Henry ll’s children, through their marriages, spread family connections throughout Europe. His daughters became Duchess of Saxony, Queen of Sicily with Henry’s daughter, Eleanor (1160-1214), married to King Alfonso VIII (1156-1214) of Castile and Toledo, whose court was based in Burgos. His marriage brought King Alfonso VIII arguably under the influence of the greatest governing intellect of the time.
Alfonso built the convent of Santa Maria la De Huelgas (nr. Burgos) at the specific request of his wife, Eleanor of England. Indeed they both died in the same year, 1214 and were entombed at the convent. The heraldic motifs on the tombs in the Las Huelgas Abbey (see Below), show the same Coats of Arms of Castile and the Plantagenet Lions, as on the Eleanor Cross at Geddington, although this also includes the later additions of the Arms of Leon and Ponthieu. |
Las Huelgas Abbey, courtyard |
Tombs of Alfonso VIII & Eleanor of England in the convent of Santa Maria la De Huelgas |
Coat of Arms carved on the Eleanor Cross at Geddington. |
On January 2nd 1187, Pope Clement III authorised the religious house be dedicated to St. Mary and on June 1st in the same year, the King granted a royal charter for the foundation of the convent of nuns under Cistercian rule. Twelve years later in 1199 the founders handed the Royal Convent to the nuns and added a clause establishing that they and their successors would be buried there. It thus took in people of high social station and became a royal pantheon where the monarchs were knighted by divine authority.
One of the daughters of the marriage of Alfonso and Eleanor was Berenguela (1180-1246) who became Queen of Castile and Leon. She married Alfonso IX in 1198 and in 1217 her son, became Ferdinand III (1198-1252), the Saint, King of Castile and Léon (1230), who founded the University of Salamanca and the Cathedral in Burgos (an impressive Gothic structure, with very fine stonework both externally and internally), indeed his coronation was the first royal ceremony at Los Huelgas Abbey in 1219. Ferdinand was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. |
Las Huelgas Abbey - Convent high altar |
Las Huelgas Abbey - Chapter House |
Burgos Cathedral |
After his first wife, Beatrice died in 1236, Ferdinand married Joan of Dammartin (Ponthieu) his daughter by Joan was Eleanor of Castile (born at Las Huelgas Abbey 1244), later to become wife of Edward I (1272-1307) of England. Edward was the son of Henry III (direct descendent of Henry II) and married Eleanor (1244-1290) in 1254 in Las Huelgas Abbey, he was Later knighted their in 1255.
King Edward continued the royal interest in the Geddington hunting lodge, he and Queen Eleanor were frequent visitors until her death in 1290.
Consequently by 1374 there appears to be no trace of the Hunting Lodge. |
Burgos is better known as the birthplace of El Cid, and both he and his wife are buried in the cathedral (see photo above). |
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