Isabella of Asturias
Encyclopedia
Isabella, Princess of Asturias (2 October 1470 – 23 August 1498) was a Queen consort
of Portugal and heiress presumptive of King Ferdinand II of Aragon
and Queen Isabella I of Castile
as their eldest daughter. Her younger sisters were Catherine, Queen of England
, Queen Joanna I of Castile, and Maria, Queen of Portugal.
Isabella was the first-born child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. She was born during the reign of her uncle King Henry IV of Castile
, who would not forgive her mother for marrying Ferdinand without his permission. Following her mother's accession to the throne of Castile, the young Isabella was sworn as the heiress to the throne until the birth of her younger brother John in June 1478, just before her eighth birthday. Her parents were embroiled in a war of succession as the elder Isabella’s half-brother King Henry had not named a successor. A struggle ensued between the elder Isabella of Castile and her niece Joan of Castile, known as "la Beltraneja", who was rumoured to have been an illegitimate child conceived by Henry’s queen Joan of Portugal
and her husband’s favourite Beltrán de La Cueva
. King Afonso V of Portugal intervened on Joanna’s part and Ferdinand and Isabella were forced to fight a war with him. Young Isabella was a part of their negotiations for peace when Afonso finally withdrew his forces from Castile, ceding defeat. It was agreed under the terms of the Treaty of Alcáçovas
that Princess Isabella would be married to Afonso V’s grandson Dom Afonso, Prince of Portugal, who was five years younger than Isabella. The treaty also provided for Ferdinand and Isabella to pay a large dowry for their daughter.
. Though it was an arranged marriage, Isabella and Afonso quickly fell in love, and Isabella was grief-stricken when he died in 1491: sent home to her parents by John II, she declared that she would never marry again and would enter a convent. Her parents ignored this, and in 1497 she was persuaded to marry Manuel I of Portugal
, Afonso's uncle and John II's cousin and successor. She did so on condition that Manuel follow her parents' religious policy and expel Jews who would not convert to Christianity from his realm. This he duly did. In the same year, Isabella became Princess of Asturias
and heiress of Castile following the death of her only brother John and the stilbirth of his daughter.
, who bore him his son and heir John III
. Portugal and Spain were finally united between 1580 and 1640, after Philip II of Spain
successfully claimed the throne of Portugal as a son of Isabella of Portugal
, the daughter of Maria of Aragon and Manuel I.
that was between reddish
-blond
e and auburn; these traits were typical in members of the Trastámara family who were descendants of Alfonso XI of Castile
.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Portugal and heiress presumptive of King Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
and Queen Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
as their eldest daughter. Her younger sisters were Catherine, Queen of England
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
, Queen Joanna I of Castile, and Maria, Queen of Portugal.
Early life
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile...
, who would not forgive her mother for marrying Ferdinand without his permission. Following her mother's accession to the throne of Castile, the young Isabella was sworn as the heiress to the throne until the birth of her younger brother John in June 1478, just before her eighth birthday. Her parents were embroiled in a war of succession as the elder Isabella’s half-brother King Henry had not named a successor. A struggle ensued between the elder Isabella of Castile and her niece Joan of Castile, known as "la Beltraneja", who was rumoured to have been an illegitimate child conceived by Henry’s queen Joan of Portugal
Joan of Portugal
Joan of Portugal was Queen consort of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile and a Portuguese infanta, the posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon...
and her husband’s favourite Beltrán de La Cueva
Beltrán de la Cueva
Beltrán de la Cueva y Alfonso de Mercado, 1st Duke of Alburquerque was a Spanish nobleman and presumed lover of Queen Joan of Portugal.-Early life:...
. King Afonso V of Portugal intervened on Joanna’s part and Ferdinand and Isabella were forced to fight a war with him. Young Isabella was a part of their negotiations for peace when Afonso finally withdrew his forces from Castile, ceding defeat. It was agreed under the terms of the Treaty of Alcáçovas
Treaty of Alcaçovas
The Treaty of Alcáçovas put an end to the War of the Castilian Succession in favor of Isabella I of Castile, and confirmed Castilian control of the Canary Islands and Portuguese control of the Madeira , Azores and Cape Verde islands , all in the Atlantic Ocean The Treaty of Alcáçovas (also known...
that Princess Isabella would be married to Afonso V’s grandson Dom Afonso, Prince of Portugal, who was five years younger than Isabella. The treaty also provided for Ferdinand and Isabella to pay a large dowry for their daughter.
Life
In 1490 Isabella married Afonso, Prince of Portugal, the heir of John II of PortugalJohn II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
. Though it was an arranged marriage, Isabella and Afonso quickly fell in love, and Isabella was grief-stricken when he died in 1491: sent home to her parents by John II, she declared that she would never marry again and would enter a convent. Her parents ignored this, and in 1497 she was persuaded to marry Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
, Afonso's uncle and John II's cousin and successor. She did so on condition that Manuel follow her parents' religious policy and expel Jews who would not convert to Christianity from his realm. This he duly did. In the same year, Isabella became Princess of Asturias
Princess of Asturias
This is a list of women who held the title Princess of Asturias by marriage.The title was created in 1388 for the future Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster. A part of the pact was to gran the young couple the title of Prince and Princess of Asturias, which was modelled after that of...
and heiress of Castile following the death of her only brother John and the stilbirth of his daughter.
Death
In 1498, Isabella herself died while giving birth to Miguel da Paz, who was heir to the thrones of Castile and Portugal until his death in 1500. Manuel's chance to become king of Castile vanished with Isabella's death, and the main hope of uniting all Iberian kingdoms vanished with Miguel's death. Manuel then married Isabella's younger sister, Maria of AragonMaria of Aragon (1482-1517)
Maria of Aragon was a Spanish infanta and the second wife of Portuguese King Manuel I, thus queen consort of Portugal from her marriage on 30 October 1500 until her death.-Family:She was born at Córdoba on 29 June 1482 as the third surviving daughter of Isabella I of...
, who bore him his son and heir John III
John III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
. Portugal and Spain were finally united between 1580 and 1640, after Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
successfully claimed the throne of Portugal as a son of Isabella of Portugal
Isabella of Portugal
Isabella of Portugal was a Portuguese Princess and Holy Roman Empress, Duchess of Burgundy, and a Queen Regent/Consort of Spain. She was the daughter of Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon. By her marriage to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Isabella was also Holy Roman Empress and Queen...
, the daughter of Maria of Aragon and Manuel I.
Appearance
Isabella was of a very fair complexion, had blue eyes, and had a hair colorHair color
Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter...
that was between reddish
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
-blond
Blond
Blond or blonde or fair-hair is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color...
e and auburn; these traits were typical in members of the Trastámara family who were descendants of Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313...
.
Ancestry
Titles from birth to death
- The Princess of Asturias (1470–1478)
- Infanta Isabella of Aragon and Castile (1478–1490)
- The Princess of Portugal (1490–1491)
- The Dowager Princess of Portugal (1491–1497)
- The Queen of Portugal (1497–1498)