Everything about Henry Iv Of Castile totally explained
Enrique IV (
5 January 1425 -
11 December 1474),
King of Castile, nicknamed
the Impotent (ruled
1454-
1474), was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile. During Enrique's reign the nobles increased in power and the nation became less centralised. He was born in 1425 and was the son of
John II of Castile and
Maria of Aragon, daughter of King
Ferdinand I of Aragon.
At the age of fifteen he was married to
Blanca of Navarre (1420-1464) . Blanca was considered to have remained a virgin, not only on her wedding night, but for the rest of her marriage. After thirteen years, Enrique sought a divorce. An official examination confirmed the virginity of Blanca, and a priest questioned the prostitutes of
Segovia, who confirmed that Henry was sexually capable. Blanca was sent home, eight years later became Queen of Navarre, then, her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed under strange circumstances in 1464 (supposedly, poisoned, but this hasn't been confirmed).
In 1455, Enrique married
Princess Juana, sister of
Afonso V of Portugal. After six years of marriage, in 1462, she gave birth to a daughter, Joanna, also
Juana, nicknamed "La Beltraneja". Six years after the birth of the throne's heir, part of the nobility of Castile revolted against the king. The rebels claimed that the princess wasn't the daughter of the king, but actually the daughter of
Beltrán de La Cueva, 1st Duke of
Alburquerque. This hypothesis was reinforced when the Queen had another child with the nephew of a Bishop. It is probable that the father of the first daughter of the Queen was the King, but is almost sure that the second one wasn't the King's.
Townsend Miller maintains that the question of her paternity can't be answered. However, contemporary Historians assure Henry was
impotent.
The doubt of her legitimacy as an heir, the weakness of the king, the adultery of the queen, and the unruliness of the nobility all set the stage for a struggle for succession after Enrique's death. Enrique divorced his wife after her scandalous behavior with Bishop Fonseca's nephew. After a long period of conflict between the rival factions, Enrique finally agreed to name Isabella his successor, in Guisando (Avila), provided she allow him to arrange her strategic marriage. Isabella would go on to break this stipulation of the agreement.
In 1474 Henry IV of Castile was entombed in Guadalupe, next to his mother.
After the death of the king war started in Castile.
Juana was supported by
Portugal, while the eventual winner, his half-sister
Isabella of Castile had the support of
Aragon via her husband
Ferdinand and, later in the war,
France. Today, the succession of the Crown of Castile is still a polemic topic between historians.
Ancestors
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