Entry taken from the book The Plantagenets
We finish the first entry dedicated to Berengaria de Navarra, with the death of her husband Ricardo Corazón de León. If she had produced an heir to Ricardo, her future would have continued to be linked to high politics, either as regent or as in charge of the education of the new king. But not having done so, her expectations were only two:a new marriage or retirement in a convent, which did not necessarily imply the obligation to profess in an order.
In the case of the widow of the Lionheart, her situation was even more complex due to her circumstances. Even assuming he had cared for the fate of her sister-in-law, which was not the case, Ricardo's successor, Juan sin Tierra, had enough trouble trying (unsuccessfully) to hold on to the family's inherited territories on the mainland. Nor was Berengaria to find much sympathy on the part of Philip of France for the widow of her old rival Plantagenet. And of course nothing could be expected from her mother-in-law Eleanor of Aquitaine, who had to blame her failed marital relationship and who also had her own difficulties with the king of France, who was about to make her his prisoner on one occasion. .
It must be taken into account that the situation in the continental possessions of the Plantagenets was not easy in those years, since any of their towns or castles could come under French siege and fall into Philip's hands. Berengaria spent the first years of her widowhood wandering from one to another of the Angevin cities that had belonged to her husband (Beaufort, Chinon, Fontevraud) or with her sister Blanca in Champagne, until in 1204 she settled permanently in Le Mans, where he would reside for the remaining twenty-six years of his life.
Berenguela reached an agreement with Felipe de Francia, ceding the properties that had corresponded to her as Ricardo's widow (Falaise, Domfront and Bonneville), and recognized Felipe as a feudal lord, in exchange for the city of Le Mans and an amount of one thousand sterling marks. During the rest of her life, Berengaria did not use the titles of Duchess of Normandy or Countess of Anjou, but instead signed all her writings as "the most humble former queen of the English", although the appellation by which she was known was Lady of Le Mans.
Berenguela's financial situation was not easy. She did not contract a new marriage and had to repeatedly and without much success claim her dowry from Juan sin Tierra for the lands that had corresponded to her when she became a widow and that had already been fixed since the celebration of the marriage. of her with Ricardo. In the year 1200, a document was signed between them by which the king undertook to pay Berengaria a thousand marks a year, but despite numerous claims on her part and even admonitions from the pope to John to make the payment, the matter dragged on for many more years. In 1215 the king wrote to Berengaria noting that negotiations on the matter were taking place and urging him to keep due confidentiality on the matter. In September of that year both signed an agreement sealed by the pope by which Juan undertook to pay the Navarrese two thousand marks and the back payments, in addition to two installments of one thousand pounds sterling.
But in 1216 the English king told his sister-in-law that he could not afford the agreed payment, since his campaigns in France had ruined him. As if that wasn't insult enough after so many years, the letter concluded that he was sure she would understand the situation. Years of persistent claiming what were nothing but her rights came to nothing, despite the great support received from the pope, because that same year Juan sin Tierra died.
In 1218, the new pope Honorius III reiterates to the queen dowager the special protection of the papacy in recognition of her special devotion to the Holy See. And the pressures finally paid off when the son of Juan sin Tierra, Enrique III finally proceeded to pay the debt with Berengaria, which already amounted to four thousand five hundred marks and which was paid over a period of five years.
In Le Mans, where she spent the last twenty-six years of her life, Berengaria is remembered for her generous contributions to the city's churches and convents, leaving what one author defines as «persistent perfume of charity». She was the patron saint and protector of the collegiate church of St.Pierre, which, even before the arrival of the queen, had had several clashes with the powerful chapter of the city's cathedral, for reasons of tax collection and sanctions for defaulters. in their payment. Berengaria never gave her arm to twist and she defended her position before the pope on several occasions. She even left the city during a period when the cathedral chapter issued an injunction against the church of St.Pierre; She spent that time in some properties that she had acquired together with Ricardo during his lifetime in the town of Thorée,
When she returned to Le Mans, she received the affection of the population who reacted indignantly at the insult they understood she had been subjected to by the cathedral chapter. Her popularity stemmed from her generous donations to churches (incidentally including the cathedral), religious orders, and charities that were dedicated to helping the poor and sick. It should be noted, however, that part of these donations and aid came from the low-priced purchase of property from Jews who were forced to convert and sell their property well below its value.
About Berenguela's personal life in those years little is known. It may be that she will contemplate the possibility of returning to Navarre, since in 1219 her King Henry III issued certificates for her and her messengers to travel to her homeland, although there is no evidence that she made such a visit. There are records that prove that she maintained contact with her sister Blanca, who acted as regent on behalf of her son Teobaldo in Champagne.
In Berengaria's last years, the situation around her had changed markedly. Both Philip Augustus and his son Louis VIII had died and Louis IX (Saint Louis) reigned in France, with the support and advice of his mother, Blanca de Castilla (berenguela's niece). This allowed the relationship with his feudal lords to improve significantly and to help him in the project with which Berengaria sought to leave his mark on history:the foundation of the Cistercian abbey of Pietas Dei de L'Epau (Notre Dame de la Piete-Dieu).
Louis IX gave her the land where it was built, although the queen had to put a significant amount out of her pocket to settle a dispute over the ownership of the site and to acquire some land adjoining It was no coincidence that Berengaria chose the Cistercian order for it, as it had important connections both with Navarra and with her deceased husband Ricardo de ella. The construction of the abbey progressed apace and the monks took up residence there in May 1230. The seal of the abbey depicted a lady holding in her left hand a cross crowned with a dove under a stem bearing several fleurs-de-lis. and on the left a flower. Around her the inscriptions:«Countess of the Normans and the Angevins» and «Berenguela, by the grace of God queen of the English».
It's about time. Only a few months later, in December 1230, Berengaria of Navarre passed away at Le Mans. She was buried in the abbey she had founded, although during the Hundred Years' War the abbey burned to the ground. It was rebuilt years later and after the French Revolution it passed into private hands. The Germans requisitioned it during the Second World War and when it was over it became public property and was restored in the 1960s.
The tomb is believed to have been looted on various occasions since the 14th century and the statue of the queen presiding over it was moved to Le Mans Cathedral in 1821. In 1960, under the floor of the former chapter house of the abbey, the remains of a woman were discovered. The finding caused a great controversy about whether or not it was the remains of Berengaria. A report from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Caen made most experts opt for the answer in the affirmative. And both the effigy and the remains found in 1960 were relocated to the new chapter house of the abbey, where it can be visited today.
Font| Ann Trindade:Berenguela of Navarre, Queen of England. Looking for the consort of Richard the Lionheart .