Blanca of Navarre Blanca Of ARAGON

Notes:

Blanca married Henry IV of Castile. The marriage was never consummated. After 13 years of marriage, Henry sought and obtained a divorce. Blanca was sent home, where her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed by poison.

Blanca of Navarre (1420-1464) was the daughter of John II of Aragon and Blanche I of Navarre. Blanche was Queen of Navarre and John was King of Aragon.

She married Henry IV of Castile. Blanca remained a virgin, not only on her wedding night, but for the rest of her marriage. After thirteen years, Henry sought a divorce. An official examination confirmed the virginity of Blanca. A divorce was granted by the Pope on the grounds that some "witchcraft" had prevented Henry from consummating the marriage. Blanca was sent home, where her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed by poison in 1464. She remained childless throughout her life.

Her half-brother, Fernando II of Aragon much later married Henry's half-sister, Isabella of Castile. Isabella then inherited the throne from Henry after Henry's second wife, Joana of Portugal only gave birth to a daughter and there were rumors that her daughter was illegitimate. Fernando was chosen over his half-brother, Charles, Prince of Viana to rule Aragon. Isabella and Fernando ruled what became Spain.

After the death of her brother in 1461, some Navarrese dissatisfied elements and some of the anti-Aragonese party regarded Blanca as the rightful monarch, as they had regarded Charles. They proclaimed her queen. She would have thus become Blanche II of Navarre, had not her father (who wanted to keep the government of Navarre) already had her incarcerated and thus not capable to act. Upon her death, her rights to Navarre were inherited by her next sister, Eleanor of Aragon, Countess of Foix, who however was their father's ally and supporter, and did not press her own claims until his death in 1479.

Blanca married Henry IV King Of Castile And LEON on 15 Sep 1440. Henry (son of JuanIIJohn II King Of Castile And LEON and Maria Of ARAGON) was born on 05 Jan 1425 in Valladolid; died on 11 Dec 1474 in Madrid, Spain. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Wikipedia Encyclopedia:
John II the Great (June 29, 1397 ? January 20, 1479) was the King of Aragon (1458?1479) and a King of Navarre (1425?1479). He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque. John is regarded as one of the most memorable and most unscrupulous kings of the 15th century.

In his youth he was one of the infantes (princes) of Aragon who took part in the dissensions of Castile during the minority and reign of John II. Till middle life he was also lieutenant-general in Aragon for his brother and predecessor Alfonso V, whose reign was mainly spent in Italy. In his old age he was engaged in incessant conflicts with his Aragonese and Catalan subjects, with Louis XI of France, and in preparing the way for the marriage of his son Ferdinand with Isabella of Castile which brought about the union of the crowns. His trouble with his subjects were closely connected with the tragic dissension in his own family.

John was first married to Blanche of Navarre of the house of …vreux. By right of Blanche he became king of Navarre, and on her death in 1441 he was left in possession of the kingdom for his lifetime. But a son, Charles, given the title "Prince of Viana" as heir of Navarre, had been born of the marriage. John quickly came to regard his son with jealousy. After his second marriage, to Juana EnrÌquez, this grew into absolute hatred and was encouraged by Juana. John tried to deprive his son of his constitutional right to act as lieutenant-general of Aragon during his father's absence. Charles's cause was taken up by the Aragonese, and the king's attempt to make his second wife lieutenant-general was set aside.

There followed a long conflict, with alternations of success and defeat, ending only with the death of the prince of Viana, perhaps by poison given him by his stepmother, in 1461. The Catalans, who had adopted the cause of Charles and who had grievances of their own, called in a succession of foreign pretenders. King John spent his last years contending with these. He was forced to pawn Roussillon, his possession on the north-east of the Pyrenees, to King Louis XI of France, who refused to part with it.

In his old age John was blinded by cataracts, but recovered his eyesight by the operation of couching conducted by his physician Abiathar Crescas, a Jew. The Catalan revolt was pacified in 1472, but John carried on a war, in which he was generally unfortunate, with his neighbour the French king till his death in 1479. He was succeeded by Ferdinand, his son by his second marriage, who was already associated with his wife Isabella as joint sovereign of Castile.

Juan married Blanca II Of NAVARRE. Blanca (daughter of The Noble Charles III Of NAVARRE and Eleanor Of CASTILE) was born in 1391; died on 03 Apr 1441. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Between 1425 and 1441, Queen of Navarre