Isabella of Portugal is the mother of one of Spain's favorite historical characters, Isabella of Castile. The latter was called "Catholic", as she, along with her husband Ferdinand, organized mass executions. The mother of the queen of a united Spain was born in the family of Prince Juan of the Avis dynasty, which ruled in Portugal. Her parents and she herself could not directly claim the Portuguese throne, as there were many direct heirs of the ruling dynasty. In this article, we will tell you more about Isabella of Portugal, whose biography deserves to be remembered by descendants.
Marriage
Our heroine was born in 1428. In 1447, 19-year-old Isabella of Portugal marries 42-year-old widowed King Juan II of Castile. At the time of his marriage, Juan had only one of four children left alive - Enrique, who will head the throne afterfather's death. It was the prince who became the indirect culprit for the fact that Juan the Second decided to marry a second time. The fact is that by the time of his marriage, Enrique had been married for seven years, but he had no children. There were even rumors that the prince was suffering from impotence. Others assured that the young prince did not like women, but preferred men. Therefore, Isabella of Portugal ended up in Castile.
In general, the husbands and wives of the ruling dynasty in the Spanish kingdoms were close relatives among themselves. The reason was that spouses were chosen from noble royal families. The peninsula is virtually isolated from the rest of the world, so there was little choice. Isabella of Portugal's mother, Isabella of Braganza, was the niece of her husband, Prince Juan.
In 1453, Juan II dies, and his son Enrique takes the throne.
By this time, Isabella of Portugal gave birth to a daughter, Isabella, who would later unite Spain into a single state, as well as a son, who was named Alfonso.
Isabella's conflict with Alvara de Luna
Alvara de Luna is the most influential marquis of the kingdom at the court of Juan II. It was he who recommended to marry Isabella. However, the peculiarity of the nobleman's character was that he did not trust anyone. He established surveillance of all high-ranking persons in the state. Total control did not bypass the wife of the king. Isabella of Portugal could not bear this, and persuaded her husband to deal with the nobleman. As a result of palace intrigues, Alvaro de Luna was executed. However, this event shook the he alth of the king, andin 1453 he dies.
Enrique's reign
Enrique was three years younger than his stepmother. With two children, Isabella of Portugal - the former Queen of Castile - was sent to Arevalo Castle. There our heroine went crazy. Every day the former queen got worse, and at the end of her life she could not recognize anyone. Eyewitnesses claimed that she was afraid of the ghost of Alvaro de Luna, in whose death she was guilty. Soon the children were taken from the crazy queen, and she died in 1496. Her merit for history is only that she was the mother of another queen - Isabella the First of Castile, who later became the wife of Ferdinand. With him, they will unite under their banners almost the entire Iberian Peninsula.
Isabella of Portugal - wife of Charles 5
History knows another Isabella of Portugal. She was born later than our previous heroine - in October 1503, in Lisbon, and was the daughter of the King of Portugal Manuel the First and his second wife Maria of Aragon.
Wedding
Charles the Fifth is Isabella's cousin. He chose his future wife for political and economic reasons: the future wife had a huge dowry of a million ducats. Twice Isabella was regent of all Spain for quite a long time in the absence of her husband:
- In 1528-1533.
- 1535-1538
Children
Isabella and Carl had four children:
- Philip II is King of Spain.
- Maria is the wife of Emperor Maximilian.
- Juana is the wife of the Infante of Portugal.
- Juan - died in infancy.
The fifth child was stillborn. After that, the queen herself soon died - in 1539.
Philip II will inherit the throne from Charles and Isabella. The boy was only 12 years old when his mother died. The father did everything possible so that Philip received a decent education.
Features of the reign of Philip II
Let's say a little about the successor of the dynasty. Philip II ruled a vast empire. His rule lies in the fact that he created a royal bureaucratic system. Each decision, decree, order of the lower ranks was constantly approved by various departments, and ultimately ended up on the table of the king. This system was clumsy, complex, which caused enormous damage to the treasury. However, another trait of Philip also brought damage to the state: excessive religious intolerance. Spain was swept by another wave of the Inquisition, which in its scale was comparable only to the inquisitions of Feridnand and Isabella.
The reign of Philip II accounts for the Union of the Pyrenees, which united Spain and Portugal, as well as the revolution in the Netherlands and the war with England.
