Juana I, Queen of Castile and Aragon (1498-1564): A different Trastamara timeline

[REICHFURST]

Following their marriage, Juana I and Charles V toured through several of the main cities of the Holy Roman Empire, called Freie Reichsstadt (Free Imperial cities) of the Rhenish and Swabian Benchs:

• Köln, Aachen, Lübeck, Worms, Speyer and Frankfurt am Main were visited during December 1523-March 1524, and there the Imperial couple received splendid receptions. I
  
  
• Regensburg, Augsburg, Nuremberg, Ulm, Esslingen am Neckar, Reutlingen and Nördlingen were visited during April-August 1524. However, the Swabian nobles were disatisfied with the arrogance of the Empress, and thus the second part of the trip wasn't comfortable for her.

Juana I, heavily pregnant, wanted to gave birth in Vienna, so was decided to ended the trip and returned on mid-August. On 17 September 1524, the Empress gave birth her sixth child but the first from her second marriage, a son.

The baptism took place at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna in an extravagant ceremony on 21 August. The child received the name Philip after his paternal grandfather, with Archduchess Eleanor and King Louis II of Hungary as godparents.

According to the previously signed Treaty of Paris between Charles V and Francis I of France, the infant Habsburg heir was betrothed since his birth with Princess Charlotte, second daughter of the French King.

The Empress, despite her new title and a reportedly happy marriage, wasn't completely comfortable in Vienna, and remained constantly informed about the government of Castile and the health and education of her older children.

During the next four years, Juana I gave birth three further children: Archduchess Johanna (born: 19 October 1525), Archduke Maximilian (born: 12 February 1527) and Archduchess Helena (born: 22 December 1528).

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The alliance Castile-Holy Roman Empire-France concerned King Henry VIII of England, who believed that his reign wasn't secured enough until he had a legitimate male heir.

His wife, Catherine, born Infanta of Aragon and Castile, was the youngest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs and thus, aunt of both Juana I and Charles V, proved to be valious political advisor, although she failed in her primary queenly duty: gave an heir to the Tudor dynasty. Between 1510-1518, she gave birth six children, three sons and three daughters; however, only one daughter, Princess Mary (born in 1516) was the only one who survived.

When finally in 1525 Catherine enters in the menopause and thus became incapacitated to motherhood, the worries of Henry VIII became in hate and disdain against his wife.

The failure of his military campaign against Scotland and Ireland (who wasn't completely conquered until 1544) embittered even further, and began to considered himself cursed because he married the widow of his late older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, who died in 1502 reportedly without consumated his marriage with the Spanish Infanta.

The double betrothals of Charles V's sisters in 1529 with Henry VIII's political enemies: Archduchess Eleanor with King Francis I of France (a widower since 1524) and Archduchess Catherine with King James V of Scotland, who counted with the consent of France (following the terms of the Treaty of Rouen of 1517 -who renewed the Auld Alliance- the marriage of the Scotish King had to be with a French princess or, in the case that this couldn't be possible, with a bride approved by the King of France) were the last blow against the proud English King: now fully enclosened by Charles V and Francis I due to their political and marriage bonds, Henry VIII decided to enter in the political intrigues of Europe, renewing the already abandoned betrothal of his daughter Princess Mary to either the Dauphin Francis or one of his younger brothers: Henry, Duke of Orléans and Charles, Duke of Angoulême.

King Francis I was now with a political dilemma: his engagement with the Austrian Archduchess and the betrothals of his daughters made him completely bonded with Juana I and Charles V; however, the hand of Princess Mary Tudor would bring to him and his dynasty the crown of England.


TO BE CONTINUED.......

 

[REICHFURST]

The Treaty of Amiens was signed between Kings Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England on 17 August 1529, under which the betrothal between Henry, Duke of Orléans and Princess Mary Tudor was formalized. Further codicils were negociated days before, especially on behalf of a military alliance between France and England against the Holy Roman Empire; however, Francis I didn't wanted to risked the engagements of his daughters with the King of Portugal and the Habsburg heir, so at the end Henry VIII only could obtain a promise of neutrality in any military conflict between England and the Holy Roman Empire.

One month later, on 21 September 1529, King Francis I and Archduchess Eleanor of Austria married at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and three days later, on 24 September, the new consort was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of St. Denis in a lavish ceremony. Representants of almost all the european countries attended the ceremony, including England; however, following instructions of Henry VIII, his embassy retired shortly after the ceremony ended, refusing to participated in the banquet held at the Louvre.

Two months later, on 19 November, King James V of Scotland and Archduchess Catherine of Austria married at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh. Despite being discontinued since the 14th century, Emperor Charles V insisted in the marriage contract that his sister would be crowned Queen of Scotland. James V relented, and the ceremony took place during the wedding.

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The weddings of his sisters enhanced the political hegemony of Charles V in Europe: now also as King-consort of Castile, he believed that could counted with rich funds to his military interventions in Italy jointly with Francis I.

However, Juana I wasn't happy about the expected use that her husband thinks over her rents, so she secretly send instructions to the Cortes of Burgos in mid-December 1529, under which they forbidden that the Queen-Empress coul reclaimed more money than the accorded in her marriage capitulations, because the rest was exclusively on behalf of the Crown of Castile, who continue the conquest of the New World and needed the funds for that purpose.

Logically, Charles V was outraged when he knew about this independent move of his wife and the Castilian Cortes; however, his subsequent actions proved to be extremely unfortunate: on February 1530 the Emperor imprisoned his wife at the Altes Schloss in Laxenburg, Mödling, Lower Austria, and threatened with a war against Castile if the Cortes didn't recognized his rightful demands and privileges.

Thanks to the help of faithful knights, the Queen-Empress could escape from her prison in the night of 1-2 March; once Charles V knew of his wife's flight, translated his children from Hofburg Palace to Linz and began a persecution against Juana I.

The Queen-Empress, again thanks to the help of anti-Habsburgs nobles, could escape from the troops of her husband and took refuge in Meissen, where she officially received the protection of John, Elector of Saxony, leader of the opposition against Charles V, who took advantage of the rumours of a possible conversion of his wife to the Lutheran faith to asking to Pope Clement VII the annulment of his marriage.

In this familiar quarrel, Henry VIII of England again intervened, and offered his military support to the Emperor with only one condition: his acquiescence to his divorce from Queen Catherine.

Pope Clement VII, at first, firmly refused to grant the annulment to the English King, because according to Catholic teaching, a validly contracted marriage is indivisible until death, and thus he cannot annul a marriage on the basis of a canonical impediment previously dispensed (in December 1503 Pope Julius II gave the dispensation for the marriage on grounds that Catherine, then Dowager Princess of Wales, never consummated her marriage with her first husband Arthur).

However, with the pressure and threats of the Holy Roman Emperor (who also pursued his own divorce), on 18 April 1530 the Papal dispensation previously granted for the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was declared invalid, and three days later (21 April) the union was officially dissolved, although a codicil of the divorce guaranteed the rank and position of Princess Mary as legitimate daughter of the English King.


TO BE CONTINUED.......

 

[Avrorrange]

What the heck exactly can Charles do if he does actually get into a war with Castille?The threat is so empty it's actually laughable.

I really don't understand this.Just what exactly did Juana expect when she entered into a marriage with Charles?And what's the point of Charles having their marriage annulled?

 

[Nivek]

I wanted to be honest and not insulting..we jumped a shark in every sense the term and trope.....

 

[Avrorrange]

First off,under no circumstance would the Queen of Castille marry the ruler of a country so distant.Doing so would mean that her control over her kingdom would be extremely limited.By marrying such a powerful individual and living with him in his power base(much further than her own),it's dead obvious that she would surrender power to her husband.

There's no reason why the Charles would want to get an annulment with the Queen of Castille either.A lot of Kings and Queens had stormy relationships with one another,but almost none would get an annulment for something like this.There's no benefit in doing so.

I'm sorry to say this,but I think you are biasing drama over plausibility too much.

 

[JonasResende]

I think a lot of evangelicals at the Tudor court are going to be disappointed. Although, I'm curious to know if in granting the annulment, the Pope has also granted the king of England his wish to marry within the forbidden degrees of affinity.

Although, I will also say, Karl V-Juana I's marriage is a prestige match, he'd have to be robbed of his senses to even consider an annulment. She's done her duty - giving him not one but two sons, and even if they simply live apart now (she in Spain, he in the Empire) - there would be no reason for him to threaten either making war on Castile-Aragon-Portugal (he's got the Lutheran heresy to combat against in Germany, and the French-aided Muslims in Hungary), so him alienating possibly his only ally (esp. if England drifts into the French camp), is insanity of itself or to threaten the Pope or the Queen with an annulment.

 

[Avrorrange]

If think it would have made far more sense if Juana got a papal dispensation to marry the regent of Portugal,her late husband's brother instead.

 

[REICHFURST]

After hard negociations, was organized a meeting between the Imperial couple at Innsbruck on 17 May 1530. The Queen-Empress, escorted by the Elector of Saxony, solemnly sworn that she remained in the true and only faith, the Catholic one. Charles V, busy with the internal fights in the Holy Roman Empire (the growing Protestantism, the advance of the Ottoman Empire -who already took half Hungary- and the preservation of his Italian hegemony) wanted a quick and polite resolution with his wife.

Although Pope Clement VII granted the annulment to Henry VIII of England, in the case of Charles V and Juana I, he wanted to preserve their marital union; his motives are unclear -probably because the prestige of the Imperial title would be in jeopardy with a separation-. Inmediately after the meeting of Innsbruck, the Pope send letters asking Juana I to reconciled with her husband and returned to Vienna. However, the Queen-Empress refused to reasume the conyugal life and wanted to return to the Iberian peninsula, where the situation has changed by that time.

Finally, after unsuccessful petitions to the Queen-Empress, on 1 June 1530 the Pope declared a divorce a mensa et thoro (from bed-and-board) between Charles V and Juana I: this legal process granted to them a de facto separation while remained legally married. However, two issues remained unsolved between the Imperial couple: the return of Juana I's dowry and the custody of their children; while Juana I wanted to parted to Castile with her children, Charles V adamantly refused to relinquised his offspring.

After the Papal arbitration on mid-July 1530 the Queen-Empress finally had to agreed to leave her children under the custody of the father, who in exchange returned all the dowry to Juana I, who leave Innsbruck and began her return to Castile on 1 August. She only could see her children several years later.

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After the death of the Duke of Frías in 1519, the Regency of the Kingdom of Aragon and guardianship of King Juan III was granted to his brother Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, Count of Haro and 2nd Duke of Frías, who died in September 1528.

The convulsed situation among the Aragonese nobility (who wanted that the Regency would be given to Juan of Aragon, Archbishop of Zaragoza -illegitimate son and successor of the late Archbishop Alonso-) caused that after the death of the Count of Haro, a serie of riots erupted in Aragon on behalf of the Archbishop.

The Castilian Regent and Archbishop of Toledo, Alonso de Fonseca y Ulloa, refused to surrender the protectorate over Aragon and send a military contingent to "pacified the realm".

Archbishop Juan of Zaragoza, supported by the majority of the population and nobility, easily defeated the castilian troops in the capital and advanced to Épila and Daroca, who were released after the Second Battle of Épila (19 December 1528) where the Aragonese troops obtained a complete victory.

The War of the Archbishops (as the chroniclers later named this dispute) only ended with the Peace of Daroca (1 January 1530), signed between both Alonso de Fonseca and Juan of Aragon; following the terms of the treaty, the majority of King Juan III would be anticipated to his 14th birthday on August of that year, but the Archbishop of Zaragoza would remained as his main advisor. In exchange of the acquiescence of the Castilians, the Archbishop of Toledo obtained the recognition of the rights of the Queen-Empress Juana I and her children over the crown of Aragon if the young King died without surviving legitimate offspring (sine prole legitima).

The Regency of Archbishop Juan of Zaragoza formally ended on 21 August 1530, when King Juan III was formally proclaimed an adult and crowned at La Seo Cathedral.

However, the new monarch didn't showed any interest in the government affairs: spoiled and neglected during all his childhood, he only was interested in hunting and parties. In consequence, the Archbishop of Zaragoza remained as the de facto head of the Kingdom.

One of the first concerns of Archbishop Juan was to secure the independence of Aragon, and this only could be realized with King Juan III having heirs; in consequence, the marriage by proxy between him and Princess Renée of France was swiftly concluded simultaneously at the Royal Palace of Zaragoza and the Louvre Palace on 10 December 1530. As a part of her dowry, Princess Renée brought into the marriage the French pretentions over the Counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya (who were returned into Aragonese hands in 1493) and the Duchy of Chartres, the County of Gisors and the Lordship of Montargis, whom she received from King Francis I in exchange of her renounce to any rights that she and her descendants could have over the Duchy of Brittany.

After a trip through Montfort, Chartres, Blois, Loches, Poitiers, Limoges, Ventadour, Aurillac, Carlat, Rodez, Agen, Lectoure, Auch and Mirande, the French retinue arrived to the Val d'Aran (Aran Valley) in Catalonia on 16 October 1530. Once there, Princess Renée was officially handed to the Aragonese entourage leaded by Luis Fernández de Híjar, IX Lord of Híjar and III Duke of Aliaga, and conduced to Zaragoza, where she made her formal entry on 21 October.

The marriage between King Juan III and Princess Renée of France took place at La Seo Cathedral on 23 October 1530. In the ceremony, the bride was crowned Queen consort and took the spanish version of her name, Renata (who was quite strange for the court and population), although in official documents and charters she wrote her name in the catalonian style: Renada.


TO BE CONTINUED......

 

[Metacomet]

In the ceremony, the bride was crowned Queen consort and took the spanish version of her name, Renata (who was quite strange for the court and population).
TO BE CONTINUED......

Having into account that Catalonian was the main language of the population and government of the Crown of Aragon, I think that she would not take a Spanish name. Especially in a situation were Aragon wants to keep its independence from Castille. It would make more sense to take the Occitanian/Catalonian version of the name: Renada.

 

[REICHFURST]

The news of the dissolution of the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon arrived to England on 21 April 1530 caused a serie of riots and disturbs in London, because the former Queen was still extremely popular among the population.

Henry VIII didn't hide his happiness for being able to get rid of the old one to put another young at his side. By royal command, on 25 April Catherine abandoned the court and moved firstly to Bridewell Palace; however, due to the closeness to the population (who still named her Queen), Henry VIII decided to send her more far away, and in mid-May she was translated to Carisbrooke Castle near Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Shortly before her departure, the King granted her the title of Eius celsitudinem Matris Principissa Primogeniti (Her Highness the Mother of the eldest Princess) and the third female position in the Kingdom following the future Queen and Princess Mary, who remained at court and forcibly separated from her mother.

Around that time, the King had an "strong infatuation" (according to Eustace Chapuys, Imperial ambassador) for Lady Anne Boleyn, who previously served as lady-in-waiting in the French court and thus was considered refined and well-educated. Since early 1530, Henry VIII seriously considered to marry her, and even rumours began that they indeed were secretly married since 22 April, one day after the annulment of the King's marriage.

Anne Boleyn became completely inmersed in the political intrigues at court following the departure of Catherine of Aragon, and even she blatantly occupied at court ceremonies the place next to the King, much to Princess Mary's dismay, who bitterly refused to speak to her and received in her inner circle, despite being formally appointed her lady-in-waiting by Henry VIII on 10 May.

The Boleyn and Howard families felt secure enough that soon their relative would be recognized as legitimate Queen of England, that they began to had an arrogant behavior; however, their hoped became destroyed when on 1 June 1530 Henry VIII announced his betrothal with Princess Christina of Denmark (born: November 1521), second daughter of the deposed King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden by his wife Queen Elisabeth (born Archduchess Isabella of Austria, sister of Charles V). At first, negociations were made on behalf of Princess Dorothea of Denmark (born: November 1520), Christina's eldest sister, who reportedly was more beautiful; however, her delicate health and alleged reproductive problems caused that Henry VIII directed his attentions to Christina.

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After the deposition of her father in 1523, Christina and her family moved to Veere in Zeeland, where she received a good education under the supervision of her maternal aunt Mary, Dowager Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and Governor of the Netherlands on behalf of Charles V, who entrusted her upbringing following the death of her mother in 1526 to a governess, Madame de Fiennes. Christina was described as a beauty, intelligent and lively, and enjoyed hunting and riding. As a ward of her uncle Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and thus a member of the Imperial house, she was a valuable pawn on the political marriage market.

Following the annulment of the marriage with his aunt Catherine, the Emperor wanted to preserve the family bond with the Kingdom of England, and for this since early May 1530 began the negociations for a marriage with one of his orphan Danish nieces.

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The announcement of the betrothal caused a shock at court: reportedly a chronicler say that the King thrown away the old aunt for the little niece. Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and uncle of Anne Boleyn, wanted by all means to ended the engagement on behalf of his niece, but without avail: on 10 June 1530 at the Royal Chapel of Greenwich Palace, and in the presence of the whole court, King Henry VIII solemnly sworn that he never contracted any kind of legal or spiritual bond with the Lady Anne Boleyn and only had affection and kindness for her and thus he was free to take another wife.

The marriage by proxy between Henry VIII and Princess Christina was signed on 14 June 1530 simultaneously at Hampton Court Palace and the Het Steen in Antwerp. As a part of her dowry (who was completely covered by Charles V and included jewelry, tapestries, etc.) Christina would bring her rights to the crowns of her father, in default of heirs of her older brothers Hans and Dorothea. Also, was stipulated that the wedding must be taken place on Christina's 12th birthday, in 1532.


TO BE CONTINUED........

 

[REICHFURST]

This time, Juana I wanted to made a short trip to Castile, so she decided to made it by sea. After two months of journey (where she received magnificent receptions from the local rulers) she arrived to the port of Emden in Ostfriesland on 10 October 1530, where a fleet of four Genoese ships send by King Francis I of France waiting for her.

After two weeks of journey, the Genoese flotilla arrived to the port of Santander on 27 October. In the city, the Queen-Empress was enthusiastically received by the population, a pattern that was repeated during all her trip to Burgos, where she officially entered on 1 September.

Surrounded by the population, who cheered and blessed her, Juana I arrived to the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, where her children and Archbishop-Regent Fonseca, with the whole court, greeted her.

Inmediately, she received sad news: her mother, the Dowager Princess of Asturias (born Archduchess Margaret of Austria) was gravely ill, and for this she was unable to be part of the welcome.

Despite her concerns for her mother, the Queen-Empress knew that her duties where first, and the Cortes of Burgos were called and reunited on 4 September at Las Huelgas.

One of the first acts of the Cortes was to renewed their homage to Juana I, who formally received the government from Archbishop Fonseca. The next issue discussed was the conquest of the New World, precisely the Incan Empire.

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Following the conquest of the Mexican Empire in 1520, another group of Castilians and Portuguese, leaded by Francisco Pizarro (second cousin once removed of Hernán Cortés) and João de Castro began the conquest in the South part of the New World, called by the natives the Tawantinsuyu (the four suyo -regions or provinces-, whose corners met at the capital, Cusco (Qosqo). The term Inka (who means ruler or lord) was later used to named the whole Empire.

After received the approval of the Regents of Castile and Portugal, Pizarro and Castro parted from the central colony of the now territory of Panamá in two expeditions in 1526 and 1529; after they confirmed that the new territories are wealthy and offered prospects of great treasures, both conquerors returned to their countries, asking the consent for a complete invasion. Due to the Treaty of Badajoz of 1521, both Castile and Portugal had to received equal shares from the profits of the invasion and conquest, and both Pizarro and Castro would be appointed Viceroys of the new territories, being pendant the proper division of the lands between both countries.

At the time that the Castilian-Portuguese expedition entered in the Incan Empire in 1530, the country was in the middle of a civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa, sons of the late Sapa Inca Huayna Cápac, who died of smallpox in 1527 without specified clearly who was his heir (he already appointed his eldest son, Ninan Cuyuchi, but he also died of smallpox shortly before his father, so the dying Inca named him his successor without knowing that he was already dead). During the first years, both Huáscar and Atahualpa agreed to had type of co-rulership, with Huáscar in Cusco and Atahualpa in Quito (now Ecuador); however, soon Huáscar became suspicious of the loyalty of his half-brother and began the war against him, an event who considerably weakened the Incan Empire at the time whem Pizarro and Castro arrived with their expedition.

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The Cortes of Burgos agreed with the Queen-Empress, who wanted to increased the funds for the conquest of the Incan Empire, and also send a letter to the Duke of Coimbra in the name of her son to also elevated the war taxes in Portugal for this purpose.

The next matter was the proclamation of King Manuel II of Portugal as an adult in Castile and formally declared him co-ruler of the Kingdom. At first, Juana I didn't wanted to share the power with her son, but the insistence of the partisans of Manuel II (called the Portuguese clique) forced her to agreed.

The investidure of King Manuel II of Portugal as co-King of Castile took place at Las Huelgas on 7 September; also, the marriage by proxy between him and Princess Louise of France was simultaneously at Las Huelgas and the Louvre Palace on 12 September. Inmediately, King Francis I began the preparations of his eldest daughter's trip to Castile.


TO BE CONTINUED.....

 

[REICHFURST]

Princess Louise of France arrived to Santander port on 10 October 1530 with an impressive retinue and a dowry who included a large income extracted from the County of Angoulême and the Viscounties of Limoges and Touraine, but also the rights over the Duchies of Milan and Brittany and the County of Asti (however, a codicil in the marriage contract stipulated that she or her descendants would claimed this rights in the case of the extinction of all the male heirs of King Francis I and, in the case of Milan, if the current puppet ruler Francesco II Sforza died without issue).

The princess was received by Archbishop Fonseca and escorted to Burgos inmediately, where her wedding with King Manuel II of Portugal and I of Castile took place on 19 October in the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas. During the wedding ceremony, she was crowned Queen consort of Castile and took the castilian version of her name, Luisa.

The Queen-Empress wasn't much impressed by her new daughter-in-law; reportedly she said that luckly for her, she was the eldest daughter of France: that was her only quality. King Manuel was also dismayed after seeing his bride for the first time: she was slightly lame and clumsy in her manners. Following the wedding festivities, the court translated to Valladolid, where the Dowager Princess of Asturies resided in the lugubrious and imposing Castle of La Mota.

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Following the first marriage of her daughter in 1513, the Dowager Princess of Asturias lived a secluded existence at La Mota, only to emerge from the shadows when Juana I leave Castile for her second unfortunate marriage in 1522. According to chroniclers, after the news of the maltreatment of the Queen-Empress, she ended her correspondance with her nephew/son-in-law Charles V, being extremely regretful of being the main force behind that unlucky wedding, as she reportedly say to her ladies-in-waiting.

During the long absence of her daughter, the Dowager Empress took in charge the education and care of her grandchildren, being especially close to the oldest, Manuel II, who reportedly had an strong resemblance with his maternal grandfather, the late Prince of Asturias and Girona, Juan.

Dressed in mourning since the death of her beloved husband, she imposed an strict etiquette in her household and a severe but loving upbringing to her grandchildren, who adored her. Also, she tried to intervene in the government affairs, but all her attempts were blocked by Archbishop Fonseca, with whom she had a difficult relationship; however, the Regent listened and sometimes followed her advices, due to her experience and as a deference for being the mother of the Queen.

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When the court arrived at La Mota, on the early hours of 26 October 1530, the Dowager Princess of Asturias, despite her delicate health, received them in person. The reunion between mother and daughter was emotional but formal; however, with the royal children the Dowager Princess showed extreme affection. The opinion of the old lady about her new granddaughter-in-law was negative: this child was practically deformed....my poor grandson!...he had too much to suffer with this daughter of France (was widely knew that the Dowager Princess hated everything about France because she was repudiated by King Charles VIII as a child bride for the wealthy Duchess Anne of Brittany, Luisa's maternal grandmother).

The court was still in La Mota when was celebrated the marriage by proxy between Infanta Margarita of Portugal-Castile and King Henry II of Navarre, on 12 September 1530. The bride, as a deference with her grandmother, who wanted to celebrated her marriage in her residence instead of Las Huelgas, where was scheduled in the same day that her brother's wedding.

The Navarrase King, who ruled personally since 1521, was eager to marry and produced heirs, and also wanted to maintain his nominal independence from the appetites of both Castile and Aragon.

The preparations of the trip of the Infanta to her new country were interrupted after a letter of Emperor Charles V arrived to court, in mid-September: once he knew that the rights over Milan where given to his nephew/stepson, he became furious, because he believed that they would be part of the marriage contract of his son and heir Archduke Philip with Princess Charlotte, Francis I's second daughter. The Milanese issue was a bone of contention in the superficial friendly relationships between France and the Holy Roman Empire, and Juana I was aware of this; she probably wanted to diminished the power of her husband and enhanced the legacy of her eldest son when she secretly negociated the inclusion of the inheritance of Milan in the marriage contract.

The Emperor's letter to his wife was full of insults and vague threats to start a war if King Manuel II didn't renounce his succession rights over Milan on behalf of Princess Charlotte and her betrothed, Archduke Philip. Juana I, in response, send a missive with a one single line wrote in Latin: Alea iacta est (The die is cast) reportedly say by Julius Caesar on 49 BC when he led his army across the River Rubicon in Northern Italy. A similar letter send to Francis I was left with no reply.

In response, Charles V decided to act: on 11 October 1530 he formally annuled the betrothal between his son and Princess Charlotte, and on 16 October he moved an army to Milan for an invasion. King Francis I received the ask of help from Francesco II Sforza and send a militar contingent.

Shortly after, and following the terms of a secret military treaty of mutual help between Castile and France shortly before the wedding of Manuel II, a Castilian army by command of Juana I joined to the Frenchs.

The Three Years War began.


TO BE CONTINUED......

 

[REICHFURST]

The Three Years War (1530-33) was a military confrontation between King Francis I of France ands Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, for the possession of the Duchy of Milan and the Italian hegemony.

France counted with the alliance and support of the Iberian Kingdoms: Castile, Portugal, Aragon and Navarre, while the Holy Roman Empire had the support of England, Scotland, and parts of the Kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia.

The war officially began on 12 November 1530 with the invasion of French troops to the Kingdom of Naples, then part of the Aragonese demesne, in order to secured his independence from the advance of the Imperial troops, who in the meanwhile entered in Rome on 17 November, with Pope Clement VII blessing Charles V and his troops at Saint Peter's Basilica.

Once King Francis I knew the establishment of an Imperial protectorate over Rome, he ordened the advance of part of his troops to the Duchy of Milan, whose capital, the city of Milan, was besieged by the army of the Genoese condottiero Andrea Doria, now in the service of Austria. Thanks to the reinforcements army send by Queen Juana I of Castile and King Juan III of Aragon, the French army leaded by Anne de Montmorency could defeated the troops of Doria at the Battle of Milan (24 November 1530).

A second French contingent, leaded by Anne de Montmorency and with a Portuguese reinforcement army, advanced towards the County of Tyrol, where they faced the Imperial-Scotish army at the Battle of Meran (11 December 1530), whose result was inconclusive: although the capital of Tyrol was effectively taken by the French-Portuguese army, the casualties seriously diminished Montmorency's troops, and was forced to signed an armistice with Elector John of Saxony, leader of the Imperial-Scotish army on 14 December, under which Tyrol was divided between France and Austria.

King Francis I took the armistice of Tyrol as an insult, and inmediately directed his troops there, leaving Naples under the mercy of the Imperial and Genoese troops. In such desperate situation, King Juan III of Aragon ordened that his troops being separated from the French ones and remained in Naples, who at that point was already besieged by the Imperial troops leaded by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. The Aragonese troops, with the help of the local population harangued by the Viceroy, Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, could resisted the Siege of Naples for almost six months (12 December 1530 - 28 June 1531), until Emperor Charles V decided to negociated the peace with the King of Aragon after he knew that the Francis I planned an invasion to the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola. The Peace of Naples was signed on 1 July 1531 between Charles V and Juan III, under which the Aragonese King formally withdraw his support to France; in exchange, the Emperor promised to respect the rights of Juan III over Naples.

King Henry VIII of England, according to the terms of his treaty with Charles V, send a military contingent to defend the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola and also to cut off the advance of the French-Castilian troops; however, the English army, leaded by Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, proved to be too small and weak to defend the borders of the Duchies, so Norfolk asked continously the help of the Imperial troops without results: although the Emperor indeed send a military contingent, this was surrounded and defeated by a Castilian army leaded by the Constable Pedro Fernández de Velasco y Tovar, 3rd Duke of Frías at the Battle of Brixen (17 August 1531).

The Castilian troops advanced to the Habsburg Duchies without much difficulty, and joined the French troops who were already in the borders of the Duchies; despite being surpassed in number, the Duke of Norfolk followed the orders of his sovereign and fought against the French-Castilian troops at the Battle of Krainburg (27 August 1531), where the English troops were completely defeated; the Duke of Norfolk was among the casualties. The French-Castilian troops entered in the Duchies between 28 August - 10 September 1531 without opposition, and being officially annexed to the Kingdom of France.

The loss of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola was knew by the Emperor in Rome on mid-September 1531; reportedly he wept continously, cursing the King of France and the Queen of Castile his consort and Empress.

With this success, King Francis I wanted to continue his advance in Italy, invading the Marquisate of Mantua (15-19 September 1531) the Duchy of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio (24-29 September 1531). With such threat, the Republics of Florence and Siena where forced to entered in peace negociations with the French monarch, allowing him to pass through their lands to reached the Papal States and Rome, where Charles V had his headquarters.

Queen Juana I and King Manuel II, allies of France, didn't wanted an ocupation of the Papal States, because this could place in jeopardy the gained prestige and power. However, Francis I was determined to capture Charles V and advanced inside the Papal States, capturing quickly the main cities of Ancona, Perugia, Foligno and Terni (1-9 November 1531). The Queen of Castile and her son were horrified about the invasion of Rome, and began to considered the withdraw of his troops. King Francis I knew that without the support of the Castilian and Portuguese army, he could be easily defeated, so in order to continue his campaign over Rome he signed with the Treaty of Siena (13 November 1531) with Juana I and Manuel II, under which, he ceded the recently conquered Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola to Castile and the Marquistate of Mantua to Portugal. Only after this, the Castilian troops reunited with the French army and advanced to Rome, who was in a complete state of chaos and fear.

The Siege of Rome began.....


TO BE CONTINUED.....

 

[Avrorrange]

I highly doubt Henry would sign any treaty that defends Austrian territory in the far side of Europe.No,he would sign a treaty where he opens up a second front in France.It's also not plausible that Castille would want Carniola,Styria etc etc.They will want to consolidate their Italian possessions,not gain scattered,far flung territory that would be hard to defend.

 

[kasumigenx]

The Spanish would not colonize the Philippines, their focus would be indonesia instead.

In OTL The Sunda Kingdom made a tribute with Portugal...

 

[REICHFURST]

The Siege of Rome began on 14 November 1531. The city, completely surrounded by the armies of Castile, Portugal, France and the Genoese troops of Andrea Doria, began to suffer food shortage and diseases, who were blamed to both the Pope and the Emperor.

After four months of this desperate situation, on 21 March 1532 a group of roman citizens advanced to the Castel Sant'Angelo, where both Clement VII and Charles V had taken refuge, asking to both a solution. The hesitation of the Swiss Papal guard to attack the population was the oportunity to them to advanced to the Ponte Sant'Angelo and near the doors of the Castle.

The Imperial army, leaded by Antonio de Leyva, Duke of Terranova, acted quickly and with extreme violence to stopped the riot: according to chronicles the Tiber become completely stained with the blood of men, women and children.

The massacre of the Ponte Sant'Angelo was inmediately known by the rest of Rome and caused outrage and indignation: the Imperial army became extremely busy with the continuous riots and chaos, with voices claiming the capitulation of the city. The violence reaches such extremes that the Duke of Terranova, appointed Militar Governor of the city, reportedly say to the Pope and Emperor that they never crossed the Ponte Sant'Angelo, because beyond that he wasn't responsible for their lives.

Pope Clement VII, feared for his life and position, wanted the capitulation, but the obstinacy of Emperor Charles V (who wanted by all means to kept his authority and prestige without surrender) stopped him. Finally, after another two months of disputes and negociations between the French and Imperial allies, on 24 May the Emperor ordened the opening of the city's gates.

::::::::::::::::::::

The entry of King Francis I of France to the city of Rome, in the first hours of 25 May 1532 was apotheosic: in a golden armour, he was acclaimed by the population as their savior. With his troops in behind him, the French monarch, with Anne de Montmorency, forced his way to the Castel Sant'Angelo, where he was received by the Pope. Although the King wanted to see Charles V, the Emperor excused his absence in the reception for an "unexpected cold". Reportedly, Francis I say: What a shame!....I just bring him the greetings from the Empress his wife.

The negociations for the peace were uneasy and lasted for almost other two months, because the Emperor, mortally wounded in his pride, bitterly refused to renounce to any part of his domains.

Finally, the Peace of Sant'Angelo was signed on 20 July 1532. His terms where as follows:

• The Imperial troops would inmediately retired from central Italy, leaving the Rome and the Vatican under the French protectorate.
  
  
• Charles V renounced to any rights over the Duchies of Milan and Burgundy, who remained under French control.
  
  
• The Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola would be returned to the Imperial demesne, but only after the payment of a monetary compensation of 2'500,000 florins; until the payment was complete, the Duchies remained under the control of Queen Juana I of Castile (who would received half of the payment, while the other goes to France).
  
  
• The Duchy of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio and the Marquisate of Mantua could be restored to his rulers, but also after a payment of 1'500,000 for both Alfonso I d'Este and Federico II Gonzaga (again, half of the payment would be divided between Castile and France). In addition, the heir of Ferrara, Prince Ercole d'Este and Federico II himself would be betrothed with the two unmarried Infantas of Portugal-Castile, Isabel (whose engagement with the Duke of Coimbra was broken shortly before) and Maria.
  
  
• The Marquisate of Montferrat, also invaded by the Castilian-French army, was divided: the northern part -called Basso Monferrato (Low Montferrat), which lies between the Tanaro river and the Po-, was given to the eldest Palaiologos heiress, Maria, who became betrothed with the third son of the French King, Charles, Duke of Angoulême; and the southern part -called Alto Monferrato (High Montferrat), who rises from the banks of the Tanaro into the mountains of the Apennines and the water divide between Piedmont and Liguria-, was given to the second Palaiologos heiress, Margherita, who was betrothed with the second son of the Queen of Castile, Infante Fernando of Portugal-Castile. However, the division of the Marquisate only came into force after the death of the last Palaiologos male, Giovanni Giorgio (uncle of Maria and Margherita).
  
  
• The betrothal between Archduke Philip of Austria and Princess Charlotte of France was restored and solemnized at Saint Peter's Basilica.

The terms of the Peace came into force inmediately, with Emperor Charles V forced in the following months to reunite the money to pay for the recovery of his Duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola. Finally, after five months of negociations with Italian and German bankers, on 26 December 1532 an Imperial embassy formally surrender the complete payment to representatives of France and Castile at Castel Gandolfo, summer residence of the Pope. The return of government from Castile to the Habsburgs formally took place six days later, on 1 January 1533; this date was considered the real end of the Three Years War.


TO BE CONTINUED.....

 

[REICHFURST]

HI TO ALL THE MEMBERS::::::::::::::

After almost three years I had de oportunity now to revive all my threads!!!! Sorry but I have serious health issues now resolved...I hope your support!! Thanks!!!!!!