| John II | |
|---|---|
 Tomb of John II in theMiraflores Charterhouse | |
| King of Castile andLeón | |
| Reign | 25 December 1406 – 20 July 1454 |
| Predecessor | Henry III |
| Successor | Henry IV |
| Born | 6 March 1405 Toro, Zamora |
| Died | 20 July 1454(1454-07-20) (aged 49) Valladolid |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue among others... | |
| House | Trastámara |
| Father | Henry III of Castile |
| Mother | Catherine of Lancaster |
| Signature |  |
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John II of Castile (Spanish:Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) wasKing ofCastile[1] andLeón from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister,Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, asPrince of Asturias in 1405.
John was the son ofKing Henry III and his wife,Catherine of Lancaster, a granddaughter ofKing Peter; Peter had been ousted by Henry III's grandfatherKing Henry II.[2] John succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, and united in his person the claims of both Peter and Henry II. His mother and his uncle,King Ferdinand I of Aragon, were co-regents during his minority. When Ferdinand I died in 1416, his mother governed alone until her death in 1418.
John II's reign, lasting 48 years, was one of the longest in Castilian history, but John himself was not a particularly capable monarch.[3] His birth was a consequence of a diplomatic agreement in 1386, negotiated by his grandfather's royalsteward and ambassadorDiego López de Medrano, Lord of Agoncillo, and two others, betweenJohn of Gaunt andJohn I of Castile over the Crown of Castile.[4][5][6] This agreement ultimately led to the 1388Treaty of Bayonne, which arranged the marriage of his motherCatherine of Lancaster to his fatherHenry III of Castile.[7]
Born on 6 March 1405, John II of Castile was under theguardianship of Diego López de Medrano, from the House of the Lords of San Gregorio inSoria, who also served as hismayordomo.[8][9] He spent his time verse-making, hunting, and holding tournaments. Hisfavourite,Álvaro de Luna, heavily influenced him until his second wife,Isabella of Portugal, obtained control of his feeble will. At her instigation, he dismissed and executed his faithful and able servant, an act which is said to have caused him much remorse.[10] The relationship between Álvaro and Juan has been described by some aspederastic.[3]
John II's Regents declared the Valladolid laws in 1411, which restricted the social activity ofJews. Among the most notable of the provisions were outlining that Jews must wear distinctive clothes and banned them from holding administrative positions.[11] However, once John took control of the throne for himself in 1418, he (though likely influenced politically by de Luna) reversed such ordinances, favoring instead a more tolerant attitude toward the already battered Jewish population of Castile following the mass wave of conversions between 1391 and 1415.
In 1431, John placedYusuf IV on the throne as theSultan of Granada in the MoorishEmirate of Granada, in exchange for tribute and vassal status to Castile.[12] This exchange is depicted in the short ballad theRomance of Abenamar.
He was "[T]all and handsome, fair-skinned and slightly ruddy... his hair was the color of a very mature hazelnut, the nose a little snub, the eyes between green and blue... he had very graceful legs and feet and hands."[13]
John II was the single largest contributor to the continuing construction of theAlcázar of Segovia and built the "New Tower" known today as the "Tower of John II".
John II died on 20 July 1454 inValladolid.
In 1418, John marriedMaria of Aragon, the oldest daughter of his paternal uncle, Ferdinand I of Aragon.[2] The marriage produced:
Of all their children, only the futureHenry IV of Castile survived infancy. John was widowed in 1445 and remarried toIsabella of Portugal,[2] daughter ofInfante John of Portugal, with whom he had two children:
| Ancestors of John II of Castile |
|---|
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "John II.".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 441.John II of Castile Born: 6 March 1405 Died: 20 July 1454 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Castile andLeón 1406–1454 | Succeeded by |
| Spanish royalty | ||
| Preceded by | Prince of Asturias 1405–1406 | Succeeded by |
|  | |
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