Henry IV of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent (ruled 1454-1474), was not a strong king. During Henry's reign the nobles increased in power and the nation became less centralised. Events February 4 - In the Thirteen Years War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederacy sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master. ... Events December 12 - Upon the death of Henry IV of Castile a civil war ensues between his designated successor Isabella I of Castile and her sister Juana who was supported by her husband, Alfonso V of Portugal. ...

At the age of fifteen he was married to Blanca of Navarre, born 1420. Blanca remained a virgin, not only on her wedding night, but for the rest of her marriage. After thirteen years, Henry sought a divorce. An official examination confirmed the virginity of Blanca, and a priest questioned the prostitutes of Segovia, who confirmed that Henry was sexually capable. A divorce was granted by the Pope on the grounds that some "witchcraft" had prevented Henry from consummating the marriage. Blanca was sent home, where her family imprisoned her, and she was later killed by poison in 1464. Blanche is a female name, meaning white. English and French Blanche, Spanish Blanca, Italian Bianca. ... Comarca Capital and Metropolitan Area Province Segovia Autonomous community Castilla y León Postal code 40001-40006 Coordinate systems  - Latitude:  - Longitude 40°57 N 4°10 0 Surface 1636 km² Altitude 1002 m Distance 87 km from Madrid 111 km from Valladolid Population  - Total (2004)  - Density 55. ...

In 1455, Henry married Princess Joana, sister of Edward of Portugal. She, too, remained untouched on her wedding night, and soon took a lover, Beltran de la Cueva. In the course of the attempts to produce an heir, artificial insemination was attempted. After six years of marriage, in 1462, she gave birth to a daughter, Juana, also Joanna, nicknamed "La Beltraneja". Miller maintains that the question of her paternity cannot be answered. The doubt of her legitimacy as an heir, the weakness of the king, the adultery of the queen, and the unruliness of the nobilty all set the stage for a struggle for succession after Henry's death. Joanna was supported by Portugal, while the eventual winner, his half-sister Isabella of Castile had the support of Aragon via her husband Ferdinand and, later in the war, France. Joan of Portugal (Portuguese: Joana) was a Portuguese Princess daughter of King Edward of of Portugal and his wife Leonor of Aragon. ... Duarte of Portugal (Edward, in English), the Philosopher or the Eloquent, the 11th king of Portugal, was born in Viseu on October 31, 1391 and he died in Tomar on September 13, 1438. ... Artificial insemination (AI) is when sperm is placed into a females ovarian follicle (intrafollicular), uterus (intrauterine), cervix (intracervical), or fallopian tubes (intratubal) using artificial means rather than by natural copulation. ... Portrait of Joan the Beltraneja. ... Portrait of Joan the Beltraneja. ... Isabella of Castile Isabella of Castile (April 22, 1451–November 26, 1504) was queen of Castile and Leon. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Ferdinand and his wife Isabel of Castile Ferdinand II (Fernando de Aragón in Spanish and Ferran dAragó in Catalan), nicknamed the Catholic (March 10, 1452 – June 23, 1516) was king of Aragon, Castile, Sicily, Naples, Valencia, Sardinia and Navarre and Count of Barcelona. ...

References

Miller, Townsend: The Castles and the Crown. Coward-McCann, New York, 1963.

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