Henri II of Castille

See also: Henri, Henri II

Henri de Trastamare (January 13rd 1334 Seville - May 29th 1379 Santo Domingo of Calzada), was the bastard son of Alphonse XI of Castille and Éléonore de Guzman, the half-brother of Pierre Ier de Castille the Cruel one.

In 1366, with the head of a group of soldiers of fortune, and with the assistance of Bertrand of Guesclin, it captures his half-brother the king Pierre Ier Cruel the during the seat of the castle of Montiel close to Ciudad Real. The two men clash in singular combat in front of Montiel on March 22nd, 1369. Henri has the top and stabs his brother mortally. Crowned in Burgos on May 10th, 1369, Henri begins the pacification of his states.

He remains faithful to France and the king Charles V and ensures him a military support during the Guerre One hundred Year old. In 1371, its fleet gains a brilliant victory with La Rochelle, which removes with the English the control of the seas and accelerates considerably the reconquest by Charles V of the territory left to the English with the Traité of Brétigny. It makes the war with the Portugal combined of England. It follows religious austerity measures which announce the Inquisition.

He marries on July 27th, 1350, Jeanne, girl of Jean Manuel of Villena and heiress of a minor branch of the royal family of Castille. The couple has three children:

Jean
Éléonore
Jeanne

Henri dies poisoned by the Navarreses of the king Charles II of Navarre known as " Mauvais" (then enemy of the French and combined of the English). His/her son Jean succeeds to him.

Henri II in arts

El rey gift Pedro el Cruel: tragedia in cuatro actos ( king Pierre the Cruel one: tragedy in four acts ) of Santiago Sevilla

Related subjects

First civil war of Castille
Treated of Tolède

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