Treaty of Medina del Campo (1489)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Medina del Campo was an agreement developed on March 26, 1489 between England
and the nascent Spain
. Its provisions accomplished three goals: the establishment of a common policy for the two countries regarding France
, the reduction of tariffs between the two countries, and, most centrally, the arrangement of a marriage contract between Arthur Tudor, eldest son of Henry VII of England
, and Catherine of Aragon
, daughter of Isabella I of Castile
and Ferdinand II of Aragon
. The treaty was signed on March 27 by Spanish sovereigns, but its ratification by Henry did not occur until September of 1490 by the Treaty of Woking.
Henry VII Tudor had risen to the throne of England with his victory over Richard III Plantagenet
at the Battle of Bosworth Field
. Henry's claim to the throne of England lacked almost all validity by heredity; his possession of the crown was primarily by right of conquest, and he faced a host of claimants still alive with arguably better legal claims. By contrast, their Most Catholic Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella were secure upon what was soon to be the united throne of Spain. They were looking for help against their hereditary enemy, France. Henry had a new son, the Spanish rulers a very young daughter; a marriage and alliance would help each. Henry would gain the acceptance of his position by a major foreign power, and the Spanish would obtain military help against France.
By March of 1487, an offer of marriage had been made by the Spanish monarchs to Henry. Negotiations speedily resulted in an agreement in principle. The terms were set down to paper on March 26, 1489. They included clauses requiring England and Spain to come to each other's aid should they declare war upon France. However, the exact terms were much more favorable to the Spanish; England was required to support Spain militarily so long as the Spanish were still at war, unless the English had recovered the province of Guyenne
. By comparison, the Spanish were able to retire from military support if they recovered from France the much smaller districts of Roussillon
and Cerdanya
. The treaty established that Arthur and Catherine were to marry, and also established a dowry for Catherine of 200,000 crowns. Finally, by the provisions of the treaty, certain tariff
s were to be dropped between the countries, allowing a more free trade to develop, though it did cost Castilian merchants certain of their privileges. The Spanish rulers signed the treaty the next day.
Henry, however, did not ratify the treaty right away. Henry's foreign policy during 1489 and 1490 attempted to obtain substantial support from either the Spanish monarchs or Maximilian I Habsburg
, the Holy Roman Emperor, before he would commit to war against France. By September 1490 however, he was in a position to attempt a three-way alliance with Spain and the Habsburgs, and ratified the Treaty of Medina del Campo September 23. At the same time, an additional treaty was offered, modifying the terms of the Treaty of Medina del Campo, upon which Henry's assent was conditioned. This treaty was eventually rejected by the Spanish rulers; in the end, the terms of the Treaty of Medina del Campo went largely unexecuted. Eventually, the terms regarding the marriage were renegotiated in 1492, and again in 1497. The two royal children were finally married November 1501; Arthur died five months later.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the nascent Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Its provisions accomplished three goals: the establishment of a common policy for the two countries regarding France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the reduction of tariffs between the two countries, and, most centrally, the arrangement of a marriage contract between Arthur Tudor, eldest son of Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, and Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
, daughter of Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
and Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
. The treaty was signed on March 27 by Spanish sovereigns, but its ratification by Henry did not occur until September of 1490 by the Treaty of Woking.
Henry VII Tudor had risen to the throne of England with his victory over Richard III Plantagenet
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
at the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
. Henry's claim to the throne of England lacked almost all validity by heredity; his possession of the crown was primarily by right of conquest, and he faced a host of claimants still alive with arguably better legal claims. By contrast, their Most Catholic Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella were secure upon what was soon to be the united throne of Spain. They were looking for help against their hereditary enemy, France. Henry had a new son, the Spanish rulers a very young daughter; a marriage and alliance would help each. Henry would gain the acceptance of his position by a major foreign power, and the Spanish would obtain military help against France.
By March of 1487, an offer of marriage had been made by the Spanish monarchs to Henry. Negotiations speedily resulted in an agreement in principle. The terms were set down to paper on March 26, 1489. They included clauses requiring England and Spain to come to each other's aid should they declare war upon France. However, the exact terms were much more favorable to the Spanish; England was required to support Spain militarily so long as the Spanish were still at war, unless the English had recovered the province of Guyenne
Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne , , ; Occitan Guiana ) is a vaguely defined historic region of south-western France. The Province of Guyenne, sometimes called the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, was a large province of pre-revolutionary France....
. By comparison, the Spanish were able to retire from military support if they recovered from France the much smaller districts of Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
and Cerdanya
Cerdanya
Cerdanya is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it has been one of the counties of Catalonia....
. The treaty established that Arthur and Catherine were to marry, and also established a dowry for Catherine of 200,000 crowns. Finally, by the provisions of the treaty, certain tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s were to be dropped between the countries, allowing a more free trade to develop, though it did cost Castilian merchants certain of their privileges. The Spanish rulers signed the treaty the next day.
Henry, however, did not ratify the treaty right away. Henry's foreign policy during 1489 and 1490 attempted to obtain substantial support from either the Spanish monarchs or Maximilian I Habsburg
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
, the Holy Roman Emperor, before he would commit to war against France. By September 1490 however, he was in a position to attempt a three-way alliance with Spain and the Habsburgs, and ratified the Treaty of Medina del Campo September 23. At the same time, an additional treaty was offered, modifying the terms of the Treaty of Medina del Campo, upon which Henry's assent was conditioned. This treaty was eventually rejected by the Spanish rulers; in the end, the terms of the Treaty of Medina del Campo went largely unexecuted. Eventually, the terms regarding the marriage were renegotiated in 1492, and again in 1497. The two royal children were finally married November 1501; Arthur died five months later.