Christina of Norway, Infanta of Castile - The Journey To Spain

The Journey To Spain

Christina left Tønsberg, Norway in the Summer of 1257 — the procession consisting of more than 100 people. After crossing the North Sea to Yarmouth, England, they crossed the English Channel to Normandy — continuing their journey across France on horseback to the Spanish border of Catalonia. In Barcelona, the party was met by King James I of Aragon, (father of Violant of Aragon, wife of King Alfonso X), who was taken with Christina's beauty. On Christmas Eve, 1257, the party lodged at the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas at Burgos; an abbey that has survived intact to modern day.

At Palencia, the Norwegians were officially met by King Alfonso who accompanied them to the city of Valladolid on 3 January 1258, "where she was warmly welcomed by all the townspeople, the nobility, and the clergy who were gathered there for the Cortes". There she met the King's brothers for the first time, and ultimately chose the youngest, Infante Philip, who was three years older than Christina. Although he had been trained for an ecclesiastical position and had charge of the church at Covarrubias, his greatest enjoyment was in hunting boars and bears. (Infante Philip had been groomed by his father, Ferdinand III of Castile, for a life in the church, and was subsequently rewarded with territories and properties (benefices) as part of this bargain, but after his father's death in 1252, Philip relinquished that role to the "chagrin" of Alfonso).

Infante Philip and Christina of Norway were married on 31 March 1258 in the Santa Maria la Mayor church (The Cathedral of Valladolid now exists on the site). There are not extant records that provide details about what the marriage was like. They did not have children, and just four years later, Christina died at the age of 28 in Seville.

Christina was carried to the abbey church in Covarrubias, Spain, which is 40 km (25 miles) south of Burgos. There, her wooden casket was placed within a simple limestone sarcophagus, ornamented with carved grape leaves.