WI: Leonor of Viseu Dies in 1475

Kellan Sullivan

Let's assume that João II of Portugal's wife dies of something childbirth related in 1475 (her son also dies). She gave birth to her only surviving son, Affonso on 18 May, her father-in-law married Juana la Beltraneja on 30 May 1475. So, lets assume Leonor dies AFTER La Beltraneja is unavailable. Neither Castile nor Aragon have infantas available (unless you count the Neapolitan branch which Fernand and his dad both despised). João II is not only a widower, but a childless widower.

Any thoughts of who he would remarry to? Fernando and @isabella might insist on João II remarrying to their daughter, although Isabel Jr is all of 5yo in 1475, and once Affonso V is divorced from La Beltraneja, the Portuguese succession starts looking even thinner.

So...who would be in the running?

@curlyhairedhippie @KingOnTheEdge
 
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dragonstoned

João will need to remarry immediately and Aragon does have an available infanta—Juana of Aragon (b. 1455), Fernando's younger sister. In OTL she married Ferdinando of Naples in late 1476.
 

BlueFlowwer

Juana sounds good. But I'll be damned that Anne of France married her husband in 1473. A match between Anne de Beaujeu and one of the most terrifying monarchs of his time would have been a dream...
 
HortenseMancini

HortenseMancini

Juana of Aragon seems like the obvious choice, seeing as neither England, France, or Burgundy have any princesses to offer. I assume Fernando would arrange the match as part of the peace ending the War of Castilian Succession, no?

also, Juana’s luck in childbirth IOTL seems to have been little better than Leonor of Viseu’s. She had only two kids and one of them (her son, unfortunately) died in childhood. I don’t know if that death was avoidable or not but it may very well be that Manuel of Viseu still sees the Portuguese throne ITTL. Would he marry an ATL daughter of João and Juana? (Once João is good and dead, of course)
 
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dragonstoned

curlyhairedhippie said:
Also, Juana’s luck in childbirth IOTL seems to have been little better than Leonor of Viseu’s. She had only two kids and one of them (her son, unfortunately) died in childhood. I don’t know if that death was avoidable or not but it may very well be that Manuel of Viseu still sees the Portuguese throne ITTL.
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In Juana's defence her only having two kids might have something to do with her husband being in his fifties at the time of their marriage, his fertility was likely beginning to decline.

Very similarly to Fernando and Germaine of Foix, they had only one child Juan, Prince of Girona (b. 1509), but she went on to have a bastard daughter in 1518, at the age of 30.
 

Kellan Sullivan

BlueFlowwer said:
Juana sounds good. But I'll be damned that Anne of France married her husband in 1473. A match between Anne de Beaujeu and one of the most terrifying monarchs of his time would have been a dream...
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Now that would be fascinating.

curlyhairedhippie said:
Juana of Aragon seems like the obvious choice, seeing as neither England, France, or Burgundy have any princesses to offer. I assume Fernando would arrange the match as part of the peace ending the War of Castilian Succession, no?

also, Juana’s luck in childbirth IOTL seems to have been little better than Leonor of Viseu’s. She had only two kids and one of them (her son, unfortunately) died in childhood. I don’t know if that death was avoidable or not but it may very well be that Manuel of Viseu still sees the Portuguese throne ITTL. Would he marry an ATL daughter of João and Juana? (Once João is good and dead, of course)
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England does have a candidate - Elizabeth of York. She was born in 1466, so she could (theoretically) wind up with Joao as early as 1478 (after all, she was betrothed to Charles VIII in August 1475) but unfortunately that might be three years more than he's willing to wait.

Juana of Aragon does seem like the "logical" choice, but I wonder if Affonso V/Joao II would go for it? The Castilians would be (essentially) screwing Affonso out of one wife and forcing his son to take another.
 

Jan Olbracht

Kellan Sullivan said:
Let's assume that João II of Portugal's wife dies of something childbirth related in 1475 (her son also dies). She gave birth to her only surviving son, Affonso on 18 May, her father-in-law married Juana la Beltraneja on 30 May 1475. So, lets assume Leonor dies AFTER La Beltraneja is unavailable. Neither Castile nor Aragon have infantas available (unless you count the Neapolitan branch which Fernand and his dad both despised). João II is not only a widower, but a childless widower.

Any thoughts of who he would remarry to? Fernando and @isabella might insist on João II remarrying to their daughter, although Isabel Jr is all of 5yo in 1475, and once Affonso V is divorced from La Beltraneja, the Portuguese succession starts looking even thinner.

So...who would be in the running?

@curlyhairedhippie @KingOnTheEdge
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There are Navarrese infantas besides Juana of Aragon, Eleanor (1457-1480) is of right age. If she still dies in 1480 like IOTL then João may still marry Elizabeth of York as his third wife.
 
kasumigenx

kasumigenx

Jan Olbracht said:
There are Navarrese infantas besides Juana of Aragon, Eleanor (1457-1480) is of right age. If she still dies in 1480 like IOTL then João may still marry Elizabeth of York as his third wife.
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There is another one actually, Marie of Orleans, since they are still allied with France at that time.
 

Kellan Sullivan

Jan Olbracht said:
Louis XI despised his cousins from Orléans line, so I doubt he'd offer her, OTOH he may try to arrange João's marriage with one of his Savoy nieces.
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Jan Olbracht said:
There are Navarrese infantas besides Juana of Aragon, Eleanor (1457-1480) is of right age. If she still dies in 1480 like IOTL then João may still marry Elizabeth of York as his third wife.
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Both a Savoyard, Navarrese and a York match would be decidedly foreign, considering the predecessors. Could help clean out the gene pool some, no?
 

isabella

Kellan Sullivan said:
Both a Savoyard, Navarrese and a York match would be decidedly foreign, considering the predecessors. Could help clean out the gene pool some, no?
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Elizabeth of York or a Savoy princess surely. The princesses of Navarre much less as they are still granddaughters of Juan II of Aragon
 

Kellan Sullivan

Although, since a marriage to Elizabeth of York might only produce its first child in the 1480s, Isabel of Aragon would be down a husband (would be ironic if Liz has a few daughters first and her son by João is born end of the 1480s and only daughter of Fernando&Isabel available is Catherine of Aragon)
 

isabella

Kellan Sullivan said:
I take it that in the event of a usurpation here, Richard of Gloucester will NOT be considering Joana of Portugal?
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Once Elizabeth of York is married, Richard of Gloucester will NOT think to any usurpation as Elizabeth will be married to a powerful ruler and two of the three most realistic matches have Lancastrian blood (Maximilian of Austria, regent of Burgundy and John II of Portugal) and the third is the King of France
 

isabella

Kellan Sullivan said:
Although, since a marriage to Elizabeth of York might only produce its first child in the 1480s, Isabel of Aragon would be down a husband (would be ironic if Liz has a few daughters first and her son by João is born end of the 1480s and only daughter of Fernando&Isabel available is Catherine of Aragon)
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I think who would be better having Alfonso surviving and die as OTL as that will not prevent a remarriage of his father John for keeping Isabella of Aragon in Portugal (or she would be most likely chosen as third wife for John II).
At the same time an Isabella of Aragon NOT tied to Portugal would be likely end in England as Queen of Edward V (with Anne of Brittany destined to Richard of York) and that is pretty interesting, specially if Juan married Katherine of York (with Anne in Burgundy and Cecily in Spain as planned) and either lived or leaved heirs for Spain...
 

isabella

BlueFlowwer said:
Juana sounds good. But I'll be damned that Anne of France married her husband in 1473. A match between Anne de Beaujeu and one of the most terrifying monarchs of his time would have been a dream...
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Anne of France would NEVER be destined to a foreign match. She is her father‘s only useful daughter and he need her as strategical domestic pawn for preventing some very dangerous matches for his rule in France
 

BlueFlowwer

isabella said:
Anne of France would NEVER be destined to a foreign match. She is her father‘s only useful daughter and he need her as strategical domestic pawn for preventing some very dangerous matches for his rule in France
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Yes I know. But it would have been a awesome scenario if it happened.
 

Kellan Sullivan

BlueFlowwer said:
Yes I know. But it would have been a awesome scenario if it happened.
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I agree. But let's go back to May 1475 for the moment:

18 May - D. Leonor gives birth to Affonso, prince of Portugal
25 May - Affonso V marries Juana la Beltraneja
31 May - Isabel la Catolica gives birth to a surviving son, Juan, prince de los Asturias
June - Leonor de Viseu dies of undetermined causes.
 
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