Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was born to the Castilian King, Ferdinand III and his wife, Queen Joan of Ponthieu in the early 1240s. When her father died, her step brother, Alfonso X, ascended to the throne where he and King Henry III arranged her marriage. In Spain, at age 10-12 she was married to King Henry’s son, Edward, who was only 15 at the time in 1254. She went with her husband, Lord Edward of England, who was leading an important crusade in 1270. As a gift to celebrate their wedding, her step brother gave Edward the region of Gascony. Edward also gained the lands of Montreuil and Ponthieu through Eleanor. When Eleanor first moved to England, King Henry III “Ordered that her apartments be furnished "in Castilian fashion" to make her feel more comfortable.”   In 1264 she was moved to France for her safety when war broke out and did not return until about a year later. In 1270 she went on the 8th crusade with Edward to the Holy Land and returned in August 19, 1274 to be crowned. Since Eleanor was foreign, many of her subjects did not like her. On November 28, 1290, Eleanor died of a fever, leaving Edward to write, "I loved her dearly during her lifetime . . . . I shall not cease to love her now that she is dead."