The Treaty of Medina del Campo was an agreement reached 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 of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The treaty was signed the next day by the Spanish sovereigns, but its ratification by Henry did not occur until September of 1490. March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... Events March 14 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... Arthur, Prince of Wales Arthur Tudor (20 September 1486 _ 2 April 1502) was the eldest son of Henry VII of England. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 - April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... The recently-widowed young Catherine of Aragon, by Henry VIIs court painter, Michael Sittow, c. ... Isabella of Castile Isabella of Castile (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504) was queen of Castile and Leon. ... Ferdinand II the Catholic (Spanish: Fernando de Aragón el Católico, Catalan: Ferran dAragó el Catòlic) (March 10, 1452 – June 23, 1516) was king of Aragon, Castile, Sicily, Naples, Valencia, Sardinia and Navarre and Count of Barcelona. ...

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. Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was the King of England from 1483 until his death and the last king from the House of York. ... Combatants Richard III of England, Yorkist Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Lancastrian Commanders Richard III of England† Nominally, Richmond In practice, the Earl of Oxford Strength 8,000 5,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was an important battle during the Wars of the Roses...

By March, 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 tariffs 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. March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... Events March 14 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ... Aquitaine (or Guyenne or Guienne) now forms a région in south-western France along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. ... Coat of arms of Roussillon - see also senyera Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (French: Roussillon, pronounced ; Catalan: Rosselló, pronounced ) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... Map of Baixa Cerdanya in Catalonia Cerdanya (French Cerdagne) is one of the historical Catalan counties in the eastern Pyrenees, bordering the county of Alt Urgell. ... A tariff is a tax on imported goods. ...

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 six months later. Portrait by Albrecht Dürer, 1519 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). ... Events Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, Martí Joan De Galba is published. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1492 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1497 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1501 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Weir, Alison (1991). The Six Wives of Henry VIII, p. 15-25, Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-38072-X.

External links

• English Monarchs: The House of Tudor

• The Project Gutenberg EBook of England Under the Tudors, by Arthur D. Innes

• TudorHistoryOrg: Henry VII Chapter 6

• British History Online: The overseas trade of London