PLANTAGENET-DESCENDANTS-PROJECT-L Archives

From: JF <>
Subject: [PDP] Descent from Muhammad?
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 21:19:44 -0700
References: <20020722051812.2349.qmail@web12302.mail.yahoo.com> <104201c23152$f160fde0$2b18bcd0@computer> <000401c231f9$62b45b80$ff8cfea9@computer> <148101c231fb$67a71270$2b18bcd0@computer> <3D3D735A.A33FD140@cox.net> <15a501c23265$cfa4e090$2b18bcd0@computer>

While a line of descent from the Prophet Muhammad to the Plantagenet kings might be
possible (who can say for certain it isn't), as far as I am aware, none has been
proven as yet. One of the lesser candidates for being a connecting ancestor in such
a proposed lineage is the Princess Zaida, concubine and (probable) wife to Alfonso
VI, King of Castile and Leon. As the story goes, she is the daughter of Muhammad III
al-Mutamid, Moslem King of Seville who himself is a descendant of the Prophet
Muhammad. She has also been proposed as the mother of the Plantagenet ancestress,
Teresa, Queen of Portugal. One source of this is a book by Roderick W. Stuart,
"Royalty for Commoners," Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, Baltimore, MD, 3rd
Edition, 1998. Ignoring the book's reputation among genealogists for the moment, in
Line 430, specifically of individuals numbered 31 and 30 on pages 99, the author
writes:

"31. Zaida (Maria, Isabel, Ximena), Princess of Seville, 1069-1091; b. c1071; d. 12
Sep 1107, Spain; res. of Dania, Alcante, Spain; md 1096 (his fourth), Alfonso VI
(248-31), King of Castile and Leon. Note: some sources say Zaida was not married to
Alfonso VI but the inscription on her tomb in the Chapel royal of San Isidio of Leon
clearly states that she was Alfonso's wife (source: Chronico General, XI: 314;
Marina, Book XI, Ch XX).

30. Teresa of Castile and Leon, who inherited the countship of Portugal; b. c1070;
d. 1 Nov 1130; bur at Braga Cathedral; md Henry I of Burgundy (85-29)"

I don't think there's much if any controversy over whether Zaida was married to
Alfonso VI, but the implication above that she was by him the mother of Teresa of
Castile.

In the same book, the author also writes, in Line 248 on page 131:

"31. Alfonso VI, 'the Brave," King of Leon 1065-1072; King of Castile, 1072-1109;
and Navarre; conquered Toledo, 1085, Madrid, 1085; Lisbon 1093; b. June 1040; d. 29
June 1109, Toledo; bur Monastery of Sahegun; md (1) 1069, (div c1077), Agnes of
Aquitaine, b. 1052; d. c7 June 1078; md (2) 8 May 1081, Constance of Burgundy
(155-31) (mother of Gen 30 below); md (3) 1093, Bertha of Burgundy, d. 19 May
1097/1098; md (4) Isabel (Zaida) (430-31), d. 12 Sep 1107, widow of Prince Al Mamun
of Seville; dau of Muhammad III, (430-32), King of Seville md (5) 1108, Beatrice of
Aquitaine, dau of Count William VI (VIII); d. 1110.
Note: The parentage of Isabel, 4th wife of Alfonso VI, has been of much concern.
Now, with the discovery of her tomb in the Chapel Royal of San Isidio, with its
inscription stating that she was the wife of Alfonso VI, the matter rests."

Note that in Line 430 she is Zaida (Maria, Iabel, Ximena) while in Line 248 she is
Isabel (Zaida), and in the note following 248-31 she is simply Isabel. This isn't
the only inconsistency. Note in line 430 a date of birth is given as c1071 (omitted
from line 248) while the date of birth for her proposed daughter, Teresa, is given
as c1070. The daughter is one year older than than the mother! Lastly, scholarly
sources agree that Zaida actually was the widow of Prince Fath al-Mamun of Cordoba.
The only problem with that is that he's the SON of Muhammad III, King of Seville.
Muslim law, like Christian law, prohibits marriage between brother and sister. I
exchanged several letters with the author over this and many other problems I
discovered with the book. He very politely declined my offer to provide a list and
sources, and proceeded to publish this same line in the Fourth Edition (published
earlier this year I believe).

Clearly, RFC contradicts itself over this story. In point of fact, there are several
quality sources which clearly show Teresa was NOT the daughter of Zaida but rather
of Ximena Munoz. Further, that Zaida was the widow of Prince Fath al-Mamun, and so
was the daughter-in-LAW of Muhammad III, King of Seville, not his daughter. So for
both reasons, she is not the connecting ancestor that proponents of a connection
between Muhammad the Prophet and the Plantagenet kings are looking for.

Here are some selected quotes from several noted authors and historians. Spellings
may vary due to dates of original documents and languages translated to or from. But
is is not difficult to follow who is the daughter of whom here.
________________

The first is a quote from Jose Mattoso, "Historia de Portugal," Circulo de
Leitores, vol. 2, A Monarquia Feudal (1096-1480):

"de D. Teresa e assumida por toda a historiografia medieval, que a aponta como filha
de Ximena Moniz, provavelmente companheira de Afonso VI depois da morte da rainha
Ines, e antes do casamento com Constanza."

[Translation: of Teresa it is assumed by all the historiografia, that it points to
her as the daughter of Ximena Moniz, the consort of Alfonso VI probably after the
death of the queen Ines, and before the marriage with Constanza.]

The next is a quote from a Spanish researcher who very kindly posted this to the
Medieval GenForum (messages 831, 902, & 906. The following is from a document she
gives as: Colección documental del Archivo de la catedral de León,tomo V, doc 1.436,
march 23, 1.142:

"...Iccirco ego infans dompna Sancia Henrici consulis et regine Tharasie filia, cum
uox mea, vobis domno Albertino (………) in presenti facio scripturam firmitatis et
kartulam donationis de omni portione mea hereditatis que vocatur Traballio, que
habet iacentiam in terra legionis, quam habui ego SANCIA predicta de AVIA MEA DOMPNA
HENSEMENA MUNINZ necnoc et de MATRE MEA EIUS FILIA REGINA DOMPNA THARASIA scilicet
dono vobis...."

She translated it as:

.".for that reason, I, "infanta Donna" Sancha Enriquez, daughter of the consul
(Henry of Burgundy) and queen Teresa (of Portugal) with my own voice, to you "Domno"
albertino... ( here come a salute)....in this moment I make firm document and letter
of donation of all parts of my inherited land named TRABALLIO, that is in the
country of Leon, that I, Sancha, obtained
of my grandmother "Donna" Ximena Munniz and of my mother (her daughter) queen "Donna
" Teresa, and of course I give you...."


The following is from Glenn Edward Lipskey, "The Chronicle of Alfonso the Emperor,"
Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1972. His source for the following
passage is at the bottom of the quote. You may find the entire document in The
Library Of Iberian Resources Online at http://libro.uca.edu/lipskey/chronicle.htm

"Teresa, Queen of Portugal, was the daughter of Alfonso VI and his concubine, Jimena
Munoz. She was born in 1070, and in 1095 she married Count Henry of Burgundy.
Jointly they ruled the territory of Portugal which was then situated between the
Miño and Tajo Rivers. After the death of Alfonso VI, Teresa and her husband
endeavored to convince Queen Urraca to divide the crown, hoping to increase their
holdings in the western region of the Peninsula. Urraca spurned their suggestion,
and Teresa and Henry turned against her and supported her Aragonese husband, Alfonso
I. Teresa continued her opposition to Urraca even after Henry's death in 1114. She
became regent for her son, Alfonso Enriquez, the Emperor's cousin. Teresa finally
signed an agreement recognizing the sovereignty of the Leonese Queen. The chronicle
records Teresa's meeting with Alfonso VII in 1127 when she affirmed recognition of
his authority. She died in 1130 and was buried at Braga.
Menedez Pidal, El imperio hispánico y los cinco reinos, pp. 159-166. L. Viera de
Castro, A formacao de Portugal (Lisbon, 1938), pp. 13-14.

Also, this from Bernard F. Reilly, "The Kingdom of Leon-Castilla under King Alfonso
VI, 1065-1109," Princeton University Press 1988, p. 234:

"The life and even the death of the Muslim princess Zaida, widow of Fath al-Mamun of
Córdoba since March of the previous year, are problematic. Our best authority,
Bishop Pelayo, wrongly makes her the daughter rather than the daughter-in-law of
al-Mutamid of Sevilla but does identify her as the mother of Alfonso's only son. Her
sepulchral inscription, variously reported, informs that she died in childbirth on
either Monday, the 13th of September, or Thursday, the 13th of September, without
reporting the year of her death. We cannot even be sure that it was the birth of
Sancho Alfónsez himself."

This is just a sampling of the historiographical research available on the subject.
When you look at this closely, on the one hand you have scholarly analysis of
authentic source materials, while on the other you have an interesting story, but
which repeatedly contradicts itself. Hardly seems to merit calling it a dispute.

JF

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