“Constança” (1290-1313)

Uma história no feminino

Abstract

The tale “Constança” is a historically themed narrative found in Infantas de Portugal (1998) by Júlia Nery. Published by Editorial Notícias in 1998, the book fictitiously recreates the biographies of four Portuguese princesses. The analyzed tale focuses on the princess, the firstborn daughter of Dom Dinis and Dona Isabel de Aragão. Her name gained prominence when she became the wife, at the age of seven, of D. Fernando IV of León and Castile, who was twelve at the time, through the Treaty of Alcañices on September 12, 1297. By then, D. Fernando was already the king due to the death of his father, Sancho IV, and the regency of the kingdom was in the hands of Maria de Molina, Constança's mother-in-law. Newly separated from her parents, the princess sets out for her husband's kingdom, integrating into the Castilian royalty. With the premature death of D. Fernando IV, she became the Queen Consort of Castile. The tale attributes a proud character to the historical figure, who seeks to impose her wishes and desires after her husband's death, especially in the conflict with Maria de Molina. Based on authors such as Cassoti (2009), Duby (1990), and Lourenço (2006), who provide support for understanding aspects related to Western history and the female condition in the medieval era, this paper aims to highlight how the historical character is reinterpreted in the tale and how the female protagonism is imprinted in this intertextual dialogue – an aspect that has been prevalent in contemporary literature by female authors.