Editing Berengaria of Castile (section)

==Early life==
Berengaria was born either in 1179{{sfn|de la Cruz|2006|p=9}}{{sfn|Martínez Diez|2007|p=46}} or 1180,{{sfn|Martínez Diez|2007|p=46}}{{sfn|González|1960|pp=196–200}} in [[Burgos]].{{sfn|Martínez Diez|2007|p=46}} She was the eldest daughter of King [[Alfonso VIII of Castile]] and his wife, [[Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile|Eleanor of England]]. She was the elder sister of [[Henry I of Castile]]{{sfn|Martínez Diez|2007|pp=46–53}} and was named in honor of Alfonso VIII's grandmother [[Berengaria of Barcelona]].{{sfn|Bianchini|2012|p=17}} Those who cared for the young [[infanta]] were generously rewarded.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=33–34}} Her nurse, Estefanía, received land from Alfonso and Eleanor on her retirement in May 1181.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=33–34}} Another nurse, Elvira, received a similar retirement gift in 1189 at Berengaria's request.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=33–34}}

As the eldest child of King Alfonso and Queen Eleanor, who preferred to give birth to a son and therefore later king,{{sfn|Bianchini|2012|p=20}} Berengaria was the [[heir presumptive|heiress presumptive]] to the throne of Castile for several years{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=33}} because many of the children born later to the couple died shortly after birth or in early infancy. She became a greatly-desired bride throughout Europe.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=33}}

Berengaria's first engagement was agreed in 1187 when her hand was sought by [[Conrad II, Duke of Swabia|Conrad]], the fifth child of Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick I Barbarossa]].{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=55–56}} The next year, the marriage contract was signed in [[Seligenstadt]], including a dowry of 42000 [[Maravedí]].{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=55–56}} Conrad then marched to Castile, where in [[Carrión de los Condes|Carrión]] the engagement was celebrated and Conrad was knighted{{sfn|Flórez|1761|p=340}} making him a servant of his new lord, Alfonso. Berengaria's claim to the throne was based in part on documentation in the treaty and marriage contract,{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=2}}{{sfn|Osma|1997|p=76}} which specified that she would inherit the kingdom after her father or any childless brothers who might come along.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=2}} Conrad would only be allowed to co-rule as her spouse, and Castile would not become part of the Empire.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=55–56}} Furthermore, he was not allowed to claim the throne for himself in case of Alfonso's death, but was obliged to defend and protect the kingdom until Berengaria arrived.{{sfn|Bianchini|2012|p=26}} The treaty also documented traditional rights and obligations between the future sovereign and the nobility.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=56}}

The marriage was not [[consummated]] because Berengaria was less than 10 years old.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|p=54}}  Conrad and Berengaria never saw each other again.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=58–59}}  By 1191, Berengaria requested an [[Annulment (Catholic Church)|annulment]] of the engagement from the pope, influenced, no doubt, by third parties such as her grandmother Duchess [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], who was not interested in having a [[Hohenstaufen]] as a neighbor to her French fiefdoms.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=58–59}} Those fears were neutralized when Conrad was assassinated in 1196.{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=58–59}}