After the death of King Fernando, the queen became ruler and governor of the kingdom, as agreed in the treaties, making full use of her jurisdiction and authority in dissolving oaths, giving benefits to churches, confirming the old customs and practices of towns and cities which requested her to do so, as monarchs are wont to do when they first come to the throne, and receiving the obeyance of the nobles and common folk as their queen and sovereign lady in every way. While King Fernando was alive, she was styled in her letters as follows: ‘Dona Leonor, Queen of Portugal and the Algarve, by the grace of Saint Mary.’ Then later, with the agreement of the great lords and learned authorities of her Royal Council, she was given the title ‘Dona Leonor, queen, governor and ruler of the kingdoms of Portugal and the Algarve.’ In some letters, if her daughter happened to be mentioned, she called her Queen of Portugal. The notaries wrote in their documents, ‘I, So-and-So, notary of such and such a town, by the authority of Queen Leonor, governor and ruler of the kingdoms of Portugal and the Algarve, have written this document and put my signature to it, which is such and such.’

After King Fernando died, the queen left the palace where she was living and moved to another one further into the city, close to the Church of São Martinho. She stayed there, in full mourning, in one room, which no one entered without first asking her permission. If people came a second time, the brave façade dropped and she would grieve with them, her many tears and great sobbing revealing how much she missed her dead husband. But when, sated with weeping, she made it understood that her heart would ache constantly, people could not help but recall the bad reputation that she had had while the king was alive. Then a group of worthies of the city went to her and said that they would be grateful if she would listen to certain matters they would like to discuss regarding her service and the successful ruling and defence of the realm.