Berengaria of Navarre: Richard I’s forgotten queen

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Betrothed but betrayed

Negotiations for the marriage between Richard and Berengaria, princess or infanta of Navarre began in the late 1180s. They were conducted in some secrecy, owing to the fact that Richard had been betrothed to Alys – countess of the Vexin [a historical county of northern France], and sister to Philip Augustus, the king of France – since the Treaty of Montmirail in 1169.

Although Alys had been sent to live with the Angevin household after the treaty was arranged, the marriage was continually delayed. There were widespread – although unfounded – rumours that Alys had been the mistress of Henry II of England, Richard’s father.

This, combined with the need for the more beneficial Anglo-Navarrese alliance, saw Richard break off the betrothal in 1190, en route to the Holy Land with Philip Augustus. Meanwhile, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard’s mother, had been sent to Navarre to fetch Berengaria and bring her across western Europe and down to Richard’s court in Sicily.

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Rocky beginnings

Once Berengaria had met with Richard’s court and his sister Joanna, dowager queen of Sicily, they travelled onwards to the Holy Land. Trouble awaited.

Berengaria and Joanna travelled separately from Richard and their ship, amongst many others, was damaged in a bad storm and forced to land off the shore of Cyprus in April 1191. The self-proclaimed emperor of the island, Isaac Comnenus, sought to take the two royal women as hostages. But Berengaria and Joanna defiantly refused to come ashore, using their wiles and position as royal women – along with rules of hospitality – to prevent Comnenus coming aboard until Richard rescued them and took control of the island. This moment of tension on the way to the Third Crusade allowed Berengaria and Joanna to both display agency and take control of the situation – a moment remarkable enough to be recorded by several medieval chroniclers.

Berengaria and Richard were married in Limassol, Cyprus, on 12 May 1191 in the presence of their accompanying court. Berengaria was granted dower – money intended to support her during and after her marriage – on the same day. Once Richard had taken control of Cyprus, the crusading forces – including Berengaria – continued their journey to the Holy Land.

Berengaria and the Third Crusade

The Third Crusade in 1191 was one of the most impactful of the Crusades, recapturing the cities of Acre and Jaffa but failing in its ultimate aim to take control of Jerusalem. Richard and Philip’s forces were successful in many instances, though growing disputes between the kings led to Philip’s departure in August 1191.

While Richard and Philip were engaged in warfare, Berengaria was likely resident in the nearby camps and on occasion, castles, with Joanna. The historical record reveals frustratingly little of her other activities, but we can surmise that she was not far from the action and her household continued many of its daily activities.

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Once Richard and Saladin had finalised the Treaty of Jaffa which agreed a truce between Christian and Muslim forces in the region, Richard and the Angevin forces departed the Holy Land in October 1192. Once again, Richard and Berengaria took different paths: Richard travelled over land, where he was later captured by Leopold V, duke of Austria, and transferred to Leopold’s overlord, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. (A substantial ransom was raised for his release, though he didn’t return to England until 1194, to be crowned for second time.)

Meanwhile, Berengaria and Joanna had travelled by sea, and resided in Rome for several months. However, when Berengaria returned to the Angevin domains – specifically where and when is uncertain – there is little other record of her activities as queen.

She never came to England as queen consort, which explains in part her erasure in historical and popular memory. Richard may have spent time with her in 1195, in between campaigns in Normandy, but otherwise Berengaria appears a much neglected and forgotten wife. With Eleanor of Aquitaine acting as an effective co-ruler in England and the duchy of Aquitaine, Richard seems to have found little reason to develop his wife’s experiences of rulership or afford her resources for her own court, with the dower Berengaria had been granted upon their marriage still in the hands of Eleanor.

A new start and a lord

Given the lack of time Berengaria and Richard spent together, it is perhaps unsurprising that they did not have children. Though there could be several other reasons for this – sexuality, attractiveness, and infertility but a few – this meant that, for Berengaria, that particular avenue to influence and power as a royal mother was not available to her.

When Richard died on 12 April 1199, Berengaria was left on the political precipice. She travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, site of Richard’s burial, to likely plead her case and negotiate with Eleanor. But she appeared unsuccessful, and is largely absent from historical record for the next five years.

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In the summer of 1204, Berengaria took action. She agreed with Philip Augustus to exchange her Norman dower lands (Normandy was in Philip’s possession after conquest) for the city of Le Mans.

From 1204 until her death in 1230, Berengaria was its lord, and fulfilled all the activities one would expect of lordship. She was regularly engaged with the local nobility, acted as an arbiter in disputes, and was also a staunch defender of her rights. This tenacity often brought her into conflict with the local clergy, including the bishop of Le Mans, Maurice; on two separate occasions, Le Mans was placed under interdict [an ecclesiastical ban] during Berengaria’s tenure.

Family and religion

Berengaria’s widowhood was not all about politics. She was determined to recover the revenues owed to her from her dower, and corresponded with the kings of England, John and Henry III, and the papacy on several occasions to try and achieve this. She was not entirely successful, with money still owed to her upon her death. Berengaria also maintained a close relationship with her sister, Blanche, countess of Champagne, whom she likely resided with between 1201 and 1204.

Berengaria’s foundation of the abbey of l’Épau, in the last of years of her life, was incredibly important to her. L’Épau was where she was buried, and exercising control over this decision shows Berengaria’s independence: she would not return to be buried alongside either her natal or marital families, and was part of a wider pattern of female lords exercising authority over their burial sites.

Berengaria’s power as a lord cannot be understated – she exercised more power and authority than the historical record ever indicates she did as queen consort. She came to England only in 1220 for Thomas Becket’s translation [the movement of his body], and to argue her case for dower compensation.

She achieved more as a lord than as queen, and the memory of her as a local heroine in Le Mans is testament to this. However, her position as queen added authority to her status both during and after her marriage. Caught between two famous and historical heavyweights – Richard and Eleanor – Berengaria needed to be either politically active or scandalous to emerge from the shadows.

Berengaria ought to be remembered as a queen of England, however her status as lord of Le Mans paints a picture of a determined, assertive, and courageous woman.

Gabrielle Storey is a historian of queenship, gender and sexuality. You can purchase Storey’s biography, Berengaria of Navarre. Queen of England, Lord of Le Mans (2024), from Routledge with a time-limited release discount of 20% with the code EFLY01, or internationally via Amazon