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Triumph of La Beltraneja
Chapter 1

The question of Isabella's marriage was not a new one. Indeed, she had made her debut in the matrimonial market at the tender age of six, with a betrothal to Ferdinand, the younger son of John II of Aragon (whose family was a cadet branch of the House of Trastámara). At that time, the two kings, Henry and John, were eager to show their mutual love and confidence and they believed that this double alliance would make their eternal friendship obvious to the world. This arrangement, however, did not last long.

Ferdinand's uncle Alfonso V of Aragon died in 1458. All of Alfonso's Spanish territories, as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, were left to his brother John II. John now had a stronger position than ever before and no longer needed the security of Henry's friendship. Henry was now in need of a new alliance. He saw the chance for this much needed new friendship in Charles of Viana, John's elder son. Charles was constantly at odds with his father, and because of this, he secretly entered into an alliance with Henry IV of Castile. A major part of the alliance was that a marriage was to be arranged between Charles and Isabella. When John II learned of this arranged marriage he was outraged. Isabella had been intended for his favourite younger son, Ferdinand, and in his eyes this alliance was still valid. John II had his son Charles thrown in prison on charges of plotting against his father's life; Charles died in 1461.

In 1465, an attempt was made to marry Isabella to Alfonso V of Portugal, Henry's brother-in-law. Through the medium of the Queen and Count of Ledesma, a Portuguese alliance was made. Isabella, however, was wary of the marriage and refused to consent.

A civil war broke out in Castile over King Henry's inability to act as sovereign. Henry now needed a quick way to please the rebels of the kingdom. As part of an agreement to restore peace, Isabella was to be betrothed to Pedro Girón Acuña Pacheco, Master of the Order of Calatrava and brother to the King's favourite, Juan Pacheco. In return, Don Pedro would pay into the impoverished royal treasury an enormous sum of money. Seeing no alternative, Henry agreed to the marriage. Isabella was aghast and prayed to God that the marriage would not come to pass. Her prayers were answered when Don Pedro suddenly fell ill and died while on his way to meet his fiancée.

When Henry recognised Isabella as his heir-presumptive on 19 September 1468, he also promised that his sister should not be compelled to marry against her will, while she in return agreed to obtain his consent. It seemed that finally the years of failed attempts at political marriages were over. There was talk of a marriage to or to one of his brothers, probably , but this alliance was never seriously considered. Once again in 1468, a marriage proposal arrived from Alfonso V of Portugal. Going against his promises made in September, Henry tried to make the marriage a reality. If Isabella married Alfonso, Henry's daughter Joanna would marry Alfonso's son and thus, after the death of the old king, John and Joanna could inherit Portugal and Castile. Isabella refused and made a secret promise to marry her cousin and very first betrothed, Ferdinand of Aragon.

After this failed attempt, Henry once again went against his promises and tried to marry Isabella to Louis XI's brother Charles, Duke of Berry. In Henry's eyes, this alliance would cement the friendship of Castile and France as well as remove Isabella from Castilian affairs. Isabella once again refused the proposal. Meanwhile, John II of Aragon negotiated in secret with Isabella a wedding to his son Ferdinand.

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Mary of Burgundy, Queen of Aragon

On 18 October 1469, Isabella would found out that Ferdinand of Aragon is already married to Mary of Burgundy, this marriage was quickly arranged due to the birth of Philip of Burgundy on December 2, 1468, Isabella would lament this fate until an offer of marriage by John II duke of Lorraine who is the rival of the King of Aragon and claimant to the Kingdom of Aragon would appear on March 1470 for one of his sons, Isabella would quickly accept the marriage proposal and went to Catalonia to marry his son and heir, on the same time, Anne of Beaujeu, the eldest daughter of the Spider King is betrothed to Maximilian of Austria due to the broken betrothal between Nicholas and Anne.

The marriage between Mary of Burgundy and Ferdinand of Aragon is a ploy of the Spider king who celebrated the birth of his dauphin Charles on December 4, 1469, and for this reason Isabella would hate the Spider King as long as she lives.


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Isabella, Duchess of Anjou and Lorraine

On January 10, 1471, the 18 year old Isabella of Castile and Nicholas of Lorraine were married just after Nicholas' father John died on December 1470.

Henry IV of Castile would approve of the marriage between Isabella and would arrange the betrothal of his daughter Joanna and Prince John of Portugal.

Isabella, duchess of Anjou would give birth to a son on November 4, 1471 named Louis.




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Joanna, Princess of Asturias
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