When Henry died, he did not say in his will who should succeed him and take the throne. That is when Joanna la Beltraneja saw her opportunity. Joanna, Isabella’s cousin, attempted to become queen by bringing in help from her brother, Afonso V of Portugal, causing the War of Castilian Succession. Lasting from 1475-1479, it was a tense conflict over the succession of the crown between Joanna and Isabella.
GIF of Queen Isabella leading her troops into bettle, an uncommon occurence for queens of her time.
"The first seven years of her reign were disturbed by a war in which she was made to defend her rights against the followers of Jane, the natural daughter of the Queen whose dissolute life had disgraced the Court of Henry IV. In these years of warfare, Isabella displayed the devotion to her country and to the duties of her position which was distinctive of her life. She was constantly in the saddle, devoted her nights to official business, risked her health..."-Miss Loraine Pearce Bucklin. When asked to slow down she answered by saying,"It is not for me to calculate perils or fatigues in my own cause, or by unreasonable timidity to dishearten those who share these dangers and fatigues."
"In 1475 the Alfonso V entered Castile. Alfonso and Joanna were proclaimed king and queen of Castile and Leon, but they found less support than expected. They marched off to Arevalo with the objective of Burgos. All the lands around Burgos were on Joanna's side, but the city itself was Isabelline...now Alfonso had a free way into Burgos, but decided to return to Arevalo to wait for the French forces to arrive. A few days later an even bigger opportunity presented itself, but once again, the indecisive king preferred to wait for the French. His lack of aggressiveness weakened Juana's side enormously and Burgos surrendered to Isabella instead."-WWW.Spanishwars.net Joanna's armies were weakened by the harsh winter, and Alfonso's timid reactions.
In 1478, Isabella's army defeated Joanna in the Battle of Guinea. The war ended and the treaty of Alcáçovas-Toledo was signed. Meaning, Isabella and Ferdinand became sovereigns of Castile.
Joanna la Beltrenja[4]
Here I have included a family tree to help aide in the navigation of the family relations. Isabella, her husband, and the other members of family we have discussed can be easily found on the bottom rows.[1]
Left, Isabella I of Castile. Right, Joanna la Beltraneja[2]
Primary source of the treaty of Alcáçovas-Toledo.[3]
"The treaty of Alcáçovas was signed by the respective ambassadors on September 4, 1479, ratified by Queen Isabella on September 27, and by both Spain and Portugal in 1480." -"Foundations of the Portuguese Empire: 1415 - 1580"-by Bailey W. Diffie,George D. Winius
A clip from the Latino Drama, "Isabel." It is a reenactment of Isabella deciding to sign the treaty. Here, Isabella's passion for her status and her people, are displayed.[5]