Henry IV of Castile
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. A divorce was granted by the Pope on the grounds that some "witchcraft" had prevented Enrique from consummating the marriage. Blanca was sent home, where her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed by poison in 1464. It was widely believed at the time that the king was homosexual.
In 1455, Enrique married Princess Juana, sister of Afonso V of Portugal. She, too, was said to have remained untouched on her wedding night, and soon took a lover, Beltrán de La Cueva. In the course of the attempts to produce an heir, artificial insemination was attempted. After six years of marriage, in 1462, she gave birth to a daughter, Joanna, also Juana, nicknamed "La Beltraneja". Miller maintains that the question of her paternity cannot be answered. 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. Juana was supported by Portugal, while the eventual winner, his half-sister Isabella of Castile had the support of Aragon via her husband Fernando and, later in the war, France. After a long period of conflict between the rival factions, Enrique finally agreed to name Isabella his successor, 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.
Ancestors
| Henry IV of Castile | Father: John II of Castile |
Paternal Grandfather: Henry III of Castile |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John I of Castile |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Eleanor of Aragon |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Katherine of Lancaster |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Constance of Castile |
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| Mother: Maria of Aragon, Queen of Castile |
Maternal Grandfather: Ferdinand I of Aragon |
Maternal Great-grandfather: John I of Castile |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Eleanor of Aragon |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Eleanor of Alburquerque |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Sancho of Alburquerque |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque |
References
Miller, Townsend: The Castles and the Crown. Coward-McCann, New York, 1963.
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Henry IV of Castile
Born: January 5 1425 Died: December 11 1474 |
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| Preceded by John II |
King of Castile
and León 1454-1474 |
Succeeded by Isabella I |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Prince John |
Prince of
Asturias 1388-1390 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Princess Juana |
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