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

Life

Born in Coimbra in 1432, Isabella was a daughter of the Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgel. Her paternal grandfather was King John I of Portugal and her maternal grandfather was James II, Count of Urgel. Isabella received a comprehensive Renaissance education influenced by the works of Christine de Pizan.

Queen

Isabella's father was the regent for her cousin Afonso V during his minority. In 1441, Pedro arranged the betrothal of Isabella and Afonso V. Their engagement caused a conflict between Peter of Coimbra and Duke Afonso of Braganza, who had wished for the monarch to marry his granddaughter. Isabella and Afonso V were married on 6 May 1447. Isabella was given the income of Santarém, Alvaiázere, Sintra and Torres Vedras at her wedding. In 1448, the king took Afonso of Braganza as his advisor. Isabella's father rebelled and was killed in the Battle of Alfarrobeira in 1449, and her brothers John and James were exiled. 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 grand ceremony of exoneration at court and had him re-buried in a grand way. Shortly after this, she died at age twenty-three, possibly from poisoning. In her will, she left her inheritance to her sister, Philippa of Coimbra.

Issue

Isabella had three children:

Ancestry

Citations

Sources