Blanche of Navarre, Queen of Castile

Who was Blanche of Navarre, Queen of Castile?

Blanche of Navarre. She was the daughter of king García Ramírez of Navarre, "The Restorer", and Marguerite de l'Aigle.

Blanche married Sancho III of Castile, co-king of Castile on January 30, 1151 in Calahorra, Logroño; however, she died before her husband's accession as sole ruler in 1157. She had several children who did not survive and are buried in the church of San Pedro in Soria. On November 11, 1155 she gave birth to the future king Alfonso VIII. There appears to be no record of her activities thereafter, except for her death on August 12, 1156. While it had been suggested that she might have died from the complications of a new pregnancy, Valdez maintains that she died from sequelae of the birth of her son. That her death was caused by a pregnancy is recorded in an epitaph.

She and Sancho had two sons:

⁕Alfonso VIII of Castile, his successor

⁕Infante García, who died at birth in 1156, apparently also resulting in the death of Queen Blanche.

There may also have been an older son who died in infancy.

Sancho donated money to the Monastery of Santa María la Real of Najera where she is buried. The sarcophagus of the queen is regarded as a primary example of the ability to express artistically human emotions in the 12th century.