Maria de Luna

Maria de Luna
Queen consort of Aragon
Tenure	1396–1406
Born	1358
Died	20 December 1406 Villarreal
Spouse	Martin I of Aragon
Father	Lope, Count of Luna
Mother	Brianda de Got
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Maria de Luna (1358 – Villarreal, 20 December 1406), was a queen consort of Aragon, as the spouse of King Martin I of Aragon. She was known as "La Grande" (English: The Great), and is regarded as one of the most notable queens in Aragon. She was regent 1396-97.

Biography

Coat of Arms

Maria was the daughter and heir of the Aragonese noble Lope, Lord and 1st Count of Luna and Lord of Segorbe and Brianda de Got (or de Agasunt- Agaout ) from Provence, who was related to Pope Clement V.

Maria was engaged to Martin at the age of eight, and was brought up at the court of Martin's mother queen Eleanor. She married Martin in Barcelona on 13 June 1372. She became queen in 1396: at the time of his accession to the throne, her spouse was on Sicily, so Maria acted as regent alongside queen dowager Violant of Bar and Matthew, Count of Foix until his return in 1397.

Maria was politically active and exerted influence upon society and policy, and was considered to exceed Martin as a ruler. She supported the poor financially, handled taxes, welcomed Jewish and Muslim refugees, aspired to stop the wars between noble clans, including her own family, and wrote to Pope Benedict XIII to suggest bans toward laws and practises she saw as injustice. She was described as wise, just, merciful, religious without being a fanatic, interested in music and literature but unimpressed by pomp and luxury.

She died of a stroke during a travel to Valencia.

Statue of Maria de Luna outside the Church of St. Martin, Segorbe

Issue

Maria and Martin had four children; three of them died in childhood:

• Martin I of Sicily
• James (b. 1378)
• John (b. 1380)
• Margaret (b. 1384/1388)^[1]

References

1. barcelona2