(De)constructing the Infantazgo: a Retrospective View from the Patrimony of the Infanta-Queen Sancha Raimúndez

Abstract

This article explores the Infantazgo in the kingdoms of León and Castile as a framework for patrimonial agency of royal princesses, the infantas. The main objective is to approach their overall patrimonial behavior, investigating the different types of estates under the infantas' administration and their legal conduct, with the aim of clarifying the dynamics of resource acquisition and control. Ultimately, the aim is to unravel the articulation of the Infantazgo itself. To achieve this, Sancha Raimúndez (ca. 1095-1159), daughter of Urraca I and sister of Alfonso VII, will be taken as the case study in order to analyze the dynamics within her estates to retrospectively reconstruct the process of the Infantazgo´s configuration. This approach highlights the close integration of the infantas and their properties in the process of consolidating the kingdom’s feudal structures, and particularly, the constant collaboration between Sancha Raimúndez and her brother, the emperor, in the patrimonial policies of the monarchy.