Teresa of Castile (c. 1080–1130)

Countess of Portugal and queen regnant. Name variations: Theresa; Teresa of Portugal. Born around 1080 in Castile; died on November 1, 1130, in Portugal; daughter of Alphonso VI (Alfonso), king of Castile, and Jimena Munoz (c. 1065–1128); married Henry, count of Burgundy, in 1095 (died 1112); married Fernando or Ferdinand, count of Trastamara, in 1124; children: (first marriage) Urraca (c. 1096–1130); Sancha (b. around 1098, who married Fernando de Braganza); Teresa (b. around 1102, who married Sancho de Barbosa); Alphonso I Enriques or Henriques (c. 1110–1185), first king of Portugal (r. 1139–1185).

Teresa of Castile played a vital role in the establishment of the kingdom of Portugal. Born around 1080, she was the illegitimate daughter of King Alphonso VI of Castile and Jimena Munoz , and the half-sister of Urraca of Leon-Castile (c. 1079–1126). Despite Teresa's illegitimate status, her father used her for political purposes as he did his legitimate children; she was given the title countess of Portugal and married to Henry of Burgundy in 1095, to cement an alliance between Castile and Burgundy. Teresa had

one son with Henry, Alphonso (I) Enriques, who inherited Burgundy when his father died in 1112. Teresa, acting as her son's regent, turned her attention to her holdings in Portugal, and spent the rest of her life working towards Portugal's independence from Spain. She was said to be a courageous ruler, openly ambitious and intelligent enough to recognize what resources Portugal needed to sustain itself.

Teresa made a campaign out of encouraging the Portuguese people to think of themselves as Portuguese, not a part of the Leon-Castile empire. She even led troops to force out the occupying soldiers of Castile, and encouraged urban development and capital investment to provide an economic base for sustainable independence. The countess enjoyed widespread popularity until her long-term affair with the noble Fernando Peres became public. Still her efforts focused on freeing Portugal until her now-adult son Alphonso forcibly removed her from the regency in 1128; she died two years later. However, Alphonso's debt to his mother's tireless efforts was incalculable, for only 13 years after her death Portugal won independence from Castile, and he became the first Portuguese king.

Laura York , Riverside, California