Monday 8 July 2013

Princess Bling Bling?

Of all the names of previous Queen Consorts there is one that is guaranteed not to be used as inspiration for baby Camrbidge, due this week.  And that's Berengaria.

Yes, it's a real name and yes, it was the name of a Queen of England.  To say that Queen Consort Berengaria is forgotten by history is a bit of an understatement.  She was largely forgotten by her people during her eight years as consort and the fact that she never set foot in England didn't help.


Effigy of Berengaria of Navarre, Queen Consort of England 1191 - 1199, at L'Abbaye de L'Epau where she was buried

In fact, that's her main claim to fame.  She's the only Queen of England never to have visited her realm.  Not much of a glowing start for a contender for royal baby name.

Berengaria should and could have been one of the most famous people in medieval Europe.  She was the daughter of the fabulously wealthy King Sancho VI of Navarre and his wife, the equally wealthy Sancha of Castile.  She was named after her maternal grandmother, Beregaria of Barcelona, and grew up in one of the most cultured courts in the continent.  Her husband was Richard the Lion Heart, a legendary king of England and Berengaria herself was said to be one of the most beautiful, well dressed and well educated girls of her time.  But how much was just a façade?


Richard the Lion Heart was one of the most romantic kings of England but his marriage was anything but a great romance

Richard the Lion Heart never expected to be king - he only became next in line to the throne in 1183 at the age of 26  after his older brother, Henry, died without an heir.  Richard liked being a soldier and like many at the time, his main ambition was to go on Crusade.  When Henry died in 1189 Richard went to England just long enough to be crowned before heading back to Europe to prepare for the Third Crusade.

Meanwhile his mother, the ambitious and gloriously powerful Eleanor of Aquitaine, set about finding him a wife.  He had been betrothed to the sister of Philip II of France but Princess Alys was rumoured to have had a lover - Richard's father, Henry II - and pretty soon after Henry's death, Alys was put aside and mummy found another suitable bride.


Eleanor of Aquitaine ruled France then England as Queen Consort.  As Queen Dowager she did a pretty good job of ruling her two sons who became Kings of England

Enter Berengaria.  She was in her early twenties and highly sought after on the royal marriage market.  And she was bling bling.  Lots of great frocks, lots of jewellery and lots of nice castles dotted around the place for her to stay in on her travels.  Her family had cash and land bordering Eleanor's homeland.  Eleanor wanted safety for her beloved Aquitaine and a good match for her son.  She made a pact with King Sancho in 1190 and early the following year began escorting Berengaria through southern Europe as Richard was already en route for the Holy land.

The whole story of Richard and Berengaria's marriage screams romance.  First there's the mysterious mooted meeting between the pair years before at a tournament when sparks are said to have flown. Then there's the trek across land and sea the young bride made to meet her future husband.  Thirdly, there's shipwreck, drama and threats of capture as Berengaria, now in the care of Richard's sister Joan of Sicily, finds herself run aground in Cyprus and menaced by that island's ruler. Finally, the happy ending as Richard rides in to rescue her and Joan and then marries her in Limassol before whisking her away on Crusade.


Limassol Castle in Cyprus
(photo Ewa Dryjanska)

And then it all went wrong.  The coupler returned to Europe separately and Richard the Lion Heart was captured and held hostage with a huge ransom demanded for his release.  Berengaria worked alongside Eleanor to get the money together but once he was free he disappeared off to England leaving her alone in Europe.  Rumours that the King of England ignored his wife swept the continent and  Pope Celestine III ordered him to show fidelity to Berengaria.


Berengaria of Navarre.  She spent many years travelling around Europe.

But the couple didn't have any children and Richard died young after being shot with a crossbow as he inspected a castle he had just captured.  Berengaria retired to a convent where she was buried - her last years were spent fighting her brother in law, King John, for the pensions she was due as Queen Dowager.

And as for the name - it's a feminine version of Bereguer which probably means bear and spear and which was popular among several medieval royal and noble families, particularly in southern Europe.  It was also the name of a passenger ship, RMS Berengaria, the first Cunard ship to be named after a queen of England.  But somehow the sad story of Queen Beregaria the Bling Bling doesn't seem likely to launch a new royal naming trend.

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