Her mother was Infanta Beatrice, Countess of Alburquerque, who was daughter of Peter I of Portugal and Ines de Castro.

[2] Eleanor was originally betrothed to Frederick, illegitimate son of Henry II of Castile, however this engagement was broken off.

The representatives of the clergy, the nobility, the state of the gentry and merchants, as well as the authorized legal representatives of some Castilian cities agreed that Henry's grandson Infante Henry should marry the granddaughter of the murdered Peter, the English princess Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt.

The Royal Palace of Medina del Campo, birthplace of her husband and her children, was transformed into the Convent of Santa María la Real.

There, Eleanor witnessed her children fighting against the royalist party led by Álvaro de Luna.

She is buried in the Convent of Santa María la Real, in a simple grave on the floor.