Spanish-Portuguese Marriage Plans during the Reign of the Catholic Monarchs and the Dream of Unifying the Iberian Peninsula

Keywords: Kingship, Diplomacy, Castile, Portugal, Catholic Monarchs, Manuel I of Portugal, John II of Portugal

Abstract

The peace treaty signed in Alcáçovas on September 4, 1479 led to a climate of understanding between the royal courts of Castile and Portugal as the Middle Ages drew to a close and was strengthened by a number of successive matrimonial unions forged between the two courts. It is in these marriages that the idea of what has come to be termed, in some cases, the dream of an Iberian union was born. These unions were fostered, on one side, by John II and Manuel I of Portugal and, on the other, by the Catholic Monarchs. Did the desire to unify the two kingdoms really exist in the minds of the kings of Portugal and Castile at the end of the Middle Ages? Was the marriage policy implemented by the Catholic Monarchs in relation to Portugal intended to bring about this union? Were the Portuguese kings motivated by these dreams?

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Published
2013-01-01
How to Cite
Nogales Rincón, David. 2013. “Spanish-Portuguese Marriage Plans during the Reign of the Catholic Monarchs and the Dream of Unifying the Iberian Peninsula”. De Medio Aevo 2, nº 2:: 43-68. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/DMAE/article/view/75828
Section
Miscellany