Isabel of Coimbra

Queen of Portugal from 1447 to 1455

Isabel of Coimbra

Detail of the Saint Vincent Panels masterpiece by Nuno Gonçalves

Queen consort of Portugal
Tenure| 6 May 1447 – 2 December 1455

Born| 1 March 1432
Coimbra
Died| 2 December 1455(1455-12-02) (aged 23)
Évora
Burial|

Batalha Monastery

Spouse| Afonso V of Portugal
Issue|

* John, Hereditary Prince of Portugal
* Joanna, Princess of Portugal
* John II of Portugal

House| Aviz
Father| Peter, Duke of Coimbra
Mother| Isabella of Urgell

Infanta Isabel of Coimbra (Isabella of Portugal) (1 March 1432 – 2 December 1455)[1] was a Portuguese infanta and Queen of Portugal as the first wife of King Afonso V of Portugal.

## Biography

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### Early life and background

[edit]

Born in Coimbra in 1432, Isabella was the eldest daughter of the Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgel.[2][3] Her paternal grandfather was King John I of Portugal and her maternal grandfather was James II, Count of Urgel. Beginning in 1439, Isabella's father Peter served as regent for her cousin Afonso V during his minority.[4][5]

Isabella received a comprehensive Renaissance education influenced by the works of Christine de Pizan.[6]

In accordance with the wishes of the late Edward of Portugal, Peter arranged Isabella's betrothal to Afonso V in 1441.[3][7] The engagement caused conflict with Afonso, Count of Barcelos, Peter's half-brother and political enemy, who had wished for the monarch to marry his granddaughter.[8][9] Relations further deteriorated when Peter had Isabella's brother elected the Constable of Portugal in 1443, a title that the Count of Barcelos believed rightfully belonged to his eldest son, Afonso, Marquis of Valença.[10][11]

### Queen

[edit]

Isabella and Afonso V were married on 6 May 1447.[3][12] Both bride and groom were fifteen.[13] Isabella was given the income of Santarém, Alvaiázere, Sintra and Torres Vedras at her wedding.[citation needed]

The Count of Barcelos began to wield more influence over Afonso and persuaded him to dismiss Peter in July 1448. Tensions escalated in the following months; Afonso annulled all edicts passed during the regency, stripped Isabella's brother of the title of Constable, and isolated Peter to his estates in Coimbra. In early 1449, Afonso interpreted Peter's refusal to yield all arms as an act of rebellion and began preparing for civil war.[14][15]

Deeply devoted to both her husband and her father, Isabella did her best to mediate.[16] She reportedly dropped to her knees and implored Afonso to have mercy on Peter.[17][18] Afonso responded that he would be lenient if his father-in-law requested pardon.[19] Peter reluctantly agreed, writing to Isabella, "This I do, lady, rather to please you, and because you have so bidden me, than because I deem it in reason for me to do."[18] Afonso considered the penitence insincere and therefore unacceptable.[19]

Isabella's father rebelled and was killed in the Battle of Alfarrobeira in 1449.[20] Her siblings were then exiled: John, James, and Beatrice went to the court of their aunt Isabella in Burgundy, while her brother Peter fled to Castile.[21] Isabella herself did not fall out of favour with the king, however, and she took control of the duchy of Coimbra until her brother John returned to Portugal in 1454.

In 1455, Isabella had her father honoured with a ceremony of exoneration at court and had him re-buried in a grand way.[22] Shortly after this, she died at age twenty-three, possibly from poisoning.[23][24] In her will, she left her inheritance to her sister, Philippa of Coimbra.[25]

## Issue

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Isabella had three children:

* John, Prince of Portugal (29 January 1451)
* Joan, Princess of Portugal (6 February 1452 – 12 May 1490): Known as Saint Joan of Portugal or Saint Princess Joan. She was beatified in 1693 by Pope Innocent XII.
* John II of Portugal (3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495): Succeeded his father as 13th King of Portugal.

## Ancestry

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Ancestors of Isabel of Coimbra

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Peter I of Portugal

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. John I of Portugal|

|  |  |
| 9\. Teresa Lourenço

| 2\. Peter, Duke of Coimbra|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster

| 5\. Philippa of Lancaster|

|  |  |
| 11\. Blanche of Lancaster

| 1\. Isabel of Coimbra|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Peter II, Count of Urgell

| 6\. James II, Count of Urgell|

|  |  |
| 13\. Margaret of Montferrat

| 3\. Isabella of Urgell|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Peter IV of Aragon

| 7\. Isabella of Aragon|

|  |  |
| 15\. Sibila de Fortià

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

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### Citations

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1. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 1005.
2. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 17.
3. ^ a b c Rogers 1961, p. 59.
4. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 10.
5. ^ Disney 2009, p. 129.
6. ^ Freitas 2011, pp. 18–19.
7. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 30.
8. ^ Rogers 1961, pp. 60, 86.
9. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 7.
10. ^ Rogers 1961, p. 86.
11. ^ Elbl 2022, p. 48.
12. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 36.
13. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 33.
14. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 473–476.
15. ^ Livermore 1947, p. 202.
16. ^ Freitas 2011, pp. 38–39.
17. ^ Freitas 2011, p. 42.
18. ^ a b McMurdo 1889, p. 478.
19. ^ a b Freitas 2011, p. 43.
20. ^ Rogers 1961, p. 62.
21. ^ Rogers 1961, p. 77.
22. ^ Rogers 1961, pp. 68–69. "In 1455 Queen Isabela persuaded her husband, greatly pleased by the birth of his son João, to give her father the burial he merited. The King ignored the opposition from the Duke of Bragança and his son the Count of Ourém (now also Marquis of Valença), and brought the body to the Monastery of the Trinity in Lisbon. It was next moved to the Monastery of St. Eligius (Eloi) and finally transferred to Batalha, where it was interred with great pomp in the Chapel of the Founder."
23. ^ Commire & Klezmer 2000, p. 792
24. ^ Rogers 1961, p. 69\. "Queen Isabel, twenty-three years old, soon joined her father in Batalha, for she died at the end of the same year. There were those who insinuated that she had been poisoned by her father's enemies."
25. ^ Rogers 1961, p. 28.

### Sources

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* Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (2000). Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Yorkin Publications. ISBN 978-0-7876-4066-8.
* Disney, A. R. (2009). A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. From Beginnings to 1807. Vol. I: Portugal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-60397-3.
* Elbl, Ivana (2022). "Friendship, Disasters, and Social Capital: The Silva Meneses, 1415-1481". Portuguese Studies Review. 30 (1): 39–82. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
* Freitas, Isabel Vaz (2011). D. Isabel de Coimbra: Insigne Rainha (in Portuguese). Quidnovi.
* Livermore, H.V. (1947). A History of Portugal. Cambridge University Press.
* Marques, Antonio Henrique R. de Oliveira (1976). History of Portugal (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-08353-X.
* McMurdo, Edward (1889). The history of Portugal, from the Commencement of the Monarchy to the Reign of Alfonso III. Vol. II. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.
* Pereira, Esteves; Rodrigues, Guilherme (1904). Portugal: diccionario historico, chorographico, heraldico, biographico, bibliographico, numismatico e artistico (in Portuguese). Vol. III. Lisboa: J. Romano Torres.
* Rogers, Francis M. (1961). The Travels of the Infante Dom Pedro of Portugal. Harvard Studies in Romance Languages. Vol. XXVI. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

## External links

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* Genealogical Information on Isabel of Coimbra (in Portuguese)

Isabel of Coimbra

House of Aviz

Cadet branch of the House of Burgundy

Born: 1 March 1432 Died: 2 December 1455

Portuguese royalty
Vacant

Title last held by

Eleanor of Aragon |  Queen consort of Portugal and the Algarves
6 May 1447 – 2 December 1455  | Vacant

Title next held by

Joanna la Beltraneja

* v
* t
* e

Infantas of Portugal

The generations indicate descent form Afonso I, and continues through the House of Aviz, the House of Habsburg through Infanta Isabel, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Spain, and the House of Braganza through Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza.

| 1st generation|

* Urraca, Queen of León
* Teresa, Countess of Flanders
* Infanta Mafalda

|

2nd generation|

* Teresa, Queen of León
* Infanta Sancha, Lady of Alenquer
* Mafalda, Queen of Castile
* Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara
* Berengária, Queen of Denmark

3rd generation|

* Leonor, Queen of Denmark

4th generation|

* Infanta Branca, Lady of Las Huelgas
* Infanta Sancha

5th generation|

* Constança, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Maria, Lady of Meneses and Orduña

6th generation|

* Maria, Queen of Castile and León
* Leonor, Queen of Aragon

7th generation|

* Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
* Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque

8th generation|

* Beatriz, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy

9th generation|

* Leonor, Holy Roman Empress
* Infanta Catarina
* Joana, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Queen of Portugal
* Beatriz, Lady of Ravenstein
* Infanta Filipa
* Isabel, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Viseu

10th generation|

* Joanna, Princess of Portugal
* Leonor, Queen of Portugal
* Isabel, Duchess of Braganza

11th generation|

* Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy
* Infanta Maria, Duchess of Viseu

12th generation|

* Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal and Asturias
* Maria, Hereditary Princess of Parma
* Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza

13th generation|

* Isabel Clara, Archduchess of Austria*
* Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy*

14th generation|

* Ana, Queen of France*
* Infanta María*
* María Ana, Holy Roman Empress*
* Infanta Margarita*

15th generation|

* María Teresa, Queen of France*
* Joana, Princess of Beira
* Catarina, Queen of England and Scotland

16th generation|

* Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
* Infanta Francisca Josefa

17th generation|

* Bárbara, Queen of Spain

18th generation|

* Maria I
* Infanta Maria Ana
* Maria Doroteia
* Benedita, Princess of Brazil

19th generation|

* Mariana Victoria, Infanta Gabriel of Spain

20th generation|

* Infanta Maria Teresa, Countess of Molina
* Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Infanta Maria Francisca, Countess of Molina
* Infanta Isabel Maria
* Infanta Maria da Assunção
* Infanta Ana de Jesus, Marchioness of Loulé

21st generation|

* Maria II**
* Infanta Januária, Countess of Aquila**
* Infanta Paula**
* Francisca, Princess of Joinville**
* Infanta Maria Amélia**
* Infanta Maria das Neves, Duchess of San Jaimeƒ
* Maria Teresa, Archduchess Karl Ludwig of Austriaƒ
* Maria José, Duchess Karl Theodor in Bavariaƒ
* Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarãesƒ
* Maria Ana, Grand Duchess of Luxembourgƒ
* Maria Antónia, Duchess of Parmaƒ

22nd generation|

* Maria Ana, Princess Georg of Saxony***
* Antónia, Princess of Hohenzollern***
* Maria Teresa, Princess Karl Ludwig of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Isabel Maria, Princess of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Maria Ana, Princess Karl August of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Infanta Maria Adelaide, Mrs. van Udenƒ◙

24th generation|

* Infanta Maria Francisca, Duchess of Coimbraƒ

* also an infanta of Spain and an archduchess of Austria, ** also an imperial princess of Brazil, *** also a princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony, ◙ Also a princess of Braganza, ƒ title of pretense

* v
* t
* e

Royal consorts of Portugal

* Matilda of Savoy (1146–1157)
* Dulce of Aragon (1185–1198)
* Urraca of Castile (1211–1220)
* Mécia Lopes de Haro (1246–1248)
* Matilda II, Countess of Boulogne (1248–1253)
* Beatrice of Castile (1253–1279)
* Elizabeth of Aragon (1282–1325)
* Beatrice of Castile (1325–1357)
* Inês de Castro (posthumous)
* Leonor Teles (1372–1383)
* Philippa of Lancaster (1387–1415)
* Eleanor of Aragon (1433–1438)
* Isabel of Coimbra (1447–1455)
* Joanna "la Beltraneja" (1475–1479)
* Eleanor of Viseu (1481–1495)
* Isabella of Aragon (1497–1498)
* Maria of Aragon (1500–1517)
* Eleanor of Austria (1518–1521)
* Catherine of Austria (1525–1557)
* Anna of Austria (1580)
* Margaret of Austria (1598–1611)
* Élisabeth of France (1621–1640)
* Luisa de Guzmán (1640–1656)
* Marie Françoise Isabelle of Savoy (1666–1668); (1683)
* Maria Sophia of Neuburg (1687–1699)
* Maria Anna of Austria (1708–1750)
* Mariana Victoria of Spain (1750–1777)
* Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1816–1826)
* Maria Leopoldina of Austria (1826)
* Auguste de Beauharnais (1835)
* Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1836–1837)
* Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1858–1859)
* Maria Pia of Savoy (1862–1889)
* Amélie of Orléans (1889–1908)

* v
* t
* e

House of Aviz

João I (1385–1433)

| Spouse(s)|

* Philippa of Lancaster

|

Children|

* Duarte I
* Peter, Duke of Coimbra
* Henry the Navigator
* Isabella, Duchess of Burgundy
* John, Constable of Portugal
* Ferdinand the Holy Prince

Duarte I (1433–1438)

| Spouse(s)|

* Eleanor of Aragon

|

Children|

* Afonso V
* Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu
* Eleanor, Holy Roman Empress
* Catherine
* Joan, Queen of Castile

Afonso V (1438–1481)

| Spouse(s)|

* Isabel of Coimbra
* Joanna la Beltraneja

|

Children|

* John, Prince of Portugal
* Joanna
* João II

João II (1481–1495)

| Spouse(s)|

* Eleanor of Viseu

|

Children|

* Afonso, Prince of Portugal

Manuel I (1495–1521)

| Spouse(s)|

* Isabella of Aragon
* Maria of Aragon
* Eleanor of Austria

|

Children|

* Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal
* João III
* Isabella, Holy Roman Empress
* Beatrice, Duchess of Savoy
* Louis, Duke of Beja
* Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda
* Cardinal-Infante Afonso
* Henrique I
* Edward, Duke of Guimarães
* Maria, Duchess of Viseu

João III (1521–1557)

| Spouse(s)|

* Catherine of Austria

|

Children|

* Afonso, Prince of Portugal
* Maria Manuela, Princess of Asturias
* Manuel, Prince of Portugal
* Filipe, Prince of Portugal
* João Manuel, Prince of Portugal

Sebastião I (1557–1578)

Henrique I (1578–1580)

Notes
The House of Aviz is a cadet branch of the House of Burgundy and was succeeded by the House of Habsburg

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