Alfonso of Castile

Alfonso of Castile, depiction on his tomb

Alfonso of Castile, depiction on a coin minted in Seville

Alfonso of Castile (born November 1453 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres , † July 5, 1468 in Cardeñosa ), also Alfonso el Inocente , was Infante of Castile and from 1464 to 1468 Prince of Asturias . In June 1465 Alfonso was named Alfonso XII by part of the Castilian nobility. proclaimed the anti-king of his half-brother Heinrich IV .

Origin and family

Alfons was the son of John II of Castile and his second wife Isabella of Portugal .

Alfons had a half-brother, Heinrich , 28 years his senior , a son from his father's marriage to Maria of Aragon. In 1440 Heinrich married Blanka of Navarre, the daughter of the kings of Navarra, Blanka and Johann, at the age of 15 . After thirteen years, this marriage was annulled in 1453. In 1455 Heinrich married Johanna of Portugal, daughter of King Edward I of Portugal, in his second marriage . After seven years of marriage, the queen had a daughter, Joan of Castile , in 1462 .

Alfons had a sister Isabella who was two years his senior , who later became Isabella I of Castile.

childhood

Two years after Alfons was born, his father John II of Castile died. Alfons' brother Heinrich took over the government in Castile. Alfons' mother moved to Arévalo with her children . In his will, John II had bequeathed some dominions to his wife, Isabella of Portugal, which should serve to ensure the maintenance of their children and their children. Her stepson Heinrich, however, gave part of this rule to other people, so that the financial means of the king's widow and her children were very limited. Queen Isabella had already shown signs of mental illness after the birth of her daughter Isabella. The unsatisfactory financial supply from their point of view seems to have contributed to a deterioration in their health.

When Henry took control of the lands of the Crown of Castile in 1453, rule over the Principality of Asturias was vacant. Although there was no doubt according to the will of John II that Alfons was heir to the throne in Castile, he was not initially appointed Prince of Asturias. When his niece Joan of Castile was born in 1462 , Henry IV appointed her princess of Asturias and had the Cortes sworn in on Johanna as heir to the throne on May 9, 1462. With the birth of Joan, Alfons temporarily moved to second place in the line of succession in Castile. At the same time, Alfons and Isabella, who had previously lived with their mother in Arévalo, were brought to their half-brother's court.

Battle of the nobility against Henry IV.

The political situation in Castile in the 15th century was dominated by the contrast between the reigning king and the high nobility. At the time of the reign of King Henry IV there was a group around the Mendoza family that was less interested in expanding their power. For these aristocrats, it was more important to consolidate their own property. They believed they could achieve this by strengthening the monarchy. They had already gained some power in the upper reaches of the state. For them, the king was the key figure who should establish the balance.

The members of the Pacheco family ( Juan Pacheco , Marqués de Villena, Pedro Girón de Acuña Pacheco, Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava and their relative Alfonso Carrillo , Archbishop of Toledo ) led the part of the nobility that demanded more influence over the affairs of government.

This group of nobility founded an association, the "League", in May 1464, which had set itself the task of "freeing the king and the Infants from captivity by Beltrán de la Cueva". In addition, Johanna, the princess of Asturias, is not the legitimate daughter of King Henry. Therefore she had to be excluded from the line of succession and the Infant Alfons had to be installed in her place as heir to the throne and prince of Asturias. On May 16, 1464, Alfonso Carillo, Archbishop of Toledo, the Grand Master of the Kalatrava Order Pedro Girón and his brother, Juan Pacheco, the Marqués de Villana demanded custody of the Infants Isabel and Alfons. Against the resistance of the king, a wedding agreement between Alfonso and his niece Johanna was agreed. To avoid a conflict, Heinrich gave in to the demands of the league in the autumn of 1464. Beltrán de la Cueva was released from the Consejo real (Privy Council). Heinrich declares his half-brother Alfons to be heir to the throne and places him under the care of Juan Pacheco.

The succession in Castile was clearly regulated at the death of John II. The oldest son Heinrich was established as the heir. Due to the rule that male heirs take precedence over female heirs regardless of age, Isabella was third in line of succession in the event that both brothers should die without legitimate heirs.

In response to the claim that Johanna should not be regarded as Heinrich's legitimate heir, Heinrich's opponents asserted that his first marriage to Blanka had been declared null and void by Navarre due to the husband's impotence. After this failure, Heinrich married Johanna, the daughter of King Edward of Portugal. After seven years of marriage, Queen Johanna gave birth to a girl who was hailed as the future heir to the throne and recognized by the Cortes. At the time of Joan's birth, no one seems to have had any doubts about the father's identity. But a few years later the situation changed and a discussion began about whether the king could be the father. In September 1464 Heinrich recognized his half-brother Alfons as heir to the throne, provided that he married his niece Johanna.

La farsa de Ávila

→ Main article : Farsa de Ávila

As "Farsa de Ávila" ( Posse of Ávila) the theatrically raised deposition of King Henry IV in absentia is referred to. This event had a great propaganda effect in the country.

This event was staged on June 5, 1465 by members of the high nobility . On a stage that was specially built for this ceremony, a doll that was supposed to represent King Henry sat on a throne. It was decorated with the royal insignia of the crown , the sword and the scepter . After various accusations had been made against King Henry, the Archbishop of Toledo removed the crown from the doll on the grounds that Henry was not worthy to rule. The Marquis de Villena took the scepter from her and the Count of Plasencia the sword. The Count of Benavente shouted "On the floor, you hustler " and gave the doll a kick. Then the royal insignia was handed over to Alfons, who was 11 years old at the time, who was named King Alfonso XII by his followers. was proclaimed.

The Kingdom of Castile split into two parties. Heinrich sought help in Portugal. There were some armed clashes between the parties until Alfonso's death in 1468. Among these military conflicts, the (unsuccessful) siege of Simanca by royal troops and the second Battle of Olmedo in 1467, in which Alfons also took part personally, had a certain significance.

Alfons died on July 5, 1468 in Cardeñosa (Avila), presumably of the plague . It is not counted in the official designation of the kings of Castile and Spain. When Alfonso XII. Today Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón ruled from 1874 to 1885.

ancestors

Pedigree of Alfonso of Castile
Great-great-grandparents	Henry II of Castile 1334–1379 ∞ Juana Manuel de Villena 1339–1381	Peter IV of Aragon 1319–1387 ∞ Eleanor of Sicily 1325–1375	Edward III. of England 1312–1377 ∞ Philippa of Hainaut 1311–1369	Peter I of Castile 1334–1369 ∞ María de Padilla 1334–1361	Peter I of Portugal 1320–1367 ∞ Teresa Lourenço 1330–?	John of Gaunt 1340-1399 ∞ Blanche of Lancaster 1345-1368	John I of Portugal 1357–1433 ∞ Inês Pires? -?	Nuno Álvares Pereira 1360–1431 ∞ Leonor de Alvim? –1388
Great grandparents	John I of Castile 1358–1390 ∞ Eleanor of Aragon 1358–1382		John of Gaunt 1340–1399 ∞ Constance of Castile 1354–1394		John I of Portugal 1357–1433 ∞ Philippa of Lancaster 1360–1415		Alfons of Braganza 1377–1461 ∞ Beatriz Pereira de Alvim 1380–1415
Grandparents	Henry III. of Castile 1379–1406 ∞ Catherine of Lancaster 1373–1418				John of Portugal 1400–1442 ∞ Isabella of Braganza 1402–1465
parents	John II of Castile 1405–1454 ∞ Isabella of Portugal 1428–1496
Alfonso of Castile, Prince of Asturias

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joaquin Yarza Luaces: La Cartuja de Miraflores I Los sepulcros . Ed .: Fundación Iberdrola España (=  Cuadernos de Restauración de Iberdrola . Volume XIII ). Ediciones El Viso, o. O. (Madrid) 2007, ISBN 978-84-934989-3-1 , pp. 55 (Spanish, [1] [PDF; accessed January 16, 2016]).
2. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 59 (From the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
3. ↑ Luis Suarez Fernandez: Isabel I, Reina . Editorial Ariel, Barcelona 2000, ISBN 84-344-6620-1 , p. 8 (Spanish).
4. ↑ Luis Suarez Fernandez: Isabel I, Reina . Editorial Ariel, Barcelona 2000, ISBN 84-344-6620-1 , p. 9 (Spanish).
5. ↑ Luis Suarez Fernandez: Isabel I, Reina . Editorial Ariel, Barcelona 2000, ISBN 84-344-6620-1 , p. 16 (Spanish).
6. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 58 (from the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
7. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 45 (Spanish, [2] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
8. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 58 (from the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
9. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 48 (Spanish, [3] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
10. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 59 (From the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
11. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 59 (From the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
12. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 48 (Spanish, [4] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
13. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 49 (Spanish, [5] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
14. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 62 (from the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
15. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 51 (Spanish, [6] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
16. ↑ María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 51 (Spanish, [7] [accessed September 10, 2015]).
17. ↑ Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 , pp. 62 (from the French by Antoinette Gittinger).

literature

• Joseph Perez: Ferdinand and Isabella . Callwey, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7667-0923-2 (from the French by Antoinette Gittinger).
• Luis Suarez Fernandez: Isabel I, Reina . Editorial Ariel, Barcelona 2000, ISBN 84-344-6620-1 (Spanish).

Web links

• María Isabel del Val Valdivieso: La sucesión de Enrique IV . In: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Series III, Historia medieval . No. 4 , 1991, pp. 43–78 (Spanish, unirioja.es [accessed September 10, 2015]).
• La Farsa de Ávila: Enrique "El Impotente" es humillado y acusado de homosexual. Diario ABC, September 25, 2015, accessed September 30, 2015 (Spanish). 
• Más Isabel - ¿Qué fue la farsa de Ávila? Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, September 30, 2013, accessed July 23, 2015 (Spanish). 

predecessor	Office	Successor
Joanna of Trastámara and Avis ( Joanna of Castile )	Prince of Asturias 1464–1468	Isabella of Trastámara and Avis ( Isabella I. )