratado, fol. 28v.
85 Freitas, “O testamento,” 138.
86 Freitas, “O testamento,” 138.
87 Gomes, “Doces obrigações,” 62.
88 São João, Tratado, fol. 35v.
89 Sousa, História Genealógica, XI:253.
90 Freire, Brasões, 27.
91 São João, Tratado, fols. 40v–42.
92 Soror Leonor omits Justa’s death date, but Freire states it had to be after 1509, see São João, Tratado, fol. 42; Freire, Brasões, 26.
93 Martins, “A colegiada,” 179–81.
94 There are two copies of this book, one belonging to the church and the other to the chantry; the latter is written on parchment and has illuminations, see Rosa, As almas, 386n133. The church’s copy is transcribed in Martins, “A colegiada,” 133–356.
95 Rosa, As almas, 386–87.
96 Rosa, As almas, 387.
97 Martins, “A colegiada,” 89–95.
98 Martins, “A colegiada,” 68, 74n132.
99 Gasco, Primeira parte, 285.
100 “Recebido seja de Deus este santo sacrificio que ora foy offericido pella alma de dona Isabel de Sousa que esto ordenou e por todas as almas a que ella era obrigada,” Martins, “A colegiada,” 145, doc. 1b.
101 Rosa, As almas, 512–13.
102 Rosa, As almas, 678–84.
103 Salazar y Castro, Historia Geneológica, 431, says that she refused several proposals.
104 Though Isabel I of Castile and her daughter Isabel were devout of the Observants, they do not seem to have followed more radical proposals such as those of the Colettines, see Martínez Alcorlo, Isabel de Castilla y Aragón, 178–82 and also, in this special issue, Graña Cid, “Isabel la Católica y el hecho funerario.”
105 On singlewomen from much lower levels of society and their living arrangements, see in this special issue McDonough and Armstrong-Partida, “Affective Networks across the Divide.”
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues
Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues (MA, Sorbonne Université, 1981; PhD University of Minho, 1992; Habilitation, University of Minho, 2002) is Associate Professor at the University of Lisbon. Her research concerns mainly medieval queenship, from the queens’ estates and revenue to jurisdictional and political powers to religious and artistic patronage. Her most recent publications in this field include Dynastic Change: Legitimacy and Gender in Medieval and Early Modern Monarchy, co-edited with M. S. Silva and J. Spangler, London-New York: Routledge, 2020, and “The Queen Consort in Castile and Portugal. María de Aragon (b. 1403-d. 1445), Queen of Castile and Leonor de Aragon (b. 1405/1408-d. 1445), Queen of Portugal,” in Representing Women’s Political Identity in the Early Modern Iberian World, edited by J. Roe and J. Andrews, London-New York: Routledge, 2020, pp. 239–52.