Henry IV of Castile

Henry IV
King of Castile and León
Reign	22 July 1454 – 11 December 1474 (&1000000000000002000000020 years, &10000000000000142000000142 days)
Predecessor	John II
Successors	Isabella I and Ferdinand V
Consort	Blanche II of Navarre Joan of Portugal
Issue
Joanna La Beltraneja
House	House of Trastámara
Father	John II of Castile
Mother	Maria of Aragon
Born	5 January 1425 Valladolid, Spain
Died	11 December 1474(1474-12-11) (aged 49) Madrid, Spain
Burial	Santa María de Guadalupe, La Mancha, Spain
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Henry IV (Castilian: Enrique, Galician: Henrique) (5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent (ruled 1454-1474), was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile. During Henry's reign the nobles increased in power and the nation became less centralised.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Appearance 3 Ancestry 4 References 5 External links

Biography

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. He displaced his older sister, Eleanor, Princess of Asturias, and became heir apparent to the Castilian throne.

In 1440, at the age of fifteen, he was married to Blanche II of Navarre. The marriage was never consummated. In 1453, after thirteen years, Henry sought a divorce. An official examination confirmed the virginity of Blanche, and a priest questioned the prostitutes of Segovia, who confirmed that Henry was sexually capable. Blanche was sent home; eight years later, she became de iure Queen of Navarre and died under strange circumstances.

In 1455, Henry married Joan of Portugal, sister of Afonso V of Portugal. After six years of marriage, in 1462, she gave birth to a daughter, Joan, 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 was not 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 two children with the nephew of a Bishop. Though many contemporary historians and chroniclers assumed Henry was impotent, the royal chronicles of his reign were all written or revised during the reign and under the influence of Isabella, whose strong interest in proving Joan illegitimate renders these accounts at least partially suspect. The question of Joan's paternity is therefore not firmly answerable, given the lack of available reliable sources.

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 Henry's death. Henry divorced his wife after her scandalous behavior with Bishop Fonseca's nephew. After a long period of conflict between the rival factions, Henry 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 at Santa María de Guadalupe, next to his mother.

After the death of the king war started in Castile. Joanna was supported by Portugal, while the eventual winner, his half-sister Isabella I of Castile had the support of Aragon via her husband Ferdinand and, later in the war, France.

Appearance

Henry was of a very fair complexion, had blue eyes, and had a hair color that was between reddish-blonde and auburn; these were typical in members of the Trastámara family who were descendants of Henry II of Castile and of the Castilian House of Burgundy since Queen Leonor.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Henry IV of Castile

16. Henry II of Castile               8. John I of Castile                       17. Juana Manuel of Castile               4. Henry III of Castile                             18. Peter IV of Aragon               9. Eleanor of Aragon                       19. Eleanor of Sicily               2. John II of Castile                                   20. Edward III of England               10. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster                       21. Philippa of Hainault               5. Catherine of Lancaster                             22. Peter of Castile               11. Constance of Castile                       23. Maria de Padilla               1. Henry IV of Castile                                         24. Henry II of Castile               12. John I of Castile                       25. Juana Manuel of Castile               6. Ferdinand I of Aragon                             26. Peter IV of Aragon               13. Eleanor of Aragon                       27. Eleanor of Sicily               3. Maria of Aragon                                   28. Alfonso XI of Castile               14. Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque                       29. Eleanor of Guzman               7. Eleanor, 3rd Countess of Alburquerque                             30. Peter I of Portugal               15. Infanta Beatrice of Portugal                       31. Inês de Castro

Crown of Castile
Royal dynasties
House of Trastámara

Henry II Children include    John I    Eleanor, Queen of Navarre John I Children include    Henry III    Ferdinand I of Aragon Henry III Children include    John II    Maria, Queen of Aragon John II Children include    Henry IV    Isabella I    Alfonso, Prince of Asturias Henry IV Children    Joan, Queen of Portugal Isabella I with Ferdinand V Children    Isabella, Queen of Portugal    John, Prince of Asturias    Joanna I, Queen of Castile    Maria, Queen of Portugal    Catherine, Queen of England Joanna I

References

• Miller, Townsend: The Castles and the Crown. Coward-McCann, New York, (1963).

External links

• More about Henry IV

Henry IV of Castile House of Trastámara Born: 5 January 1425 Died: 11 December 1474
Regnal titles
Preceded by John II	King of Castile 1454–1474	Succeeded by Isabella I and Ferdinand V
	King of León 1454–1474
Spanish royalty
Preceded by Infanta Eleanor	Prince of Asturias 1425–1454	Vacant Title next held by Infanta Joanna
Titles in pretence
Preceded by John II	King of Aragon 1462–1463	Succeeded by Peter V
	Count of Barcelona 1462–1463

Princes of Asturias Infante Felipe (1977–present) Infante Alfonso (1907–1931)  · Infanta Mercedes (1880–1904)  · Infanta Isabella (1875–1880)  · Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy (1871–1873)  · Infante Alfonso (1857–1868)  · Infanta Isabella (1851–1857)  · Infanta Isabella (1830–1833)  · Infante Ferdinand (1788–1808)  · Infante Charles (1759–1788)  · Infante Ferdinand (1724–1746)  · Infante Louis (1709–1724)  · Prince Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria (1698–1699)  · Infante Charles (1661–1665)  · Infante Philip Prospero (1657–1661)  · Infante Balthasar Charles (1629–1646)  · Philip IV (1605–1621)  · Infante Philip (1582–1598)  · Infante Diego (1578–1582)  · Infante Ferdinand (1571–1578)  · Infante Charles (1556–1568)  · Philip II (1527–1556)  · Infante Charles (1504–1516)  · Infanta Joanna (1502–1504)  · Infante Michael of Portugal (1498–1500)  · Infanta Isabella (1497–1498)  · Infante John (1478–1497)  · Infanta Isabella (1470–1478)  · Infanta Isabella (1468–1470)  · Infante Alfonso (1464–1468)  · Infanta Joanna (1462–1464)  · Infante Henry (1425–1454)  · Infanta Eleanor (1424–1425)  · Infanta Catherine (1423–1424)  · Infante John (1405–1406)  · Infanta Maria (1402–1405)  · Infante Henry (1388–1390)

Monarchs of Castile House of Jiménez Ferdinand I  · Sancho II  · Alfonso VI  · Urraca House of Burgundy Alfonso VII  · Sancho III  · Alfonso VIII  · Henry I  · Berengaria  · Ferdinand III  · Alfonso X  · Sancho IV  · Ferdinand IV  · Alfonso XI  · Peter House of Trastámara Henry II  · John I  · Henry III  · John II  · Henry IV  · Isabella I & Ferdinand V  · Joanna & Philip I

Monarchs of León Beni Alfons Alfonso III  · García I  · Ordoño II  · Fruela II  · Alfonso IV  · Ramiro II  · Ordoño III  · Sancho I  · Ordoño IV  · Sancho I  · Ramiro III  · Bermudo II  · Alfonso V  · Bermudo III House of Jiménez Ferdinand I  · Sancho II  · Alfonso VI  · Urraca House of Burgundy Alfonso VII  · Ferdinand II  · Alfonso IX  · Ferdinand III  · Alfonso X  · Sancho IV  · Ferdinand IV  · Alfonso XI  · Peter House of Trastámara Henry II  · John I  · Henry III  · John II  · Henry IV  · Isabella I & Ferdinand V  · Joanna & Philip I

Persondata
Name	Henry 04 Of Castile
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 January 1425
Place of birth	Valladolid, Spain
Date of death	11 December 1474
Place of death	Madrid, Spain