John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of
Castile and
León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister,
Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon
Maria of Castile (14 November 1401 – 4 September 1458) was Queen consort of Aragon, Queen of Aragon and Queen consort of Naples, Naples as the spouse of Alfonso V of Aragon. Maria acted as the regent of Aragon during the reign of her spouse, ...
, as
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, throne of Spain. According to the Sp ...
in 1405.
Regency
John was the son of
King Henry III and his wife,
Catherine of Lancaster
Catherine of Lancaster ( Castilian: ''Catalina''; 31 March 1373 – 2 June 1418) was Queen of Castile by marriage to King Henry III of Castile. She governed Castile as regent from 1406 until 1418 during the minority of her son.
Queen Catherine ...
. His mother was the granddaughter of
King Peter, who was ousted by Henry III's grandfather,
King Henry II. John succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, and united in his person the claims of both Peter and Henry II. His mother and his uncle,
King Ferdinand I of Aragon, were co-regents during his minority. When Ferdinand I died in 1416, his mother governed alone until her death in 1418.
Personal rule
John II's reign, lasting 48 years, was one of the longest in Castilian history, but John himself was not a particularly capable monarch. He spent his time verse-making, hunting, and holding tournaments. His
favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...
,
Álvaro de Luna
Álvaro de Luna y Fernández de Jarava (between 1388 and 13902 June 1453), was a Castilian statesman, favourite of John II of Castile. He served as Constable of Castile and as Grand Master of the Order of Santiago. He earned great influence in t ...
, heavily influenced him until his second wife,
Isabella of Portugal
Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort and queen consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and La ...
, obtained control of his feeble will. At her instigation, he dismissed and executed his faithful and able servant, an act which is said to have caused him much remorse. The relationship between Álvaro and Juan has been described as
pederastic
Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and an ...
.
John II's Regents declared the Valladolid laws in 1411, which restricted the social activity of
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Among the most notable of the provisions were outlining that Jews must wear distinctive clothes and banned them from holding administrative positions. However, once John took control of the throne for himself in 1418, he (though likely influenced politically by de Luna) reversed such ordinances, favoring instead a more tolerant attitude toward the already battered Jewish population of Castile following the mass wave of conversions between 1391 and 1415.
In 1431, John placed
Yusuf IV on the throne as the
Sultan of Granada
The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...
in the Moorish
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...
, in exchange for tribute and vassal status to Castile. This exchange is depicted in the short ballad the
Romance of Abenamar
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
.
He was "
ll and handsome, fair-skinned and slightly ruddy... his hair was the color of a very mature hazelnut, the nose a little snub, the eyes between green and blue... he had very graceful legs and feet and hands."
[From 'Crónica de Juan II' by Lorenza Galindez de Carvajal (1517)]
John II was the single largest contributor to the continuing construction of the
Alcázar of Segovia
The Alcázar of Segovia ("Segovia Castle") is a medieval castle located in the city of Segovia, in Castile and León, Spain. Rising out on a rocky crag at the western end of the old town, above the confluence of rivers Eresma and Clamores at ...
and built the "New Tower" known today as the "Tower of John II".
John II died on 20 July 1454 in
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
.
Family and children
In 1418, John married
Maria of Aragon, the oldest daughter of his paternal uncle, Ferdinand I of Aragon. The marriage produced:
*
Catherine, Princess of Asturias (1422–1424), his heiress presumptive from her birth until her death
*
Eleanor, Princess of Asturias
Eleanor of Castile ( Castilian: ''Leonor de Castilla''; 10 September 1423 – 22 August 1425) was heir presumptive to the throne of the Crown of Castile and Princess of Asturias from 1424 until a few months before her death.
Eleanor was born an ...
(1423–1425), his heiress presumptive from the death of Catherine until the birth of Henry
*King
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...
(1425–1474)
*Infanta Maria (1428–1429)
Of all their children, only the future
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...
survived infancy. John was widowed in 1445 and remarried to
Isabella of Portugal
Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort and queen consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and La ...
, daughter of
Infante John of Portugal, with whom he had two children:
*Queen
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
(1451–1504)
*
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1453–1468)
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:John 02 Of Castile
House of Trastámara
1405 births
1454 deaths
15th-century Castilian monarchs
Castilian infantes
Medieval child rulers
Grand Masters of the Order of Santiago
Princes of Asturias
Burials at Miraflores Charterhouse
People from the Province of Zamora
Spanish people of English descent
Spanish people of Italian descent
Spanish people of Portuguese descent
Spanish people of French descent
15th century in Al-Andalus
Sons of kings