Founded by King Alfonso VIII (1156-1214) and his wife Eleanor of England (1160-1214). Pope Clement III gave his approval to the foundation in 1187, but the monastery was not formally given over to the nuns until 1199.
First abbess was María Sol (from 1187-1203).
Bibliografia sobre el monasterio de Santa maria la Real de las Huelgas de Burgos
The Royal Abbey of Las Huelgas and the Jurisdiction of Its Abbess
The Abbeys of Las Huelgas and Tart and Their Filiations
The Lady of Las Huelgas - a Royal Abbey and its Patronage
The Royal Convent of Las Huelgas: Dynastic Politics, Religious Reform and Artistic Change in Medieval Castile