John, Prince of Asturias
John, Prince of Asturias and Girona (Spanish: Juan; 30 June 1478 – 4 October 1497), was the only son of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, and heir apparent to both their thrones for nearly his entire life.
John
30 June 1478
Seville, Spain
4 October 1497 (aged 19)
Salamanca, Spain
Childhood[edit]
Isabella I was quite an attentive mother for such a busy queen.[10] John, being her only son and of delicate health, had a special place in her heart,[11][12] and she referred to him affectionately as 'my angel' even when he was being reprimanded by her.[13] Isabella and Ferdinand attempted to ensure the sickly prince's well-being through prayer, charity, and careful oversight of his health.[14][15] John's wetnurses were Maria de Guzman, a member of the powerful Spanish House of Mendoza,[12] and Juana de Torres.[16] The latter stayed by the prince's side well into his adolescence, possibly as a result of his frail health.[17]
John's paternal grandfather, King John II of Aragon, took close interest in the infant prince; he warned his son Ferdinand that the prince should not be tutored under one grandee, a member of the nobility, as they would have far too much influence over the boy.[12]
In 1492, Columbus named the newly discovered island of Cuba as Isla Juana in deference to Prince John, at that time the heir apparent.[18] In 1494, Columbus's sons, Diego and Ferdinand, were brought to court to serve as John's pages.[19]
Marriage plans[edit]
During his early years, Isabella and Ferdinand considered Princess Catherine of York, a daughter of King Edward IV of England and his wife Elizabeth Woodville, as a potential wife for John. Although a marriage contract was signed in 1478, the union never took place.[24] Other proposed candidates were Anne of Brittany and Catherine of Navarre.[25]
In 1494, King Charles VIII of France laid claim to the throne of Naples and launched an invasion of Italy. Because Naples belonged to a lesser branch of the House of Trastámara, his invasion directly threatened Aragonese interests.[26] This prompted King Ferdinand to began building a coalition, known as the Holy League, against France.[27] Seeking Emperor Maximilian I's participation, Ferdinand engaged in negotiations for dynastic marriages between the Habsburg and Spanish royal families, aiming to seal the prospective alliance between the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.[28]
On 20 January 1495 in Antwerp, terms for a double marriage were agreed on: John would marry Maximilian I's daughter, Archduchess Margaret of Austria, and his sister, the Infanta Joanna, would marry Maximilian's son, Archduke Philip the Handsome.[29][30] The agreement was officially ratified on 5 November in Malines.[31]
Consequences[edit]
John's death was followed closely by that of his sister Isabella in 1498.[46] Her only child, Miguel de la Paz, died in 1500.[47] The Spanish kingdoms passed to his younger sister Joanna, her husband Philip the Handsome, and their Habsburg descendants.[30] Philip had himself and Joanna declared as 'Princes of Castile' which her parents saw as disrespectful towards his deceased brother-in-law.[44]