Editing Berengaria of Navarre (section)

==Early years==
Berengaria was born in Navarre {{circa|1165}} as the eldest daughter of [[Sancho VI of Navarre]] and [[Sancha of Castile, Queen of Navarre|Sancha of Castile]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |url=https://archive.org/details/britainssroyalfa0000weir/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Britains's royal families: the complete genealogy |date=1996 |publisher=London: Pimlico |isbn=978-0-7126-7448-5}}</ref>

In 1185, Berengaria was given the [[fief]] of [[Monreal, Navarre|Monreal]] in [[Navarre]] by her father.<ref>{{cite book | title=Queens Consort, England's Medieval Queens | last=Hilton | first=Lisa | author-link=Lisa Hilton (writer) | page=142 | year=2008 | publisher=Weidenfeld & Nichelson | location=Great Britain | isbn=978-0-7538-2611-9 }}</ref> [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] promoted the engagement of Berengaria to her son Richard the Lionheart. An alliance with Navarre meant protection for the southern borders of Eleanor's [[Duchy of Aquitaine]] and helped create better relations with neighbouring Castile, whose queen was Richard's sister [[Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile|Eleanor]]. Also, Navarre had assimilated the [[troubadour]] culture of Aquitaine and Berengaria's reputation was unbesmirched.<ref>{{cite book | title=Eleanor of Aquitaine, a Life | last=Weir | first=Alison | author-link=Alison Weir | page=[https://archive.org/details/eleanorofaquitai00weir/page/258 258] | year=1999 | publisher=Jonathan Cape | location=London | isbn=0-345-40540-4 | url=https://archive.org/details/eleanorofaquitai00weir/page/258 }}</ref> It seems that Berengaria and Richard did in fact meet once, years before their marriage, and writers have claimed that there was an attraction between them at that time.

In 1190, Eleanor met King Sancho VI in [[Pamplona]], and he hosted a banquet in the [[Royal Palace of Olite]] in her honour.<ref>{{cite book | title=Eleanor of Aquitaine, a Life | last=Weir | first=Alison | author-link=Alison Weir | page=[https://archive.org/details/eleanorofaquitai00weir/page/260 260] | year=1999 | publisher=Jonathan Cape | location=London | isbn=0-345-40540-4 | url=https://archive.org/details/eleanorofaquitai00weir/page/260 }}</ref> The betrothal could not be celebrated openly, for Richard had been betrothed for many years to [[Alys, Countess of the Vexin|Alys]], half-sister of King [[Philip II of France]]. Richard terminated his betrothal to Alys in 1190 while at [[Messina]]. It has been suggested that Alys had become the mistress of Richard's own father, [[Henry II of England]], and possibly the mother of an illegitimate child; a marriage between Richard and Alys therefore would have been technically impossible for religious reasons of [[Affinity (Catholic canon law)|affinity]].