Violante Sánchez of Castile facts for kids
Violante Sánchez of Castile was an important noblewoman from the Kingdom of Castile who lived a long time ago (from before 1281 to after January 1330). When she got married, she became the Lady of several places like Lemos, Sarria, Cabrera, and Ribera.
She also owned towns like Ucero, Oímbra, and Vilamartín de Valdeorras herself. After her husband passed away, she became a nun in the Order of Santiago. In 1327, she gave all her properties to this Order. She was also a supporter and leader of the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus in Salamanca.
Contents
Her Life Story
Her Family
Violante Sánchez was the daughter of Sancho of Castile and María de Meneses. Her father later became King Sancho IV in 1295. Her grandparents on her father's side were King Alfonso X of Castile and Violante of Aragon, who she was likely named after.
Violante had several half-siblings. Her legitimate half-siblings included King Ferdinand IV of Castile, Peter, and Beatrice. Beatrice later became the Queen of Portugal when she married King Afonso IV.
Her Younger Years and Marriage
We don't know exactly when Violante was born, but it was before 1281. She grew up in the royal court of Castile. María de Molina, who married Violante's father in 1282, was her godmother. Violante's mother, María de Meneses, was from a powerful noble family. She joined a convent after Violante's father married María de Molina.
Some historians used to get Violante's name wrong, calling her María. Also, some thought she married Fernando Rodríguez de Castro in 1285. But later, a historian named Luis de Salazar y Castro showed that they actually married in 1293. This was proven by a document from that year where Fernando confirmed a special gift of property (called a carta de arras) that his father had set up for Violante in 1291.
In this gift, Violante received the town and castle of Vilamartín de Valdeorras and other lands. She also inherited properties in Ucero and Traspinedo from her mother, along with other lands in Burgos, Sahagún, Cea, and Villafamor. Her husband, Fernando Rodríguez de Castro, inherited the Lordship of Lemos and many other properties. He was also a very powerful nobleman in Galicia, holding the title of pertiguero mayor of Santiago de Compostela.
In 1295, Violante's father, King Sancho IV, passed away, and her half-brother Ferdinand IV became king. Fernando Rodríguez de Castro died in 1304 during a fight at Monforte de Lemos. Some historians believe this happened in 1305, based on his will.
Her Life as a Widow
After Fernando Rodríguez de Castro died, his properties were taken away. Most of them went to Violante's half-brother, Infante Philip. He became the Lord of Lemos and Sarria, and gained other important titles in Galicia.
Violante then placed her oldest son, Pedro Fernández de Castro, who was about 15, under the care of a Galician nobleman named Lorenzo Suárez de Valladares. Lorenzo sent Pedro to the Kingdom of Portugal to keep him safe from King Ferdinand IV of Castile. Pedro was raised by Martín Gil de Riba de Vizela, a powerful count in Portugal, and grew up with the Portuguese Infante Pedro. This experience greatly influenced his life.
In 1305, Martín Gil de Riba de Vizela formally recognized Violante's ownership of the castle of Oímbra and the house of Guizón. He did this in front of Violante's son, Pedro, confirming that these properties were given to Violante by her father, King Sancho IV.
On February 18, 1316, Violante and her son Pedro made an agreement to share their properties. Pedro would have all of Violante's properties in the Kingdom of Galicia for his lifetime, including lands, houses, castles, and churches. Violante would keep all of Pedro's properties in the Kingdom of León and remain the owner of the castle and town of Vilamartín de Valdeorras. They also agreed that if one of them died, the other would inherit their properties. They could not sell or give away these properties.
On December 15, 1320, Violante gave all her properties to her son Pedro. This included castles, fortified houses, churches, and lordships that she had received from her father King Sancho IV, her husband Fernando Rodríguez de Castro, or inherited from her mother María de Meneses. This helped Pedro start getting back some of the properties that had belonged to his father.
Violante and the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus
In 1325, Violante Sánchez started to support and manage the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus in Salamanca. This was a bit unusual because the leaders of the Order of Santiago and the nuns there usually chose their own commander. This monastery was one of the most important hospital foundations of the Order of Santiago in the Kingdom of León.
Historians believe Violante chose to become a nun in the Order of Santiago, rather than a stricter order, because it allowed her to gain political, economic, and social power. Also, the nuns in this order were not required to live completely shut away from the world.
Violante asked Pope John XXII to let her manage the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus and other properties of the Order of Santiago. In November 1325, the Pope agreed. He asked the Archbishop of Toledo to give Violante the nun's habit of the Order of Santiago and put her in charge of the monastery and other properties.
Violante continued to ask the Pope for more properties to manage, as the income from Sancti Spiritus was only 300 florins a year, which was not enough for her. She asked to manage properties in Toro and in the areas of Astorga and Zamora, which could bring in 750 florins annually.
Around this time, Violante used a special seal. It showed her husband's family crest (six roundels) in the middle, surrounded by eight castles and lions. This design showed her connection to both her husband's family and her father, King Sancho IV. The seal also had a message that said, "Here lies lady Violante, daughter of the most noble King Sancho."
On May 30, 1326, Violante gave up her role as manager of the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus and other properties of the Order of Santiago. She said she didn't know that managing these properties went against the rules of the Order. Right after, she accepted the habit of the Order of Santiago again, this time from the Grand Master García Fernández himself, promising to obey him.
A year later, on December 27, 1327, Violante gave all her properties and rights to the Order of Santiago and its new Grand Master, Vasco Rodríguez de Coronado. This included the Lordships and castles of Ucero and Vilamartín de Valdeorras, many lands in Galicia, and her properties in Burgos, Soria, and Valladolid. She gave everything she owned in the Kingdoms of Castile, León, and Portugal to the Order. This was a requirement for her to be fully admitted into the Order.
On the same day, Violante also gave the Grand Master a special legal document. This document allowed him and future Grand Masters to represent her in any legal matter, whether in church or regular courts.
Her Will and Death
On January 24, 1330, Violante made her will. In it, she made plans for her debts to be paid and for her belongings to be given to various people. She asked the Grand Master of the Order of Santiago to allow her to be buried in the Monastery of San Francisco in Toro. She also left money and items to the friars there.
In her will, Violante stated that she was "in my healthy brain and in my healthy memory," which was important for a will to be valid. She asked to be buried in a coffin covered with black fabric that had the Santiago cross on it. She also asked for a stone marker with the Santiago cross and an inscription: "Here lies lady Violante, daughter of the most noble King Sancho and Maria Alfonso (lady who) was from Ucero."
Violante again gave all her properties to the Order of Santiago in her will. She asked the Grand Master to make sure her wishes were followed. Five days later, on January 29, 1330, she added a clause to her will, naming her niece, Queen María de Portugal, as an executor. She asked Queen María to ensure her last wishes were respected.
Violante's exact death date is not known, but she passed away sometime after January 1330.
Where She Was Buried
Even though Violante asked to be buried in the Monastery of San Francisco in Toro, her remains were actually buried in the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus in Salamanca. She was buried in the church of the monastery, where other important people like Martín Alfonso de León and his wife María Méndez de Sousa were also buried.
Her Children
Violante and her husband, Fernando Rodríguez de Castro, had two children:
- Pedro Fernández de Castro (died 1342): He became the Lord of Lemos, Monforte, and Sarria. He held many important positions, like mayordomo mayor (chief steward) for King Alfonso XI of Castile. He became one of the most powerful noblemen in Castile during Alfonso XI's reign.
- Juana Fernández de Castro (died 1316): She married Alfonso of Valencia around 1314.
See also
In Spanish: Violante Sánchez de Castilla para niños
