Henry IV

king of Castile
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Also known as: Enrique el Impotente, Enrique el Liberal, Henry the Impotent, Henry the Liberal
Quick Facts
Byname:
Henry the Impotent or Henry the Liberal
Spanish:
Enrique el Impotente or Enrique el Liberal
Born:
January 25, 1425, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]
Died:
December 11, 1474, Madrid (aged 49)
Title / Office:
king (1454-1474), Castile

Henry IV (born January 25, 1425, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]—died December 11, 1474, Madrid) was the king of Castile from 1454 to 1474, whose reign, though at first promising, became chaotic.

Henry’s weak father, John II, was entirely under the control of his constable, Álvaro de Luna, who gave the young Henry a separate court at Segovia, hoping to control him. Instead, Henry became the tool of other cliques, who eventually overthrew and executed Luna. In 1464 Henry reconquered Gibraltar from the Muslims, but his nobles fell into warring factions.

Henry IV’s first marriage was childless and ended in divorce. He then married a Portuguese princess Joana, who bore a daughter, Juana (La Beltraneja). One faction recognized Henry’s younger half brother Alfonso, deposing Henry in effigy in the “Farce of Avila.” After three years of civil war Alfonso died, and Henry vacillated about the claim of his infant daughter. His rivals then recognized his half sister, Isabella (the future Isabella I), who, without Henry’s knowledge or consent, married the heir to the throne of Aragon, Ferdinand (the future Ferdinand II). The two would one day rule a united Spain.

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.
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Although much that was published about Henry IV may be discounted as propaganda, he suffered from the quarrels of his favourites, Juan Pacheco, marqués de Villena, and Beltran de la Cueva, and their inability to maintain order.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.