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The Women of Bellesguard: “Against All Odds” 

By Ferran Garcés 

We continue the series started two weeks ago about the women of Bellesguard. We began with The Querelle des Femmes , a debate about the condition of women that arose in the era of these women. We then followed with the biography of The Two Queens Who Competed for the Palace  after the death of its founder, Martin I of Aragon. Today, we will discuss the next owners—two ladies of the Catalan aristocracy who replaced them against all odds. With them, Bellesguard ceased to be a royal residence and became a noble estate. 

In the previous article, we mentioned how one of those queens, Violant de Bar, had an unexpected ally in her efforts to take control of Bellesguard. Today, we will reveal who it was. Here’s a hint: it was one of these ladies… 

Elionor (or Leonor) de Cervelló (1424–1441)

Of all the women of Bellesguard, Elionor de Cervelló is the least known. On Wikipedia, she is mentioned only in the Spanish Biography  of her husband, Antonio de Luna, as the mother of his daughter. In the Catalan Biography  of the same husband, she is not mentioned at all. She is also absent from the Catalan Biography , the main historical source for the study of Bellesguard. 

What can we say about her? Thanks to Esteban Galindo López, a member of the Torre Bellesguard Research Group , we know she was the daughter of Hug Alemany de Cervelló and Beatriu d’Erill, and the niece of Guerau Alemany de Cervelló, governor of Catalonia. As a result, Elionor belonged to one of Catalonia’s most important families. Her status rose when she married the nobleman Antonio de Luna, counselor to Violant de Bar, then the widow of King John I of Aragon (the brother of Martin I). Their marriage contract was signed on October 7, 1409, at the Monastery of Pedralbes, in the presence of the dowager queen. At that time, King Martin was still alive, but they may have married in the chapel of Bellesguard in May 1410, the month in which the king died without a legitimate heir. 

During the subsequent succession conflict, both the queen and her lady-in-waiting supported Louis of Anjou, the French grandson of Queen Violant. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Antonio de Luna became the main supporter of James II of Urgell, one of the leading claimants to the throne. He even participated in the assassination of the Archbishop of Zaragoza, a staunch defender of Louis of Anjou’s claim. This act led to a complete break with Queen Violant and Elionor. The “traitor” husband soon met his fate—he died in 1419, far from political affairs, with his assets confiscated. Yet, against all odds, Elionor managed to reclaim some properties that granted her considerable financial power. 

And now for the revelation we promised. Who was the unexpected ally of Queen Violant? By this point in the article, you have probably guessed it. Indeed, it was Elionor de Cervelló—the lady whose financial position, in those turbulent years, was superior to that of her mistress, Queen Violant. Their relationship must have been very strong because, in 1424, the Lady of Cervelló purchased the Bellesguard tower from her. 

“We believe,” historian Carles Díaz Martí suggests, “that she did it to help the dowager queen. In Elionor’s hands, Violant was able to live peacefully at Bellesguard until her death in 1431. It is likely that they lived together in the tower.” 

We do not know if Elfa de Luna i Cervelló, the only daughter of Elionor and the Count of Luna, also resided with them. This is the daughter mentioned earlier in the Spanish biography of Antonio de Luna. 

Later, the loyal lady, as executor of her late mistress’s will, offered Bellesguard to the Hieronymite monks of the Monastery of Vall d’Hebron—founded by Queen Violant—and the Monastery of la Murta. However,The Monastery Merger  never materialized. Then, between 1441 and 1446, Bellesguard passed through the hands of two nobles who were only interested in profiting from the estate’s purchase and sale. Finally, in 1446, it was acquired by Cecilia of Urgell and Cabrera, who would own and reside there until her death in 1458. With her, the cycle begun by Martin I at Bellesguard came to an end—a cycle in which she had once been a candidate to become Queen of Aragon… 

Cecilia of Urgell (c.1380–1460) 

Owner and resident: 1446–1458 

The last woman to reside in and own the former palace of Bellesguard is the person least expected by anyone at the time of King Martin I and the struggles for his succession during the Compromise of Caspe in 1412. 

Let’s recall the historical context. In late 1406, a fatal illness took María de Luna, King Martin’s first wife. In 1409, three years later, the king sought refuge in the palace of Bellesguard. At that time, only one of his sons was still alive, but he too would soon pass away. To secure the kingdom’s future, King Martin had to find a new wife. The candidates were Margarida of Prades and Cecilia of Urgell. After some controversy, the king chose Margarida de Prades that same year. Their wedding took place at Bellesguard, shortly after the funeral of his last surviving heir. 

However, the marriage did not produce the longed-for son, and in 1410, King Martin died without a direct successor. As mentioned, one of the strongest contenders for the throne was James II of Urgell, Cecilia’s brother—the same claimant supported by Antonio de Luna, Elionor de Cervelló’s husband. 

Ultimately, during the Compromise of Caspe, Ferdinand of Antequera was chosen—a candidate supported by none of the women of Bellesguard. However, Violant and Elionor prudently accepted his victory. The Urgells, on the other hand, took up arms to dispute the crown. In 1414, their revolt was crushed, and Cecilia’s brother was sentenced to life imprisonment. This is why he is remembered in popular history as “The Unfortunate.” His entire family and supporters shared in this grim fate. 

Thus, against all odds, years later, Cecilia not only survived the repression of her family but, in a twist of fate, purchased and died in the very palace where she had once been a candidate to marry its founder, King Martin… 

More Information: The Voices of Bellesguard – Cecilia 

Notes 

(1) Vall i Comaposada, Josep M. (2014), Bellesguard. From the residence of Martin the Humane to Gaudí’s tower, Duxelem, Barcelona, p. 78. 

(2) Galindo López, Esteban (2020), “Analysis of the historical landscape in the northern area of the Barcelona plain, 15th to 18th centuries: Bellesguard”, Doctoral Thesis, University of Barcelona, pp. 157-158. 

(3) Vendrell Gallostra, Francisca (1992), “Violante de Bar and the Compromise of Caspe”, Royal Academy of Good Letters, Barcelona, pp. 31-32. See online: here. 

The stay of Queen Violante at the Pedralbes Monastery was not fortuitous. Francisca Vendrell explains the reason: “Settled in the monastery, it was easier for her to frequently visit the tower of Bellesguard, the continuous residence of the king and his new wife, Margarita of Prades” (Ibid, p. 31). 

(4) Vall i Comaposada, Op. Cit. 

(5) Vendrell Gallostra, Op. Cit., pp. 46-48, 103-104. The author includes letters signed by Queen Violante herself. 

(6) Galindo López, Esteban. Op. Cit. 

(7) The purchase was made between Elionor de Cervelló and Francesc d’Avinyó, a nobleman to whom Alfonso the Magnanimous had granted Bellesguard. However, his intention “was not to live in the house but to profit from it,” which is why he quickly sold it to Elionor. Galindo López, Esteban. Ibid. 

(8) Vall i Comaposada, Ibid. 

(9) Costafreda, Virgínia (2021). “Rehabilitation of Margarida de Montferrat: A Countess of Urgell Condemned by History”. Nokaria. Journal of the Noguera Museum, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 43-65.