Infante Henry, Duke of Villena
Encyclopedia
Infante Henry of Aragon 1st Duke of Villena, 4th Count of Alburquerque, 32nd Count of Ampurias, was the Grand Master of the Order of Santiago
.
and Eleanor of Alburquerque
, 3rd Countess of Alburquerque. His older brothers were King Alfonso V of Aragon
and King John II of Navarre but Henry's main estates were in Castile, left to him by his parents. As a child, Infante Henry came to the Castilian royal court, his paternal uncle, King Henry III of Castile
, having secured a place for him in the royal council of Henry's five years younger cousin, King John II of Castile
.
In 1409, Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, died. Infante Henry was proclaimed the new Grand Master despite being a child of merely nine years. After the death of his aunt, Catherine of Lancaster
, Henry aspired to influence his weak cousin John's reign and get a grip on power.
and by which Henry's sister Maria
married Catherine's brother John. Marriage to the King's sister increased Henry's power even more, to the point that the King began to consider him a threat and started seeking support in Álvaro de Luna
.
. He was released thanks to the efforts of his brother, after which he fled into exile.
After Álvaro de Luna was disgraced in 1427, Henry regained some of his former power. He and his wife returned to Castile to claim her inheritance and they were successful; having already been granted the Dukedom of Villena by her brother, they received the rest of her dowry
. In 1429, his brothers, the King of Aragon and the King of Navarre, declared war on Castile and had the Duke of Villena's support. The war was avoided thanks to their sister Maria's efforts. Henry then had to flee again, this time seeking shelter in the Kingdom of Naples
. Alfonso was there fighting for the crown of Naples. Villena was helping Alfonso when he was imprisoned in August 1435 after a battle along with him and their brother John. They were again liberated thanks to the efforts of their sister, the Queen of Castile.
His mother died in 1435, having willed her comital title to Henry. The new Count of Alburquerque returned to Castile one last time in 1438, after an uprising of the noblemen. He took part in the uprising and armed conflicts with his brother-in-law.
In 1445, Henry took part in the First Battle of Olmedo, helping his brother, the King of Navarre, against their brother-in-law, the King of Castile. According to one theory, the King of Navarre planned to conquer the southern part of the Kingdom of Castile
and proclaim Henry its king. However, Henry was wounded and died of infection a few weeks later.
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
.
Childhood
A member of the House of Trastamara, Henry was the third son of King Ferdinand I of AragonFerdinand I of Aragon
Ferdinand I called of Antequera and also the Just or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica and king of Sicily, duke of Athens and Neopatria, and count of Barcelona, Roussillon and Cerdanya...
and Eleanor of Alburquerque
Eleanor of Alburquerque
Eleanor, 2nd Countess of Alburquerque became Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Ferdinand I of Aragon. In Spanish, she is known as Leonor Urraca de Castilla, condesa de Alburquerque.- Family :...
, 3rd Countess of Alburquerque. His older brothers were King Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
and King John II of Navarre but Henry's main estates were in Castile, left to him by his parents. As a child, Infante Henry came to the Castilian royal court, his paternal uncle, King Henry III of Castile
Henry III of Castile
Henry III KG , sometimes known as Henry the Sufferer or Henry the Infirm , was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon, and succeeded him as King of the Castilian Crown in 1390....
, having secured a place for him in the royal council of Henry's five years younger cousin, King John II of Castile
John II of Castile
John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of...
.
In 1409, Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, died. Infante Henry was proclaimed the new Grand Master despite being a child of merely nine years. After the death of his aunt, Catherine of Lancaster
Catherine of Lancaster
-Coat of arms:The following are Armorials of the House of Lancaster under her father, John of Gaunt.-References:* Anthony Goodman: "Katherine of Lancaster" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30 , p. 890-891....
, Henry aspired to influence his weak cousin John's reign and get a grip on power.
First marriage
In November 1418, Henry married his first cousin, Infanta Catherine of Castile, the sister of King John II of Castile. The marriage was a part of an agreement by which Henry's older brother Alfonso married Catherine's older sister MariaMaria of Castile
Maria of Castile was Queen consort of Aragon and Naples as the spouse of Alfonso V of Aragon. Maria acted as the regent of Aragon during the reign of her spouse, as he was absent during most of his reign; her regencies lasted between 1420 and 1423 and between 1432 and 1458...
and by which Henry's sister Maria
Maria of Aragon, Queen of Castile
Maria of Aragon was the first wife and Queen consort of John II of Castile. The daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque, she married her cousin John in 1420.- Biography :...
married Catherine's brother John. Marriage to the King's sister increased Henry's power even more, to the point that the King began to consider him a threat and started seeking support in Álvaro de Luna
Álvaro de Luna
Álvaro de Luna y Jarana , Duke of Trujillo, 1st Count of San Esteban de Gormaz, was a Spanish politician...
.
Struggle for power
In 1420, Henry, with the help of some other noblemen, laid siege to the castle in which John II was residing, claiming that the King had been kidnapped by de Luna and demanding the King's surrender. After a few days, however, he lost the support of the noblemen and had to give up. The Infante was arrested and charged with treason and imprisoned in the Castle of MoraMora, Spain
Mora is a town and municipality in Toledo province, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. The area is most famous for the abandoned ruins of the San Marcos de Yegros monastery of the Order of Santiago, located northeast of the town of Mora about 10 km on the Calle de los...
. He was released thanks to the efforts of his brother, after which he fled into exile.
After Álvaro de Luna was disgraced in 1427, Henry regained some of his former power. He and his wife returned to Castile to claim her inheritance and they were successful; having already been granted the Dukedom of Villena by her brother, they received the rest of her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
. In 1429, his brothers, the King of Aragon and the King of Navarre, declared war on Castile and had the Duke of Villena's support. The war was avoided thanks to their sister Maria's efforts. Henry then had to flee again, this time seeking shelter in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. Alfonso was there fighting for the crown of Naples. Villena was helping Alfonso when he was imprisoned in August 1435 after a battle along with him and their brother John. They were again liberated thanks to the efforts of their sister, the Queen of Castile.
His mother died in 1435, having willed her comital title to Henry. The new Count of Alburquerque returned to Castile one last time in 1438, after an uprising of the noblemen. He took part in the uprising and armed conflicts with his brother-in-law.
Second marriage
In October 1439, his wife Catherine died after suffering a miscarriage. Their marriage was childless and her brother confiscated the Dukedom of Villena which he had given to her. Shortly thereafter, the widowed Infante married Beatriz de Pimentel, by whom he had one child:- Henry of Aragon (1445–1522), 1st Duke of Segorbe, whose granddaughter Anne was the last member of the House of Trastamara
In 1445, Henry took part in the First Battle of Olmedo, helping his brother, the King of Navarre, against their brother-in-law, the King of Castile. According to one theory, the King of Navarre planned to conquer the southern part of the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and proclaim Henry its king. However, Henry was wounded and died of infection a few weeks later.