Berengaria of Navarre : Queen of England, Lord of Le Mans

Berengaria of Navarre was queen of England (1191–99) and lord of Le Mans (1204–30), but has received little attention in terms of a fully encompassing biography from Navarrese, Anglophone, and French perspectives. This book explores her political career whilst utilising the surviving documentation to demonstrate her personal and familial partnerships and life as a dowager queen. This biography follows Berengaria’s journey from a Navarrese infanta, raised in the northern Iberian kingdom, to her travels across Europe to marriage and the Third Crusade, venturing through Sicily, Cyprus, and on to the Holy Land in 1191. Berengaria’s reign and early years as dowager queen are examined in the context of the Anglo-French conflict and domestic disputes, before her decision to negotiate with the king of France, Philip Augustus, and become lord of Le Mans, for which she is far better known in local memory. The volume flows chronologically discussing her roles as infanta, queen, dowager, and lord, and is an ideal resource for scholars and those interested in the history of gender, queenship, lordship, and Western Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This biography follows Berengaria’s journey from a Navarrese infanta, raised in the northern Iberian kingdom, to her travels across Europe to marriage and the Third Crusade, venturing through Sicily, Cyprus, and on to the Holy Land in 1191. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of Illustrations 11 List of Tables 12 List of Abbreviations 13 Acknowledgements 14 Note on Names and Language 17 Who’s Who 18 Chronology 26 Introduction: Why Berengaria? 30 1 Infanta: Navarre, Adolescence, and Female Power in Iberia 39 Navarre and Berengaria's Early Years 40 Monreal and the Infanta 45 Navarre in a Changing World 50 Negotiations and the Journey to Marriage 57 2 Queen: To the Holy Land and Plantagenet Country 67 Plans for Marriage 67 Marriage, Cyprus, and a New Era 71 Reign: Expectations and Reality 74 Return From Crusade 81 3 Dowager: The Lost Years? 90 Queen at the Crossroads 91 Berengaria's Financial Affairs 103 4 Queen: Power, Prospects, Rulership, and Reality 112 Female Succession and Rulership 112 Titles: Symbols of Power 115 Rulership: To Be or Not To Be? 121 Personal Partnership 125 Childless Queen 130 5 Familial and Political Relationships 137 Sancho VII, King of Navarre 139 Blanca of Navarre, Countess of Champagne 141 Philip Augustus, King of France 149 Louis IX, King of France, and Blanche of Castile, Queen Regent 151 Henry III, King of England 152 Negotiator and Diplomat 156 6 Lord of Le Mans: Rulership and Religion 163 Dower 164 Religious Relationships and Patronage 169 Papal Relations and the Church 169 Maurice, Bishop of Le Mans 175 Saint Pierre-de-la-Cour 181 L'Abbaye de L'Épau 186 7 Legacy 201 Queen 201 Queens on Screen and in Popular Culture 204 Berengaria in Literature 208 Berengaria and L'Épau 212 Conclusion 217 Appendix 224 Bibliography 227 Index 258 Navarre;,Infanta;,Queen;,Dowager;,Political,Relationships;,Religious,Relationships;,Legacy Navarre,Infanta,Queen,Dowager,Political Relationships,Religious Relationships,Legacy