Everything about John Ii Of Aragon totally explained
John II the Great (
June 29,
1397 –
January 20,
1479) was the
King of Aragon (
1458–
1479) and
jure uxoris King of Navarre (
1425–
1479). He was the son of
Ferdinand I and his wife
Eleanor of Alburquerque. John is regarded as one of the most memorable and most unscrupulous kings of the
15th century.
In his youth he was one of the
infantes (princes) of Aragon who took part in the dissensions of Castile during the minority and reign of
John II. Till middle life he was also lieutenant-general in Aragon for his brother and predecessor
Alfonso V, whose reign was mainly spent in
Italy. In his old age he was engaged in incessant conflicts with his Aragonese and Catalan subjects, with
Louis XI of France, and in preparing the way for the marriage of his son Ferdinand with
Isabella I of Castile which brought about the union of the crowns of Aragon and Castile, that was to create the
Kingdom of Spain. His trouble with his subjects were closely connected with the tragic dissension in his own family.
John was first married to the
Blanche I of Navarre of the house of
Évreux. By right of Blanche he became
king of Navarre, and on her death in
1441 he was left in possession of the kingdom for his lifetime. But a son,
Charles, given the title "Prince of Viana" as heir of Navarre, had been born of the marriage. John quickly came to regard his son with jealousy. After his second marriage, to
Juana Enríquez, this grew into absolute hatred and was encouraged by Juana. John tried to deprive his son of his constitutional right to act as lieutenant-general of Aragon during his father's absence. Charles's cause was taken up by the Aragonese, and the king's attempt to make his second wife lieutenant-general was set aside.
There followed a long conflict, with alternations of success and defeat, ending only with the death of the prince of Viana, perhaps by poison given him by his stepmother, in
1461. The
Catalans, who had adopted the cause of Charles and who had grievances of their own, called in a succession of foreign pretenders. King John spent his last years contending with these. He was forced to pawn
Roussillon, his possession on the north-east of the Pyrenees, to King
Louis XI of France, who refused to part with it.
In his old age John was blinded by
cataracts, but recovered his eyesight by the operation of couching conducted by his physician
Abiathar Crescas, a
Jew. The Catalan revolt was pacified in
1472, but John carried on a war, in which he was generally unfortunate, with his neighbour the French king till his death in 1479. He was succeeded by
Ferdinand, his son by his second marriage, who was already associated with his wife Isabella as joint sovereign of Castile.
Ancestors
Children
From his first marriage to
Blanche of Navarre:
From his second marriage to
Juana Enríquez:
Fernando II of Aragon
Infanta Juana of Aragon (1454-1517). Married Ferdinand I of Naples.
Sources
Rivadeneyra. "Cronicas de los reyes de Castilla," Biblioteca de autores espanoles, vols. Ixvi, Ixviii. Madrid, 1845.
Zurita, G. Anales de Aragon. Saragossa, 1610.
Prescott W. H. History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. 1854.
Further Information
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