#John II of Aragon

[docpiplup]

The Bastard Kings and their families

This is series of posts are complementary to this historical parallels post from the JON SNOW FORTNIGHT EVENT, and it's purpouse to discover the lives of medieval bastard kings, and the following posts are meant to collect portraits of those kings and their close relatives.

In many cases it's difficult to find contemporary art of their period, so some of the portrayals are subsequent.

1) Ferdinand I of Naples ( 1424 – 1494), son of Alfonso V of Aragon and Giraldona Carlino

2) Alfonso V of Aragon (1396 – 1458), son of Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor de Albuquerque

3) Isabella of Taranto or Clermont (c. 1424 – 1465), daughter of Tristan of Clermont and Catherine of Taranto

4) Alfonso II of Naples ( 1448 – 1495), son of Ferdinand I of Naples and his wife Isabella of Taranto

5) Eleanor of Naples (1450 – 1493) & Beatrice of Naples (1457 – 1508), daughters of Ferdinand I of Naples and his wife Isabella of Taranto

6) Frederick I of Naples (1452 – 1504), son of Ferdinand I of Naples and his wife Isabella of Taranto

7) Ferdinand of Aragon and Guardato (before 1494–1542), son of Ferdinand I of Naples and Diana Guardato

8) Eleanor of Aragon (1402 – 1445), daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Leonor de Albuquerque

9) I. John II of Aragon & Navarre (1398- 1479), son of Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor de Albuquerque

II. Blanche I of Navarre (1385​-1441), daughter of Charles III of Navarre and his wife Eleanor of Castile

III. Blanche II of Navarre (1424 – 1464), daughter of John II of Aragon and his wife Blanche I of Navarre

IV. Eleanor I of Navarre (1426 - 1479), daughter of John II of Aragon and his wife Blanche I of Navarre

V. Charles of Viana/ Charles IV of Navarre (1421- 1461), son of John II of Aragon and his wife Blanche I of Navarre

VI. Ferdinand II of Aragon & V of Castile (1452-1516), son of John II of Aragon and his wife Juana Enríquez

10)

I. Mary of Aragon ( 1403- 1445), daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor de Albuquerque

II. John II of Castile (1405- 1454), son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster

III. Henry IV of Castile (1425-1474), son of John II of Castile and his wife Mary of Aragon

IV. Isabella of Portugal (1428 - 1496), daughter of John of Portugal and Isabella of Barcelos

V. Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504), daughter of John II of Castile and his wife Isabella of Portugal

VI. Alfonso of Castile (1453​-1468), son of John II of Castile and his wife Isabella of Portugal

[lonelyqueenofhearts]

𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 + 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴

[edmundtudor]

Below the cut I have made a list of each English and British monarch, the age of their mothers at their births, and which number pregnancy they were the result of. Particularly before the early modern era, the perception of Queens and childbearing is quite skewed, which prompted me to make this list. I started with William I as the Anglo-Saxon kings didn’t have enough information for this list.

House of Normandy

William I (b. c.1028)

Son of Herleva (b. c.1003)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 25 at birth.

William II (b. c.1057/60)

Son of Matilda of Flanders (b. c.1031)

Third pregnancy at minimum, although exact birth order is unclear.

Approx age 26/29 at birth.

Henry I (b. c.1068)

Son of Matilda of Flanders (b. c.1031)

Fourth pregnancy at minimum, more likely eighth or ninth, although exact birth order is unclear.

Approx age 37 at birth.

Matilda (b. 7 Feb 1102)

Daughter of Matilda of Scotland (b. c.1080)

First pregnancy, possibly second.

Approx age 22 at birth.

Stephen (b. c.1092/6)

Son of Adela of Normandy (b. c.1067)

Fifth pregnancy, although exact birth order is uncertain.

Approx age 25/29 at birth.

Henry II (b. 5 Mar 1133)

Son of Empress Matilda (b. 7 Feb 1102)

First pregnancy.

Age 31 at birth.

Richard I (b. 8 Sep 1157)

Son of Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. c.1122)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 35 at birth.

John (b. 24 Dec 1166)

Son of Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. c.1122)

Tenth pregnancy.

Approx age 44 at birth.

House of Plantagenet

Henry III (b. 1 Oct 1207)

Son of Isabella of Angoulême (b. c.1186/88)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 19/21 at birth.

Edward I (b. 17 Jun 1239)

Son of Eleanor of Provence (b. c.1223)

First pregnancy.

Age approx 16 at birth.

Edward II (b. 25 Apr 1284)

Son of Eleanor of Castile (b. c.1241)

Sixteenth pregnancy.

Approx age 43 at birth.

Edward III (b. 13 Nov 1312)

Son of Isabella of France (b. c.1295)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 17 at birth.

Richard II (b. 6 Jan 1367)

Son of Joan of Kent (b. 29 Sep 1326/7)

Seventh pregnancy.

Approx age 39/40 at birth.

House of Lancaster

Henry IV (b. c.Apr 1367)

Son of Blanche of Lancaster (b. 25 Mar 1342)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 25 at birth.

Henry V (b. 16 Sep 1386)

Son of Mary de Bohun (b. c.1369/70)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 16/17 at birth.

Henry VI (b. 6 Dec 1421)

Son of Catherine of Valois (b. 27 Oct 1401)

First pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

House of York

Edward IV (b. 28 Apr 1442)

Son of Cecily Neville (b. 3 May 1415)

Third pregnancy.

Age 26 at birth.

Edward V (b. 2 Nov 1470)

Son of Elizabeth Woodville (b. c.1437)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 33 at birth.

Richard III (b. 2 Oct 1452)

Son of Cecily Neville (b. 3 May 1415)

Eleventh pregnancy.

Age 37 at birth.

House of Tudor

Henry VII (b. 28 Jan 1457)

Son of Margaret Beaufort (b. 31 May 1443)

First pregnancy.

Age 13 at birth.

Henry VIII (b. 28 Jun 1491)

Son of Elizabeth of York (b. 11 Feb 1466)

Third pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Edward VI (b. 12 Oct 1537)

Son of Jane Seymour (b. c.1509)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 28 at birth.

Jane (b. c.1537)

Daughter of Frances Brandon (b. 16 Jul 1517)

Third pregnancy.

Approx age 20 at birth.

Mary I (b. 18 Feb 1516)

Daughter of Catherine of Aragon (b. 16 Dec 1485)

Fifth pregnancy.

Age 30 at birth.

Elizabeth I (b. 7 Sep 1533)

Daughter of Anne Boleyn (b. c.1501/7)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 26/32 at birth.

House of Stuart

James I (b. 19 Jun 1566)

Son of Mary I of Scotland (b. 8 Dec 1542)

First pregnancy.

Age 23 at birth.

Charles I (b. 19 Nov 1600)

Son of Anne of Denmark (b. 12 Dec 1574)

Fifth pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Charles II (b. 29 May 1630)

Son of Henrietta Maria of France (b. 25 Nov 1609)

Second pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

James II (14 Oct 1633)

Son of Henrietta Maria of France (b. 25 Nov 1609)

Fourth pregnancy.

Age 23 at birth.

William III (b. 4 Nov 1650)

Son of Mary, Princess Royal (b. 4 Nov 1631)

Second pregnancy.

Age 19 at birth.

Mary II (b. 30 Apr 1662)

Daughter of Anne Hyde (b. 12 Mar 1637)

Second pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Anne (b. 6 Feb 1665)

Daughter of Anne Hyde (b. 12 Mar 1637)

Fourth pregnancy.

Age 27 at birth.

House of Hanover

George I (b. 28 May 1660)

Son of Sophia of the Palatinate (b. 14 Oct 1630)

First pregnancy.

Age 30 at birth.

George II (b. 9 Nov 1683)

Son of Sophia Dorothea of Celle (b. 15 Sep 1666)

First pregnancy.

Age 17 at birth.

George III (b. 4 Jun 1738)

Son of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (b. 30 Nov 1719)

Second pregnancy.

Age 18 at birth.

George IV (b. 12 Aug 1762)

Son of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 19 May 1744)

First pregnancy.

Age 18 at birth.

William IV (b. 21 Aug 1765)

Son of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 19 May 1744)

Third pregnancy.

Age 21 at birth.

Victoria (b. 24 May 1819)

Daughter of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafield (b. 17 Aug 1786)

Third pregnancy.

Age 32 at birth.

Edward VII (b. 9 Nov 1841)

Daughter of Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 24 May 1819)

Second pregnancy.

Age 22 at birth.

House of Windsor

George V (b. 3 Jun 1865)

Son of Alexandra of Denmark (b. 1 Dec 1844)

Second pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

Edward VIII (b. 23 Jun 1894)

Son of Mary of Teck (b. 26 May 1867)

First pregnancy.

Age 27 at birth.

George VI (b. 14 Dec 1895)

Son of Mary of Teck (b. 26 May 1867)

Second pregnancy.

Age 28 at birth.

Elizabeth II (b. 21 Apr 1926)

Daughter of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (b. 4 Aug 1900)

First pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Charles III (b. 14 Nov 1948)

Son of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (b. 21 Apr 1926)

First pregnancy.

Age 22 at birth.

[palecleverdoll]

Ages of English Queens at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list. For this reason, women such as Philippa of Hainault and Anne Boleyn have been omitted.

This list is composed of Queens of England when it was a sovereign state, prior to the Acts of Union in 1707. Using the youngest possible age for each woman, the average age at first marriage was 17.

Eadgifu (Edgiva/Ediva) of Kent, third and final wife of Edward the Elder: age 17 when she married in 919 CE

Ælfthryth (Alfrida/Elfrida), second wife of Edgar the Peaceful: age 19/20 when she married in 964/965 CE

Emma of Normandy, second wife of Æthelred the Unready: age 18 when she married in 1002 CE

Ælfgifu of Northampton, first wife of Cnut the Great: age 23/24 when she married in 1013/1014 CE

Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor: age 20 when she married in 1045 CE

Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror: age 20/21 when she married in 1031/1032 CE

Matilda of Scotland, first wife of Henry I: age 20 when she married in 1100 CE

Adeliza of Louvain, second wife of Henry I: age 18 when she married in 1121 CE

Matilda of Boulogne, wife of Stephen: age 20 when she married in 1125 CE

Empress Matilda, wife of Henry V, HRE, and later Geoffrey V of Anjou: age 12 when she married Henry in 1114 CE

Eleanor of Aquitaine, first wife of Louis VII of France and later Henry II of England: age 15 when she married Louis in 1137 CE

Isabella of Gloucester, first wife of John Lackland: age 15/16 when she married John in 1189 CE

Isabella of Angoulême, second wife of John Lackland: between the ages of 12-14 when she married John in 1200 CE

Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III: age 13 when she married Henry in 1236 CE

Eleanor of Castile, first wife of Edward I: age 13 when she married Edward in 1254 CE

Margaret of France, second wife of Edward I: age 20 when she married Edward in 1299 CE

Isabella of France, wife of Edward II: age 13 when she married Edward in 1308 CE

Anne of Bohemia, first wife of Richard II: age 16 when she married Richard in 1382 CE

Isabella of Valois, second wife of Richard II: age 6 when she married Richard in 1396 CE

Joanna of Navarre, wife of John IV of Brittany, second wife of Henry IV: age 18 when she married John in 1386 CE

Catherine of Valois, wife of Henry V: age 19 when she married Henry in 1420 CE

Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI: age 15 when she married Henry in 1445 CE

Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Sir John Grey and later Edward IV: age 15 when she married John in 1452 CE

Anne Neville, wife of Edward of Lancaster and later Richard III: age 14 when she married Edward in 1470 CE

Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII: age 20 when she married Henry in 1486 CE

Catherine of Aragon, wife of Arthur Tudor and later Henry VIII: age 15 when she married Arthur in 1501 CE

Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII: age 24 when she married Henry in 1536 CE

Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII: age 25 when she married Henry in 1540 CE

Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII: age 17 when she married Henry in 1540 CE

Jane Grey, wife of Guildford Dudley: age 16/17 when she married Guildford in 1553 CE

Mary I, wife of Philip II of Spain: age 38 when she married Philip in 1554 CE

Anne of Denmark, wife of James VI & I: age 15 when she married James in 1589 CE

Henrietta Maria of France, wife of Charles I: age 16 when she married Charles in 1625 CE

Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II: age 24 when she married Charles in 1662 CE

Anne Hyde, first wife of James II & VII: age 23 when she married James in 1660 CE

Mary of Modena, second wife of James II & VII: age 15 when she married James in 1673 CE

Mary II of England, wife of William III: age 15 when she married William in 1677 CE

[a-turtle-dove-on-my-breast]

Thanks @hilda-dewitt for this great piece of work depicting Louis I of Anjou and Marie of Blois, great-grandparents of Margaret of Anjou. Louis I of Anjou was the founder of the Angevin cadet branch of the House of Valois, and Marie of Blois was the first of a series of powerful women in the House of Valois-Anjou.

I really found their story to be full of fun and drama. After King John II of France was taken prisoner in the Battle of Poitiers, Louis broke the Aragonese marriage contract arranged by his father to marry Marie, the daughter of one major claimant to the ducal throne of Brittany, neighboring his appanage of Anjou. His desire to meet his wife pushed him to end his hostage career in England prematurely on his own, and more or less led to the decision of John II to return to captivity, lol. While Marie's father fell in battle six months after John the Good's death in London, the couple remained close and intimate throughout their lives. Louis served as a leading military commander in his elder brother Charles V's reconquest of southwestern France during the second phase of the Hundred Years' War. He was also a loyal friend and protector of Bertrand du Guesclin, who fought for Marie's father before entering service for the Valois. However, due to his role in the 1378 tax revolts and his overambitious claim to the throne of Naples, Louis remained a controversial figure in France, and his past accomplishments were little appreciated. After Louis's death in the unsuccessful march to Naples, Marie continued their quest for the Neapolitan crown, and, after a tough fight against opposing claimants, secured for their seven-year-old son Louis II the County of Provence, which was in a personal union with the Kingdom of Naples. She acted as regent for Louis II during his minority, and arranged the marriage between him and Yolande of Aragon.

[english-history-trip]

Drawing of Henry VI of England by Jörg von Ehingen.

From 1457-1459, Swabian knight Jörg von Ehingen traveled Europe participating in various campaigns; throughout, he kept a journal and sketchbook of his impressions of the many royal courts he passed through. His compilation includes portraits, in the order of his visits, of Duke Ladislaus V of Austria, Charles VII of France, Henry IV of Castile, Henry VI of England, Alfonso V of Portugal, Janus III of Cyprus, Duke René of Anjou, John II of Aragon, and James II of Scotland.

[cadmusfly]

Non Comprehensive List of the Nice Spanish Paintings That Mysteriously Ended Up in Marshal Soult's Collection

Sourced from the essay Seville's Artistic Heritage during the French Occupation in the book Manet/Velázquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting, which can be downloaded for free on the Met's website which is frankly awesome but i wish someone OCRed their book

In 1852 at the sale of his collection, there were 109 paintings up for sale - 78 from the Seville School, including 15 Murillos and 15 Zurbaráns.

It's interesting that Soult wanted to legitimize his ownership of these paintings via receipts and official documentation - the biography of him I was machine translating talks about the king questioning his collection and him pulling out receipts for each painting. But, well, the essay puts it like this: "The existence of an official letter can be explained by Soult's desire to dress up in legal or formal terms what was in reality theft or extortion."

I might put excerpts from the essay in a different post, but for now, let's look at the list! Modern locations of the paintings are in parentheses, and I must say, for an essay critical of historical reappropriation of artwork, a lot of these artworks are still extant. Not a dig or anything, just an observation.

I do not condone extorting or stealing priceless Spanish artworks anyway

On with the show!

Murillo The Immaculate Conception (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid) Virgin and Child (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Nursing the Sick (Church of the Hospital de la Caridad, Seville) Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (National Gallery, London) The Return of the Prodigal Son (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) Abraham and the Three Angels (National Gallery Of Canada, Ottawa) The Liberation of Saint Peter (State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg) Saint Junipero and the Pauper (Musée du Louvre, Paris) Saint Salvador de Horta and the Inquisitor Of Aragon (Musée Bonnat, Bayonne) Brother Julián de Alcalá and the Soul of Philip II (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.) The Angels' Kitchen (Musée du Louvre, Paris) The Dream Of the Patrician (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid) The Patrician John and His Wife (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid) The Triumph of the Eucharist (Lord Farringdon Collection, Buscot Park, Farringdon, England) Saint Augustine in Ecstasy [Not sourced from the above book, from a Christies auction actually]

Herrera the Elder The Israelites Receiving Manna (unknown/destroyed?) Moses Striking the Rock (unknown/destroyed?) The Marriage at Cana (unknown/destroyed?) The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Musée d'Amiens, destroyed in 1918) Last Communion of Saint Bonaventure (Musée du Louvre, Paris) Saint Basil Dictating His Doctrine (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

Zurbarán Saint Apollonia (Musée du Louvre, Paris) Saint Lucy Musée des Beaux-Arts, Chartres Saint Anthony Abbot (private collection, Madrid) Saint Lawrence (State Hermitage, St. Petersburg) Saint Bonaventure at the Council of Lyon (Musée du Louvre, Paris) Saint Bonaventure on His Bier (Musée du Louvre, Paris) The Apotheosis of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Museo de Bellas Artes, Seville) Saints Romanus and Barulas (Art Institute of Chicago) paintings of the archangel Gabriel and Saint Agatha (both Musée de Montpellier)

Cano Saint John with the Poisoned Chalice and Saint James the Apostle (both Musée du Louvre, Paris) Saint John Giving Communion to the Virgin (Palazzo Bianco, Genoa) Saint John's Vision Of God (John and Mable Ringling Museum Of Art, Sarasota) Charity and Faith (present location unknown; 1852 Soult sale) Saint Agnes (destroyed in fire in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin)

Uncertain source, thought to be Murillo at the time A Resting Virgin (usually identified as The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, Wallace Collection London) The Death Of Abel Saint Peter Saint Paul

Other artists in his collection whose specific works weren't named Sebastiån de Llanos Valdés Pedro de Camprobin José Antolinez Sebastiån Gomez

[marytudorqueenofengland]

“By ancestry, Elizabeth was primarily English - going back five generations, 78.13% of her ancestry was English (along with 6.25% each Welsh and Sicilian, and 3.13% each French, Irish, and German.)

Mary’s ancestry, on the other hand, was more mixed. Her largest group of ancestry to five generations was English, but only 37.5%, along with 31.25% Spanish, 12.5% Portuguese, and the same percentages of Welsh, Sicilian, French, Irish, and German as her half-sister above (all being from their father.)

However, through her mother Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s royal English ancestry was much weaker - both of her Anne’s parents were 4th-generation descendants of daughters of Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, and his wife Lady Elizabeth de Bohun, a great-granddaughter of King Edward I (reigned 1272–1307).

Mary’s mother Catherine of Aragon, had more recent royal English ancestry - she was descended from two different daughters (one from each of his first two marriages) from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the son of King Edward III (reigned 1327–1377) who founded the Lancaster branch of the royal family which battled the York branch in the Wars of the Roses.

Interestingly, this made Mary the first English monarch to have both royal ancestry from both the Lancaster and York English royal houses - and the last until Charles II in 1660.”

(I don’t remember the exact source of this information that I had in my drafts but I found it interesting to share )

[heather123fan-blog]

medieval women week (day one)

favourite queen or queen-adjacent woman: Yolande of Aragon

Yolande of Aragon was the eldest daughter of King John I of Aragon and his second wife, Violante [Yolande] of Bar. From birth, it made Yolande a significant individual. From her father, she held claims to Aragon, from her mother’s line she was a granddaughter of John II of France. Far from accepting a destiny mapped out for her in childhood, Yolande resisted arrangements, which was a sign of things to come. Yolande of Aragon went on to become one of the most influential women of the Hundred Years War.

Through her daughter's marriage to the Dauphin of France the future Charles VII Yolande secured her position as queen consort. Through careful diplomacy she played an instrumental role in putting the Dauphin on the throne of France.

Whilst Yolande is most frequently remembered for her political acumen, she was also a great patron of the arts. The Hours of Isabella Stuart were originally commissioned by Yolande for one of her daughters, also called Yolande.

*There are various dates of birth given for Yolande ranging from the late 1370’s to August 1384.

Links

Unofficial Royalty

The Free Library

Encyclopedia.com

[gulnarsultan]

Yandere Genderbend Catherine of Aragon headcanon

Carlos of Aragon / King Carlos

He was the third son and last child of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isbaella i of Casile. Prince Carlos was born in 1485. Carlos was the apple of his family's eye. After his older brother John died, both of his parents became more protective of Prince Carlos. Prince Carlos was a well-educated and handsome man. In addition to being clever, he was good at activities such as wielding swords, riding horses, and hunting. He was loved and supported by the public. Prince Carlos was tough, resourceful and resilient in person. Prince Carlos had a strong sense of duty and religious integrity. Obstinacy was Prince Carlos' shield.

Prince Carlos falls in love the moment he meets you. Your financial situation and social status are not important to him. He will woo you properly. He will want to marry you. But if this is not possible, he will make you his mistress. You will live in a palace or a mansion. You have guards guarding you and lots of bridesmaids. All the children you give birth to will be legitimized. No one can disrespect or harm you. Carlos will be a great father to your children. He spends all his free time with you. It pampers you and your children a lot.

[horizon-verizon]

Actually, Henry VIII did consider it. In 1525 the fact that it was extremely unlikely that he would have a legitimate son by Catherine of Aragon was staring Henry in the face. He was 33 years old, and his wife was 39. She had given birth to a stillborn daughter in November 1518, when she was almost 33, and had not conceived again. Although there were stories of women giving birth in their early 40s (Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II of England, gave birth to the future King John when she was at least 42 years old), in fact the menopause often came in the early 40s at this time. But Henry knew it was not his fault, apart from the fact that the medical knowledge of his time placed the blame for the success of pregnancies and the sex of the baby entirely on the woman, there was also the fact that his mistress Bessie Blount had given him an illegitimate but strong and healthy son in 1519.

His first option in 1525 was to legitimise this son by Bessie Blount. Stranger things had happened, and it might be possible. However, the main method was for the parents to marry and then petition the Pope to legitimise their offspring. He obviously could not do this, for not only was he himself married to Catherine, Bessie (unsuitable to be Queen in any case) was also married, to Sir Gilbert Tailboys, by whom she had 3 children, including two sons. Anyway, on June 18 1525 Henry created his son Duke of Richmond. This title was highly significant, having been claimed by Henry Tudor before he became Henry VII. This does not necessarily mean Henry was seriously considering petitioning the Pope to legitimise the boy, it was intended as a signal to all that he was keeping his options open. It was widely rumoured that he was considering seeking a dispensation to allow the boy to marry his half-sister Mary. However, Mary was only 9 and the boy only 6, so it would be a long time before they could possibly have a child, with the possible problems such as the first child dying or being a girl, then needing to live to be perhaps 17 to rule without a regency, it was too long to wait. The following month Mary was sent off to live in the Marches of Wales with a lavish entourage, but not named Princess of Wales.

His second option was to acknowledge Mary as his heir and try to find her a suitable husband, who would expect the Crown Matrimonial, and to be King, with the crown eventually passing to their son. Given the English aversion to the idea of a foreign ruler, the selection presented some difficulties. Mary was in any case only 9 years old at this time and a valid marriage could not be contracted for at least 3 years.

His third option is a variant of the second, not to name Mary as heir but to marry Mary off as soon as possible to a suitable groom and then wait for her to bear a son who could be named heir. This had a lot of problems, and it is no surprise Henry did not go for it. Firstly Mary was only 9, and was small and young for her age, she would probably not be in a condition to conceive and bear a child for at least 6 years, perhaps longer. Although Henry’s grandmother Margaret Beaufort had borne her only son at the age of 13, she had been a robust specimen, and she had never borne another child, or even, so far as we know, been pregnant. There would have been a serious risk of Mary dying in childbirth and the child not surviving. And then the first child might be a girl. It might be at least nine or ten years before she had a son, and another 15 or 16 before that son would be ready to rule without a long regency which might well bring a return to civil war, too long to wait. Henry could not expect to live another 25 years. It also depended on her being willing to be passed over in favour of her own son, and on the willingness of her husband to forego the crown matrimonial, an unlikely prospect in a suitable groom.

His fourth option was to rid himself of his present wife and seek another. Since he had convinced himself that their reproductive failures were down to her, this presented the best option. It should also be the quickest, and that was important. Kings regularly got rid of an infertile wife with the full connivance of the Pope and married another. Henry was aware that at the time of their marriage questions had been raised about its lawfulness, but in his eagerness to marry Catherine he had simply swept them aside. Now he went back to them.

Writers on the subject, especially novelists, often suggest that Henry only became interested in ending his marriage to Catherine when he passionately fell for Anne Boleyn, but this is not true. He began to explore his options LONG BEFORE any involvement with Anne began, while he was still probably pursuing his affair with her sister Mary. Henry’s break with Catherine of Aragon, and his break with Rome, are often blamed on his love for Anne Boleyn. Novels show a tendency to treat Henry rather like a modern film or pop star, discarding wives at a sexual whim. In fact it was his lack of a male heir which drove this development, and later drove his break with Anne Boleyn. Had Catherine and Henry had a surviving son she would have remained securely queen for the rest of her life. There would have been no vacancy for queen unless Catherine died, in which case Henry would presumably have made another marriage to a foreign princess. And had Anne Boleyn successfully borne a healthy son, again she would have remained queen for the rest of her life.

Anon is answering my question.

This is very fascinating, thanks, anon!!

[docpiplup]

The Bastard Kings and their families

This is series of posts are complementary to this historical parallels post from the JON SNOW FORTNIGHT EVENT, and it's purpouse to discover the lives of medieval bastard kings, and the following posts are meant to collect portraits of those kings and their close relatives.

In many cases it's difficult to find contemporary art of their period, so some of the portrayals are subsequent.

1) Henry II of Castile ( 1334 – 1379), son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Leonor de Guzmán; and his son with Juana Manuel de Villena, John I of Castile (1358 – 1390)

2) His wife, Juana Manuel de Villena (1339 – 1381), daughter of Juan Manuel de Villena and his wife Blanca de la Cerda y Lara; with their daughter, Eleanor of Castile (1363 – 1415/1416)

3) His father, Alfonso XI of Castile (1311 – 1350), son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal

4) His mother, Leonor de Guzmán y Ponce de León (1310–1351), daughter of Pedro Núñez de Guzmán and his wife Beatriz Ponce de León

5) His brother, Tello Alfonso of Castile (1337–1370), son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Leonor de Guzmán

6) His brother, Sancho Alfonso of Castile (1343–1375), son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Leonor de Guzmán

7) Daughters in law:

I. Eleonor of Aragon (20 February 1358 – 13 August 1382), daughter of Peter IV of Aragon and his wife Eleanor of Sicily; John I of Castile's first wife

II. Beatrice of Portugal (1373 – c. 1420) daughter of Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife Leonor Teles de Meneses; John I of Castile's second wife

Son in law:

III. Charles III of Navarre (1361 –1425), son of Charles II of Navarre and Joan of Valois; Eleanor of Castile's huband

8) His brother, Peter I of Castile (1334 – 1369), son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Mary of Portugal

9) His niece, Isabella of Castile (1355 – 1392), daughter of Peter I of Castile and María de Padilla

10) His niece, Constance of Castile (1354 – 1394), daughter of Peter I of Castile and María de Padilla

[goodqueenaly]

I accidentally deleted the following ask I was sent by @queenmorganlafay:

Hi. In a previous post, you mentioned that Rhaella might have crowned Viserys by touching her crown to his forehead. Is this something that’s done in real life, to bestow power on child kings and consorts?

(Referencing this ask)

There have certainly been changes to coronation rituals when child kings have been involved. Henry III was infamously crowned as a child not with a great crown of state (though the original St. Edward's Crown appears to have been one of the few crown jewels King John did not lose in the Wash) but with a corolla belonging to his mother, the dowager Queen Isabella; Edward VI too, although crowned with both St. Edward's Crown and the imperial crown, wore a crown specifically made to be light and small enough to fit the nine-year-old king's head. Likewise, when Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned at nine months old, Cardinal David Beaton simply held the crown over the head of the infant queen, rather than attempting to make the baby wear it. Too, there have been coronation rituals in history where a monarch uses their own crown to symbolically confer power upon another monarch: Nicholas II of Russia, for example, crowned his wife Alexandra by first placing his own magnificent imperial crown on her head for a moment before removing it and giving her the consort's crown instead. There can also be modifications, sometimes amusing, to a coronation ritual when circumstances demand it: when Charles of Valois, son of King Philip III of France, was acclaimed as King of Aragon during the Aragonese Crusade, for example, Cardinal Jean Cholet used his own galero (the wide-brimmed red hat of a cardinal) to crown young Charles, earning him the nickname roi du chapeau. 

In any event, the reason there is so much room to speculate here is because Targaryen coronations have been anything but consistent when it comes to their form or rituals, especially those responsible for the actual act of crowning. Queen Visenya placed the crown on Aegon the Conqueror's head at his first coronation (as she would later for her son Maegor), in the Aegonfort, while the ruling High Septon did so at his second, Oldtown coronation. Aenys I was presented with a crown by the High Septon when he became king, but it is unclear whether this represented a true act of coronation (as Aenys was also said to have "donned his father's iron-and-ruby crown" after the funeral of Aegon I, whereupon "Grand Maester Gawen proclaimed him" king). The ruling High Septon did the honors for the young King Jaehaerys I, but Gyldayn remains silent on any accession ceremonies for his grandson and heir, Viserys I (we'll leave aside the Stepstones coronation of Prince Daemon by his future father-in-law, Corlys Velaryon). During the Dance, each rival faction had its own coronation, with Criston Cole placing the Conqueror's crown on Aegon II's head and Prince Daemon crowning Rhaenyra with the crown of King Jaehaerys. (Though it is worth noting that Queen Alicent was reported to have placed her own crown on the head of the new queen, her daughter Helaena.) Aegon III appears to have been crowned by the High Septon, and the young king himself crowned his (first) queen, Jaehaera - though after Fire and Blood Volume 1, details on Targaryen coronations grow even more scarce (we know, for example, the High Septon crowned Daeron II, and we know there were coronations for Jaehaerys II and Aerys II, but little else). 

So in the last days of the Targaryen monarchy, as Queen Rhaella and her exiled household on Dragonstone watched an aristocratic revolution sweep away the old dynasty, the widowed queen may have decided to invent her own ritual of coronation for her sole remaining son, not only because there was little if any established precedent but also because she herself had limited resources at her disposal. If she herself had worn a crown as she sailed to Dragonstone (as Viserys and Daenerys certainly had such a piece for a time in Essos), she would not have had Aegon IV's ostentatious crown (worn by her husband), nor almost certainly the crowns of Aenys or Maekar (whose fates after the lives of their known bearers remain unknown). Nor could the High Septon sail to Dragonstone in the last hours of the civil war to acclaim young Viserys king, even if he had wanted to do so. In turn, maybe Rhaella figured that she was the only one on Dragonstone with the symbolic, regal standing necessary to confer the mystical aura of kingship to young Viserys. If a born Targaryen like Queen Rhaenys could crown a king, and if a Targaryen queen by marriage could crown her daughter as queen, then she, Rhaella, could crown her son as king, she might have thought - and if she lacked the proper coronal equipment traditional for a Targaryen king, she would simply use the crown she had on hand, already invested with her own queenly authority. Aerys II, perhaps, had crowned her queen (s Aegon III did for Jaehaera), or at the very least she had become queen at the moment he became king; by a sort of transitive property, then, Rhaella perhaps placing her crown on Viserys' brow may have linked the son to his father as his heir and successor. We don't know that any of this actually happened, of course, but if it did this is what I think might have been Rhaella's thinking on the matter

[illustratus]

Catalan Civil War 1462-1472

The Catalan Civil War, also called the Catalonian Civil War or the War against John II, was a civil war in the Principality of Catalonia, then part of the Crown of Aragon, between 1462 and 1472.

[palecleverdoll]

Wives and Daughters of Holy Roman Emperors: Age at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list.

This list does not include women who died before their husbands were crowned Emperor. It spans between the beginning of the reign of Otto I (962 CE) and the end of the reign of Francis II (1806 CE).

The average age at first marriage among these women was 17. The sample size was 91 women. The youngest bride, Bianca Maria Sforza, was just 2 years old when she wed her first husband, who was himself 9. The oldest bride, Constance of Sicily, was 32 years old.

Adelaide of Italy, wife of Otto I, HRE: age 15 when she married Lothair II, King of Italy, in 947 CE

Liutgarde of Saxony, daughter of Otto I, HRE: age 15 when she married Conrad the Red, Duke of Lorraine, in 947 CE

Theophanu, wife of Otto II, HRE: age 17 when she married Otto in 972 CE

Cunigunde of Luxembourg, wife of Henry II, HRE: age 24 when she married Henry in 999 CE

Gisela of Swabia, wife of Conrad II, HRE: age 12 when she married Brun I of Brunswick in 1002 CE

Agnes of Poitou, wife of Henry III, HRE: age 18 when she married Henry in 1043 CE

Matilda of Germany, daughter of Henry III, HRE: age 11 when she married Rudolf of Rheinfelden in 1059 CE

Judith of Swabia, daughter of Henry III, HRE: age 9 when she married Solomon, King of Hungary in 1063 CE

Bertha of Savoy, wife of Henry IV, HRE: age 15 when she married Henry in 1066 CE

Agnes of Waiblingen, daughter of Henry IV, HRE: age 14 when she married Frederick I, Duke of Swabia in 1086 CE

Empress Matilda, wife of Henry V, HRE: age 12 when she married Henry in 1114 CE

Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, wife of Frederick I, HRE: age 13 when she married Frederick in 1156 CE

Beatrice, daughter of Frederick I, HRE: age 10 when she married Guillaume II, Count of Chalon in 1173 CE

Constance, Queen of Sicily, wife of Henry IV, HRE: age 32 when she married Henry IV in 1186 CE

Beatrice of Swabia, first wife of Otto IV, HRE: age 14 when she married Otto in 1212 CE

Maria of Brabant, second wife of Otto IV, HRE: age 24 when she married Otto in 1214 CE

Constance of Aragon, first wife of Frederick II, HRE: age 19 when she married Emeric of Hungary in 1198 CE

Isabella II of Jerusalem, second wife of Frederick II, HRE: age 13 when she married Frederick in 1225 CE

Isabella of England, third wife of Frederick II, HRE: age 21 when she married Frederick in 1235 CE

Margaret of Sicily, daughter of Frederick II, HRE: age 14 when she married Albert II, Margrave of Meissen in 1255 CE

Anna of Hohenstaufen, daughter of Frederick II, HRE: age 14 when she married John III Doukas Vatatzes in 1244 CE

Marie of Luxembourg, daughter of Henry VII, HRE: age 18 when she married Charles IV of France in 1322 CE

Beatrice of Luxembourg, daughter of Henry VII, HRE: age 13 when she married Charles I of Hungary in 1318 CE

Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut, wife of Louis IV, HRE: age 13 when she married Louis in 1324 CE

Matilda of Bavaria, daughter of Louis IV, HRE: age 10 when she married Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen in 1323 CE

Beatrice of Bavaria, daughter of Louis IV, HRE: age 12 when she married Eric XII of Sweden in 1356 CE

Anna von Schweidnitz, wife of Charles IV, HRE: age 14 when she married Charles in 1353 CE

Elizabeth of Pomerania, wife of Charles IV, HRE: age 16 when she married Charles in 1378 CE

Margaret of Bohemia, daughter of Charles IV, HRE: age 7 when she married Louis I of Hungary in 1342 CE

Catherine of Bohemia, daughter of Charles IV, HRE: age 14 when she married Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria in 1356 CE

Elisabeth of Bohemia, daughter of Charles IV, HRE: age 8 when she married Albert III, Duke of Austria in 1366 CE

Anne of Bohemia, daughter of Charles IV, HRE: age 16 when she married Richard II of England in 1382 CE

Margaret of Bohemia, daughter of Charles IV, HRE: age 8 when she married John III, Burgrave of Nuremburg in 1381 CE

Barbara of Cilli, wife of Sigismund, HRE: age 13 when she married Sigismund in 1405 CE

Elizabeth of Luxembourg, daughter of Sigismund, HRE: age 13 when she married Albert II of Germany in 1422 CE

Eleanor of Portugal, wife of Frederick III, HRE: age 18 when she married Frederick in 1452 CE

Kunigunde of Austria, daughter of Frederick III, HRE: age 22 when she married Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria in 1487 CE

Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, HRE: age 2 when she married Philibert I, Duke of Savoy in 1474 CE

Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian I, HRE: age 17 when she married John, Prince of Asturias in 1497 CE

Barbara von Rattal, daughter of Maximilian I, HRE: age 15 when she married Siegmund von Dietrichstein in 1515 CE

Dorothea of Austria, daughter of Maximilian I, HRE: age 22 when she married Johan I of East Frisia in 1538 CE

Isabella of Portugal, wife of Charles V, HRE: age 23 when she married Charles in 1526 CE

Maria of Austria, daughter of Charles V, HRE: age 20 when she married Maximilian II, HRE in 1548 CE

Joanna of Austria, daughter of Charles V, HRE: age 17 when she married John Manuel, Prince of Portugal in 1552 CE

Margaret of Parma, daughter of Charles V, HRE: age 14 when she married Alessandro de’ Medici, Duke of Florence, in 1536 CE

Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 16 when she married Sigismund II Augustus of Poland in 1543 CE

Anna of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 17 when she married Albert V, Duke of Bavaria in 1546 CE

Maria of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 15 when she married William of Julich-Cleves-Berg in 1546 CE

Catherine of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 16 when she married Francesco III Gonzaga in 1559 CE

Eleanor of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 27 when she married William I, Duke of Mantua in 1561 CE

Barbara of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 26 when she married Alfonso II d’Este in 1565 CE

Joanna of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, HRE: age 18 when she married Francesco I de’ Medici in 1565 CE

Anna of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, HRE: age 21 when she married Philip II of Spain in 1570 CE

Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, HRE: age 16 when she married Charles IX of France in 1570 CE

Anna of Tyrol, wife of Matthias, HRE: age 26 when she married Matthias in 1611 CE

Eleonora Gonzaga the Elder, wife of Ferdinand II, HRE: age 24 when she married Ferdinand in 1622 CE

Maria Anna of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand II, HRE: age 25 when she married Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria in 1635 CE

Cecilia Renata of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand II, HRE: age 26 when she married Władysław IV of Poland in 1637 CE

Maria Anna of Spain, wife of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 25 when she married Ferdinand in 1631 CE

Maria Leopoldine of Austria, wife of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 16 when she married Ferdinand in 1648 CE

Eleonora Gonzaga the Younger, wife of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 21 when she married Ferdinand in 1651 CE

Mariana of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 15 when she married Philip IV of Spain in 1649 CE

Eleonore of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 17 when she married Michael I of Poland in 1670 CE

Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand III, HRE: age 24 when she married Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine in 1678 CE

Margaret Theresa of Spain, wife of Leopold I, HRE: age 15 when she married Leopold in 1666 CE

Claudia Felicitas of Spain, wife of Leopold I, HRE: age 20 when she married Leopold in 1673 CE

Eleonore Magdalene of Neuberg, wife of Leopold I, HRE: age 21 when she married Leopold in 1676 CE

Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Leopold I, HRE: age 16 when she married Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria in 1685 CE

Maria Anna of Austria, daughter of Leopold I, HRE: age 25 when she married John V of Portugal in 1708 CE

Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick, wife of Joseph I, HRE: age 26 when she married Joseph in 1699 CE

Maria Josepha of Austria, daughter of Joseph I, HRE: age 20 when she married Augustus III of Poland in 1719 CE

Maria Amalia of Austria, daughter of Joseph I, HRE: age 21 when she married Charles VII, HRE in 1722 CE

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick, wife of Charles VI, HRE: age 17 when she married Charles in 1708 CE

Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Charles VI, HRE: age 19 when she married Francis I, HRE in 1736 CE

Maria Anna of Austria, daughter of Charles VI, HRE: age 26 when she married Charles Alexander of Lorraine in 1744 CE

Maria Antonia of Bavaria, daughter of Charles VII, HRE: age 23 when she married Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony in 1747 CE

Maria Anna Josepha of Bavaria, daughter of Charles VII, HRE: age 20 when she married Louis George of Baden-Baden in 1755 CE

Maria Josepha of Bavaria, daughter of Charles VII, HRE: age 26 when she married Joseph II, HRE in 1765 CE

Maria Christina, daughter of Francis I, HRE: age 24 when she married Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen in 1766 CE

Maria Amalia, daughter of Francis I, HRE: age 23 when she married Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma in 1769 CE

Maria Carolina, daughter of Francis I, HRE: age 16 when she married Ferdinand IV & III of Sicily in 1768 CE

Maria Antonia, daughter of Francis I, HRE: age 14 when she married Louis XVI of France in 1770 CE

Maria Josepha of Bavaria, wife of Joseph II, HRE: age 26 when she married Joseph in 1765 CE

Maria Luisa of Spain, wife of Leopold II, HRE: age 19 when she married Leopold in 1764 CE

Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Leopold II, HRE: age 20 when she married Anthony of Saxony in 1787 CE

Maria Clementina of Austria, daughter of Leopold II, HRE: age 20 when she married Francis I of Sicily in 1797 CE

Maria Theresa of Naples, wife of Francis II, HRE: age 18 when she married Francis in 1790 CE

Marie Louise, daughter of Francis II, HRE: age 19 when she married Napoleon I of France in 1810 CE

Maria Leopoldina, daughter of Francis II, HRE: age 20 when she married Pedro I of Brazil and IV of Portugal in 1817 CE

Clementina, daughter of Francis II, HRE: age 18 when she married Leopold of Salerno in 1816 CE Marie Caroline, daughter of Francis II, HRE: age 18 when she married Frederick Augustus of Saxony in 1819 CE

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Why did I read the article? For one thing, it contains a fascinating list of people who are not on the list of its top 50 GPT results.

Walter White

Travis Fleetwood

Caleb Clanton

Tom Schoenberg

You

Elon Musk

Ted Chuang

Herodotus

Worm

Prometheus

Plato

George Washington

Donald Trump

Ernest Hemingway

Marcus Aurelius

Emil Zátopek

John Paul II

Ralph Stanley

Ludwig van Beethoven

Andrew Carnegie

Jeffrey Dahmer

Voltaire

George Hamilton IV

Corporal Clegg

Jeff Bezos

Ovid

King Henry VIII

Orpheus

Bill Gates

Daniel Boone

Aristophanes

Teddy Roosevelt

Joel Osteen

Jacob Fugger

Lucius Volc]tice

Ferdinand of Aragon

Donkey Kong

Boris Johnson

John Hancock

Dr. Strangelove

Ptolemy

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Penelope

Hannibal

Neanderthal

Eurovision Song Contest

Walter White