Isabel de Portugal, reina consorte de Castilla

ISABELLA de Portugal (c1428-Arevalo 15 Aug 1496)
d/o JOÃO de Portugal & ISABEL de Portugal
x 1447 JUAN II King of Castile

• Infanta doña ISABEL de Castilla y León (1451-1504)
• Infante don ALFONSO de Castilla y León (1453-1468)

https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/PORTUGAL.htm
https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CASTILE.htm#JuanIIdied1454B

Infanta Isabel of Portugal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Infanta Isabel of Portugal (1428-1496) was Queen consort of Castile and Leon. She was the mother of Queen Isabella "the Catholic".

Isabel de Portugal was born as a scion of a collateral branch of the Aviz dynasty that ruled in Portugal since 1385. Her father was Infante dom Joao de Portugal, the youngest surviving son of John I of Portugal, and her mother was Isabella de Braganza, a high noblewoman of some royal blood, being daughter of the 1st Duke of Braganza. Isabella's father held some lordships, but was not among the forefront of the Portuguese royal house, there being a multitude of powerful dukes ahead of him.

She was married to the elderly king John II of Castile as his second wife. Her children were:

1. Infanta Isabel, the future Queen regnant.
2. Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1453-1468) who rebelled against his half-brother, Henry IV of Castile He died of a sickness, probably the plague.

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Isabel I of Castile In 1469, when young Isabel (to the right) was threatened with confinement by her half-brother Henry IV, she pretended to go and visit her mother in Areválo, but instead travelled to Valladolid, where she secretly married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Aragon. When Henry died in 1474, Young Isabel was crowned as Queen Isabel I and in the following civil war she and Ferdinand defeated La Beltraneja and her suitor, Afonso V of Portugal. As Queen, Isabel I continued to supervise her mother's care. In 1496 tidings reached her that her mother was dying. A last time she returned to Arévalo. It had been years since the poor, deranged woman had recognised her daughter. This time Isabel of Portugal had covered her face, so that no one could look at her. She was buried at the Monastery of Miraflores, near Burgos, where her husband, Juan II, and her son, Alfonso, were entombed, too.

doubt of Henry's sexual prowess. It is possible that Henry felt more at ease with women of the streets than with his aristocratic wife. On the other hand, prostitutes who sell their body could easily have been bribed to give a false testimony. A German physician, Hieronymus Münzer, who examined Henry, later wrote: "His penis was thin and weak at the base, but huge at the head, with the result that he could not have an erection." Impotent or not, Henry had not given up hope for an heir and in 1455 he married Isabel's cousin, the gay and coquettish Juana of Portugal (1439-1475), a sister of King Alfonso V. With her Henry continued his desperate efforts. The couple even tried some form of artificial insemination. However, his second wife remained intact too.

Arévalo Castle After his accession to the throne, Henry sent his young stepmother Isabel and her two little children to the austere and gloomy castle of Arévalo (to the right). Isabel, who was used to living in luxurious palaces, was now forced to a frugal life due to her parsimonious stepson. Although still in her 20s, Isabel was so virtuous a widow that she never allowed herself to be left alone with a man. Thus, she lived in a state of great seclusion and depression all the time and over the years her mental abilities gradually deteriorated. Around 1452 her daughter Isabel was taken from her care and sent to a convent in Avila to continue her education there.

At court the dashing Beltrán de la Cueva had become the favourite of both the King and Queen. Then, in 1461, the unbelievable happened: Queen Juana was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter called Juana after her mother. She is better known as "La Beltraneja", because many believed that Don Beltrán was her real father. After the birth Don Beltrán received the title of Count of Ledesma. Despite the rumours, King Henry IV tried to keep up the appearance of a proud father. The crude attempts at artificial insemination could have resulted in a pregnancy, but Henry too, must at least have had doubts about that. Around that time Young Isabel and Alfonso, who had kept their unhinged mother company for years, were invited at court. Left behind in Areválo, Isabel of Portugal withdrew still further into the shadows of melancholia, until her mind gave way completely. She recognised no one and in the end she didn't know who she was. Often she was fleeing up and down the dark stairs of the castle tower pursued by ghostly voices calling De Luna's name.

Henry's former favourite, Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villana, became increasingly jealous of the favours bestowed on Don Beltrán. In 1465 he and other disgruntled Grandees started a civil war, declaring Isabel's eleven-year-old son Alfonso King. On the pretext that Alfonso went to visit his mother, they seized the castle of Arévalo and garrisoned it with their own men. In August 1567 a great battle was fought near Olmedo. Henry was nowhere to be found, while his wife had fled with La Beltraneja to Segovia. In July 1468 fourteen-year-old Alfonso was suddenly taken ill. He died after a few days. In September Henry and young Isabel met for a reconciliation. Henry received homage from the nobles and young Isabel was recognised as the heir to the throne, thereby disinheriting La Beltraneja. Queen

Arévalo Castle After his accession to the throne, Henry sent his young stepmother Isabel and her two little children to the austere and gloomy castle of Arévalo (to the right). Isabel, who was used to living in luxurious palaces, was now forced to a frugal life due to her parsimonious stepson. Although still in her 20s, Isabel was so virtuous a widow that she never allowed herself to be left alone with a man. Thus, she lived in a state of great seclusion and depression all the time and over the years her mental abilities gradually deteriorated. Around 1452 her daughter Isabel was taken from her care and sent to a convent in Avila to continue her education there.

doubt of Henry's sexual prowess. It is possible that Henry felt more at ease with women of the streets than with his aristocratic wife. On the other hand, prostitutes who sell their body could easily have been bribed to give a false testimony. A German physician, Hieronymus Münzer, who examined Henry, later wrote: "His penis was thin and weak at the base, but huge at the head, with the result that he could not have an erection." Impotent or not, Henry had not given up hope for an heir and in 1455 he married Isabel's cousin, the gay and coquettish Juana of Portugal (1439-1475), a sister of King Alfonso V. With her Henry continued his desperate efforts. The couple even tried some form of artificial insemination. However, his second wife remained intact too.

Arévalo Castle After his accession to the throne, Henry sent his young stepmother Isabel and her two little children to the austere and gloomy castle of Arévalo (to the right). Isabel, who was used to living in luxurious palaces, was now forced to a frugal life due to her parsimonious stepson. Although still in her 20s, Isabel was so virtuous a widow that she never allowed herself to be left alone with a man. Thus, she lived in a state of great seclusion and depression all the time and over the years her mental abilities gradually deteriorated. Around 1452 her daughter Isabel was taken from her care and sent to a convent in Avila to continue her education there.

At court the dashing Beltrán de la Cueva had become the favourite of both the King and Queen. Then, in 1461, the unbelievable happened: Queen Juana was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter called Juana after her mother. She is better known as "La Beltraneja", because many believed that Don Beltrán was her real father. After the birth Don Beltrán received the title of Count of Ledesma. Despite the rumours, King Henry IV tried to keep up the appearance of a proud father. The crude attempts at artificial insemination could have resulted in a pregnancy, but Henry too, must at least have had doubts about that. Around that time Young Isabel and Alfonso, who had kept their unhinged mother company for years, were invited at court. Left behind in Areválo, Isabel of Portugal withdrew still further into the shadows of melancholia, until her mind gave way completely. She recognised no one and in the end she didn't know who she was. Often she was fleeing up and down the dark stairs of the castle tower pursued by ghostly voices calling De Luna's name.

Henry's former favourite, Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villana, became increasingly jealous of the favours bestowed on Don Beltrán. In 1465 he and other disgruntled Grandees started a civil war, declaring Isabel's eleven-year-old son Alfonso King. On the pretext that Alfonso went to visit his mother, they seized the castle of Arévalo and garrisoned it with their own men. In August 1567 a great battle was fought near Olmedo. Henry was nowhere to be found, while his wife had fled with La Beltraneja to Segovia. In July 1468 fourteen-year-old Alfonso was suddenly taken ill. He died after a few days. In September Henry and young Isabel met for a reconciliation. Henry received homage from the nobles and young Isabel was recognised as the heir to the throne, thereby disinheriting La Beltraneja. Queen Juana angrily left her husband, took a lover and gave birth to two additional children.

Isabella of Portugal (1428 – 15 August 1496) was Queen consort of Castile and Leon. She was the mother of Queen Isabella I "the Catholic".

She was born as a scion of a collateral branch of the Aviz dynasty that had ruled Portugal since 1385. Her father was Infante John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz, the youngest surviving son of John I of Portugal, and her mother was Isabella of Braganza, a high noblewoman of some royal blood, being daughter of the 1st Duke of Braganza, who was an illegitimate son of John I of Portugal. Isabella's father held some lordships, but was not among the forefront of the Portuguese royal house, there being a multitude of powerful dukes ahead of him.

Contents [hide]

1 Marriage

1.1 Conflict with de Luna

2 Widowhood

2.1 Relationship with daughter

3 Issue

4 References

[edit] Marriage

Isabella was married to the elderly king John II of Castile as his second wife. His first wife, Maria of Aragon, had given him four children, though only one, the future Henry IV of Castile, had survived. Henry had been joined to Blanche II of Navarre in an unconsummated marriage for seven years and was called "El Impotente." Because of this, John decided to seek another wife, and the eyes of his trusted adviser and dear friend Alvaro de Luna fell on the much younger Isabella. The two were wed on July 22, 1447 when John was 42 and Isabella only 19.

[edit] Conflict with de Luna

De Luna had dominated the king for years and doubtless expected this to continue. After all, he had arranged the marriage. Unfortunately for de Luna, he made the mistake of attempting control the young queen, even going as far as to attempt to limit the couplings between the amorous king and his bride. Isabella took exception to de Luna's influence over her husband and attempted to persuade her husband to remove this favourite.

She had little success until after the 1451 birth of her daughter and namesake who would become Isabella I of Castile. The queen's confinement was long and difficult, and the new mother sank into a deep depression during which she refused to speak to anyone but her husband. Alternatively hysterical and withdrawn, Isabella tired out the weak-willed John, and he agreed to rid himself of this hated favourite. To do this, the royal couple employed Alfonso Pérez de Vivero. When de Luna discovered this, he murdered Pérez and gave John an excuse to execute him. The death of his favourite saddened the old king, and his health began to decline rapidly. On November 15, 1453, Isabella gave birth to a son, Alfonso, and nine months later, John came to his deathbed, expiring at last on July 20, 1454. Henry IV, newly divorced from Blanca, became king.

[edit] Widowhood

After Henry ascended the throne, he sent his stepmother, who was three years younger than himself, and his two little half-siblings to the Castle of Arévalo. While there, the dowager queen and her two children lived austerely and without ever considering any proposals; the young widow was too virtuous for this.

While at Arévalo, Isabella sank deeper into the melancholy that had begun after the birth of her elder child. She became increasingly unhinged with every passing year. Despite this, her children were kept with her until about 1461, the year in which Henry's second queen, Joan of Portugal, became pregnant with Joanna La Beltraneja, either through artificial insemination or by her alleged lover, Beltrán de La Cueva. The dowager queen thought she was plagued by the ghosts, particularly de Luna's spirit, and would spend days wandering the castle calling his name. She also forgot who everyone around was and at times did not even remember her own identity.

[edit] Relationship with daughter

Her daughter Isabella did not visit her (Alfonso had died under suspicious circumstances in 1468), though in 1469, she did tell her half-brother that Arévalo was her destination when in fact she was going to Valladolid to marry Infante Ferdinand of Aragon, the heir of John II of Aragon. When Henry IV died in 1474, Isabella bypassed the claims of her niece, who had never been considered legitimate, to become Queen of Castile. Together, she and Ferdinand spent their time uniting Spain by completing the reconquista. It was not until 1496, when the queen heard that her mother was dying, that she finally visited Isabella. The deranged and distraught old woman did not recognize her daughter. After her death, she was interred next to her husband and son at the Monastery of Miraflores.

[edit] Issue

Her children were:

Isabella I of Castile. Married Ferdinand II of Aragon, she became Queen of Castile and united Aragon with Castile.

Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1453-1468) who rebelled against his half-brother, Henry IV of Castile He died of a sickness, probably the plague, no issue.[citation needed]

[edit] References

Biography

Spanish burial records site

Page from the Peerage

Joan's Mad Monarchs Series

Spanish royalty

Preceded by

Maria of Aragon Queen Consort of Castile and Leon

1447 – 1454 Succeeded by

Joan of Portugal

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Portugal_(1428%E2%80%931496)"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Portugal,_Queen_of_Castile