Henry IV (Castile)

Enrique IV. El impotente

Heinrich IV. On a contemporary miniature

Henry IV. El impotente , the poor (born January 5, 1425 in Valladolid , † December 11, 1474 in Madrid ) was King of Castile and León from 1454 to 1474 . Heinrich was the son of John II (1405–1454) from his first marriage to Maria von Aragon (1396–1445), a daughter of King Ferdinand I.

description

Its appearance is described as unflattering: monkey-like long legs and arms and exceptionally feminine features. He was considered weak, energetic and addicted to harmony. It is assumed that Heinrich - like his father Johann II - was homosexual . At that time there were many rumors and criticism about his love games with men, such as B. with Juan Pacheco or Gómez de Cáceres ; some even fled the court to escape the king's advances, such as Miguel de Lucas or Francisco Valdés . Court criticism castigated the debauchery, although it is unclear whether these accusations were based on stereotypical topoi or reported facts.

government

He probably made Bishop Alonso de Fonseca I his advisor when he came to power; this also concluded his second marriage with Johanna von Portugal . During his reign, Heinrich did not manage to establish a strong central power; the nobility used this opportunity to gain power. Heinrich tried to get his daughter Juana la Beltraneja, born in 1462 from his second marriage, whose paternity he could never prove, as heiress. After several years of civil war, the nobility forced him in 1468 to declare his second marriage to Joan of Portugal invalid, as there was no papal dispensation , and to recognize his unloved half-sister Isabella as heiress. Heinrich died in 1474; his half-sister succeeded him as Isabella I of Castile on the throne.

Marriages and offspring

In his first marriage Heinrich was married to Blanka von Aragón (* 1424; † 1464), daughter of John II of Aragón . The marriage was not consummated, which earned him the nickname of the impotent ; in 1453 it was dissolved by Pope Nicholas V.

In his second marriage he married Joan of Portugal (March 1439 - June 13, 1475), daughter of Edward I of Portugal . With her he had a daughter - Joanna of Castile (* 1462; † 1530) ⚭ Alfons V of Portugal . Heinrich's fatherhood remained unclear; since Johanna of Portugal had an affair with Beltrán de la Cueva , a Castilian nobleman, this was supposed to be the father, which earned the daughter Johanna the nickname La Beltraneja .

Pedigree of Henry IV of Castile
Great grandparents	John I of Castile (1358–1390) ⚭ 1375 Leonore of Aragon (1358–1382)		John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340–1399) ⚭ 1371 Constance of Castile (1354–1394)		John I of Castile (1358–1390) ⚭ 1375 Leonore of Aragon (1358–1382)		Sancho of Castile (1342–1374) ⚭ 1373 Beatrix of Portugal (1347–1381)
Grandparents	Henry III. of Castile (1379–1406) ⚭ 1388 Catherine of Lancaster (1373–1418)				Ferdinand I of Aragon (1380–1416) ⚭ 1394 Eleonore Urraca of Castile (1374–1435)
parents	John II of Castile (1405–1454) ⚭ 1420 Mary of Aragon (1403–1445)
Henry IV (1425–1474) King of Castile

literature

• Luis Suárez-Fernández: Henry IV . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 4, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-7608-8904-2 , Sp. 2058 f.

Web links

Commons : Henry IV (Castile)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Fernando Bruquetas de Catro: Reyes que amaron como reinas. La Esfera de los Libros SL, 2002, ISBN 84-9734-076-0 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Catherine of Trastámara and Trastámara	Prince of Asturias 1425–1454	Johanna von Trastámara and Avis
Johann II.	King of Castile and León 1454–1474	Isabella I. and Ferdinand V.