Blanche (Sancha) OF NAVARRE (aft1133-1156)

	The tomb of Blanca of Navarre whose decorated sarcophagus is a remarkable for its frieze depicting a parade of mourners.

Individual Events and Attributes

Additional Information

Marriage

	Sancho III, King of Castile and Toledo		Alfonso VIII, King of Castile and Toledo

Individual Note

Blanche of Navarre (aft. 1133, Pamplona – August 12, 1156). She was the daughter of king García Ramírez of Navarre, "The Restorer", and Marguerite de l'Aigle.

Blanche married Sancho III of Castile, co-king of Castile (with his father) on January 30, 1151 in Catahorra, Logroño; however, she died before her husband's accession as sole ruler in 1157. She had several children who did not survive and are buried in the church of San Pedro in Soria. On November 11, 1155 she gave birth to the future king Alfonso VIII. There appears to be no record of her activities thereafter, except for her death on August 12, 1156. While it had been suggested that she might have died from the complications of a new pregnancy, Valdez maintains that she died from sequelae of the birth of her son. That her death was caused by a pregnancy is recorded in an epitaph.

Sancho donated money to the Monastery of Santa María la Real of Najera where she is buried. The sarcophagus of the queen is regarded as a primary example of the ability to express artistically human emotions in the 12th century.

SOURCES:

Lament for a lost queen: the sarcophagus of Dona Blanca in Najera. The Art Bulletin, June, 1996 by Elizabeth Valdez del Alamo [1]²

Sources