Hi, everyone! I'm new in this forum, but I've been reading other people's TLs for a long time, so, I decided to write one myself 
Comments and sugestions are welcome! (specially about my poor english skills...)
So, here's the first chapter!! I'm expecting feedback to continue this
Excerpt from the “ História Moderna de Espanha ” by Tomás Cavalcante d’Oliveira.
[...]
In the summer of 1462 was born the first and only child of the King Henrique IV of Castile, Joana, named as her mother, the long-awaited heiress of the Castilian throne. This birth provoked great disturbance in the court, as the aged king was taken as an infertile. The rumor was that the princess was actually the daughter of a high-rank noble, Dom Beltrão de la Cueva, a known lover of the queen consort, Joana of Portugal.
Pressures from part of the nobility made the king nominate his brother’s son, Afonso, as the true heir in 1464. The actions of the weak-willed king proved that the latter move wasn’t enough to satisfy the nobility, leading to a conspiracy that would overthrow of the king and the subsequent crowning of the infante Dom Afonso. This led to a minor war that ended in 1468, with the mysterious death of the 14-year old King Afonso.
The feeble king Henrique regained the throne but the struggle wasn’t finished. In 1468, Henry granted under pressure the title of Princess of Asturias to Isabella, his sister, as the true heiress of the Castilian throne, but was also in the pact that her future marriage should be approved by his brother.
At the age of three, Isabella was betrothed to Ferdinando the son of Juan II of Aragon. Nonetheless, Henrique IV broke this agreement six years later so that she could marry Carlos IV of Navarre, another son of the king of Aragon. This marriage did not come about because of John’s refusal. In February 1464 Henrique offered to marry Isabella to King Edward IV of England, an offer which was also declined. Other attempts were to marry Isabella to Alfonso V of Portugal. In 1464, Henry managed to unite Afonso and Isabella in the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe, but she refused him because of the great age difference between them.
In 1469, a final agreement between Portugal and Castile was finished. Joana, the daughter of Henrique IV, should be married to her uncle, Afonso V of Portugal, and Isabella should marry his son, the heir of the Portuguese throne, John, only 3 years younger than her; thereby, uniting the crowns of Castile and Portugal, maintaining the honor of Joan and conserving Isabella as the final heiress of the crown. That was the greatest political maneuver of the, so-called weak, Castilian king.
Henrique IV died in 1475 leaving his kingdom to his sister and the Portuguese infante with little commotion of the supporters of Joana, that later renounced hers claims. In 1480, Afonso V of Portugal also died, with the final union of the kingdoms, becoming Isabella and John the kings of Portugal and of Castile, tanto monta, monta tanto.
Comments and sugestions are welcome! (specially about my poor english skills...)
So, here's the first chapter!! I'm expecting feedback to continue this
O Quinto Império - A Spain TL
Excerpt from the “ História Moderna de Espanha ” by Tomás Cavalcante d’Oliveira.
[...]
In the summer of 1462 was born the first and only child of the King Henrique IV of Castile, Joana, named as her mother, the long-awaited heiress of the Castilian throne. This birth provoked great disturbance in the court, as the aged king was taken as an infertile. The rumor was that the princess was actually the daughter of a high-rank noble, Dom Beltrão de la Cueva, a known lover of the queen consort, Joana of Portugal.
Pressures from part of the nobility made the king nominate his brother’s son, Afonso, as the true heir in 1464. The actions of the weak-willed king proved that the latter move wasn’t enough to satisfy the nobility, leading to a conspiracy that would overthrow of the king and the subsequent crowning of the infante Dom Afonso. This led to a minor war that ended in 1468, with the mysterious death of the 14-year old King Afonso.
The feeble king Henrique regained the throne but the struggle wasn’t finished. In 1468, Henry granted under pressure the title of Princess of Asturias to Isabella, his sister, as the true heiress of the Castilian throne, but was also in the pact that her future marriage should be approved by his brother.
At the age of three, Isabella was betrothed to Ferdinando the son of Juan II of Aragon. Nonetheless, Henrique IV broke this agreement six years later so that she could marry Carlos IV of Navarre, another son of the king of Aragon. This marriage did not come about because of John’s refusal. In February 1464 Henrique offered to marry Isabella to King Edward IV of England, an offer which was also declined. Other attempts were to marry Isabella to Alfonso V of Portugal. In 1464, Henry managed to unite Afonso and Isabella in the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe, but she refused him because of the great age difference between them.
In 1469, a final agreement between Portugal and Castile was finished. Joana, the daughter of Henrique IV, should be married to her uncle, Afonso V of Portugal, and Isabella should marry his son, the heir of the Portuguese throne, John, only 3 years younger than her; thereby, uniting the crowns of Castile and Portugal, maintaining the honor of Joan and conserving Isabella as the final heiress of the crown. That was the greatest political maneuver of the, so-called weak, Castilian king.
Henrique IV died in 1475 leaving his kingdom to his sister and the Portuguese infante with little commotion of the supporters of Joana, that later renounced hers claims. In 1480, Afonso V of Portugal also died, with the final union of the kingdoms, becoming Isabella and John the kings of Portugal and of Castile, tanto monta, monta tanto.
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