The Tudors Dynasty podcast.

Welcome to a new week of interesting bits of history with this week in Royal History.

I'm your host, Rebecca Larson.

I created this series to encourage fans of the show to maybe dig a little deeper into all

royal history, because it's through understanding the past to maybe dig a little deeper into all royal history, because it's through

understanding the past that we get a better idea of why people did the things that they did.

This week, we begin our journey in beautiful, sunny 13th century Spain, with the birth of Eleanor of Castile

around 1241. Eleanor was the daughter of Ferdinand the third of Castile and Joan, Countess of

Ponchu. She was their eldest daughter and second child.

Eleanor married her second cousin, Edward Longshanks, on the 1st of November, 1254.

They had 16 children, though, as was common in the time, many did not live to adulthood.

Edward was the heir to the English throne as the eldest son of Henry III.

The marriage was political, and Edward received Gascany from Eleanor's brother as a condition of the marriage.

Eleanor and Edward spent a year in Gascany before returning to England in 1255. In 1270, Eleanor accompanied Edward on Crusade, where she gave birth to a daughter

named Joan in 1272.

While on Crusade, Eleanor learned of her father-in-law, Henry III's death,

making her husband Edward I, King of England.

Eleanor and Edward were jointly crowned in August, 1274. Eleanor did not have much political influence,

but her cultural influence remained in England for years after her death. She popularized

carpets and tapestries on the floors and walls, a traditional Spanish extravagance.

After having been pregnant over a dozen times in her life,

Eleanor had seemed the bill of good health.

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