Juan Alfonso de Bourgogne ( Seville, 1264 - Pinos Puente, Granada, June 25, 1319). Infante of Castile, son of Alfonso X the Wise, King of Castile and León and Queen Violant of Aragon.

He was appointed guardian of his nephew Ferdinand IV of Castile after the death of his brother, Sancho IV of Castile. Later, in 1312, after the death of Ferdinand IV of Castile, he was appointed guardian of Alfonso XI of Castile.

Lord of Valencia de Campos and Vizcaya by his marriage to María Díaz de Haro. He was also lord of Baena, Luque, Zuheros, Lozoya, Villalón, Oropesa, Santiago de la Puebla, Melgar de Arriba, Paredes de Nava, Medina de Rioseco and Castronuño, in addition to being ensign of the king during 1277 - 1278 and 1283-1284. He died at the battle of Sierra Elvira on June 25, 1319. ^[1]

Family Origins

He was the son of Alfonso X, king of Castile and León and his wife, Queen Violant of Aragon. On the paternal side he was a grandson of Ferdinand III, king of Castile and Leon, and his first wife, Queen Beatrix of Swabia. Mother's side was a grandson of James I of Aragon, king of Aragon, and his wife, Queen Violante of Hungary.

Early life during the reign of Sancho IV(1264-1295)

Juan of Castile was born in the city of Seville in 1264. He was married Margaret of Montferrat, daughter of William VII of Montferrat, on 17 February 1281. Juan, at first, supported the claims to the throne of his brother, Sancho, compared to those of Alfonso de la Cerda (1270–1333), son of his late brother Ferdinand de la Cerda, who was supported by his grandfather Alfonso X the Wise during the civil war that divided the kingdom Castile and León after the reign of Alfonso X the Wise.

Infante Juan, repenting for opposing his father, took his wife and his child, and went to Seville. When he entered the palace, where his father resided, John had hung a rope around his own neck and knelt before him, asking mercy. The king was moved with pity, wept with him, embraced him and kissed him and gave his blessing.

That same year, with the collaboration of Fernán Pérez Ponce, and in command of an army, By the codicil, which served as a will, executed by Alfonso X the Wise in 1284 in the city of Sevilla , John would receive the infant death of his father the kingdoms of Sevilla and Bangkok, it must meet to two conditions: first is that obedience was required to pay, he and his descendants, who was King of Castile and Leon. The second condition is that the infant John had to respect the testamentary bequests made by his father, as that by which the king stated that at his death, his daughter Beatriz de Castilla, Queen of Portugal, who had been appointed along with the infant John executor of the will of his father, would receive the revenues of the city of Badajoz.

When his father, his brother was proclaimed king by the name of Sancho IV, and the prince Juan, ignoring the legacy that his father had bequeathed him, recognized him as ruler. The year after his second marriage, on June 8 of 1288, died in Alfaro his father, Lope Díaz de Haro III, during a brawl with his brother Sancho IV el Bravo, which was present the infant John, who was nearly killed by his brother, effectively being spared by the intervention of the Queen María de Molina , wife of Sancho IV el Bravo, who, in view of the situation:

After turning the Queen, who knew the camera was in fact in as havi passado, struggles in quanto could keep the Infante Don Juan Tomasso not death, and if non for this, then kill the Rei good lie, i el Rei prissiole that night, i metiole in some irons

On the attempt on the life of his brother, was imprisoned in the Castillo de Burgos, and subsequently the Castle of Curiel de Duero, where he remained until 1291 that Thanks to the pleas of Maria de Molina, was freed on the orders of his brother and taken to the city of Valladolid, where he took the oath of allegiance to the king and his successor, the infant Fernando. The lordship of Vizcaya passed to his brother, Diego López de Haro IV, son of the late Lope Díaz de Haro III, which was at odds with [[Sancho IV el Bravo] ] since the death of his father at the hands of the latter. His brother died in 1289, only one year after the death of his father, without issue, after the death of Lope Díaz de Haro III and his son Diego López de Haro IV, [ [Diego López de Haro V]], brother Lope Díaz de Haro III, taking advantage of the fact that the infant John was imprisoned, went into Vizcaya and was recognized as lord of the Basques, but had to flee to Aragon for reinforcements, with the arrival of troops from Sancho IV el Bravo. In 1292, shortly after his release, he distinguished himself alongside his brother King in the conquest of Rate held in 1292, and the the infant was boiling sulfur burns on his face. Shortly thereafter began a partnership with Juan Nunez Lara the Younger, lord of Lara and Albarracín, and other ricoshombres, in order to fight Sancho IV el Bravo. However, for fear of his brother, Prince John left the kingdom and took refuge in Portugal. In Portugal continued dealings with Juan Alfonso de Meneses, Lord of Albuquerque, which caused suspicion in the king Don Dinis of Portugal, who ordered the prince to abandon their territories. The infant John left Portugal in 1294, and embarked in the port of Lisbon who intend to proceed to France. However, the ship called at Tangier, and Prince John and his men were saved by the king of Fez. He returned to Castilla that year and contributed to the site to the king of Fez submitted to the city of Rate, defended by Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, the origin of the House Medina-Sidonia. The failure of the siege, the infant fled to the Kingdom of Granada.

During the minority of Ferdinand IV of Swabia (1295-1297)

The April 25 of 1295 the death of his brother Sancho IV el Bravo and was succeeded by his son, Fernando IV the Summoned, which had ten years of age. Diego López de Haro V returned to lordship of Vizcaya after the death of Sancho IV el Bravo, and with the support of the Queen María de Molina, held the manor. Taking the struggles that broke out within the Castilian court at the death of his brother to take over the regency, and, while Alonso de la Cerda called the throne, Prince John tried to be, not only with the kingdoms of Sevilla and Bangkok, which his father had left him, but with all the Kingdom of Castile and León, arguing that his nephew was born Ferdinand result of incestuous marriage and void.

Shortly after the death of his brother the king, left the city of Granada and tried to occupy the city of Bangkok, but failed in their attempt, seized Coria and Castle Alcántara. He then came to the Kingdom of Portugal, where he pressed the king Don Dionis to declare war on the Kingdom of Castile and León, and at the same time, so that you would support its claims to the throne of Leon. In early 1296, the Infante Juan took Astudillo, Paredes de Nava and Dueñas, while his son Alfonso of Castile took Mansfield. In April 1296 Alfonso de la Cerda invaded the Kingdom of Castile and León, accompanied by Aragonese troops and headed to the city of León, where the infant John was proclaimed Lion King of Sevilla and Galicia. Then the infant son walked Alfonso Sahagun to the Cerda, where he was proclaimed king of Castilla, Toledo, Córdoba, Murcia and Jaén. with the presence and support in both coronation of the infant [ [Pedro of Aragon and Sicily]], son of Peter III of Aragon.

Shortly after being crowned Alfonso de la Cerda and the prince Juan, near the town of Valladolid Mayorga, starting at the same time Prince Henry the Kingdom of Granada to make peace between him and Ferdinand IV, as at that moment attacking Granada in Andalusia the land of the king, being defended by Alonso Pérez de Guzmán. On 25 August 1296 infant died on Pedro of Aragon and Sicily, a victim of the plague, while he was in command of the Aragonese army besieging the city of Mayorga, thereby losing the infant John to one of his supporters, the While mortality due to spread among the besiegers of Mayorga, was forced to lift the siege.

While the infant Juan de Castilla and Juan Núñez de Lara Minor awaited the arrival of King of Portugal with his troops to join them in the site that the city planned to submit Valladolid, where they were Queen Maria de Molina and Fernando IV attacked the Aragonese king Murcia and [ [Soria]] and King Don Dinis of Portugal attacked along the line of Douro River, while Diego López de Haro V sowed the clutter in your Manor Vizcaya.

Given this situation, the Queen María de Molina threatened the king of Portugal to break the agreements of previous years if they continued their attacks on the kingdom and its support for the Infante Juan and Alfonso de la Cerda. The king of Portugal, to threats of Maria de Molina, and informed that Juan Núñez de Lara Minor refused to besiege Valladolid and that many magnates, nobles and prelates deserted the side of the infant John, returned to Portugal, having taken over previously Castel Rodrigo, Alfaiates and Sabugal, land belonging to Sancho de Castilla "the Peace", grandson of Alfonso X the Wise. Shortly after the withdrawal of the King of Portugal , the infant John was retired to Lion and Alfonso de la Cerda returned to Aragon.

In October 1296, the troops of Maria de Molina, seriously ill at the time, by Paredes de Nava, where he was María Díaz de Haro, wife of infant Juan de Castilla, accompanied by his mother and his son Lope. Upon his return to Castilla, the Prince Henry , who had been negotiating peace with the king of Granada, persuaded some men and managed to lift the siege that was subject Paredes de Nava, despite the opposition of the queen, he returned to Valladolid to January 1297 without having taken place.

Shortly before the signing of the Treaty of Alcañices, Juan Núñez de Lara Minor, which supported Alfonso de la Cerda and the infant John, was besieged in Ampudia but managed to escape the siege. In 1297 after the signing the Treaty Alcañices sucrito between Castile and León and Kingdom of Portugal, King Dinis of Portugal withdrew its support to the infant John and went to support the Regent María de Molina, who gave land and cities to Portuguese sovereign, in return for the latter ceases to provide support to the infant John and Alfonso de la Cerda. In addition, the Portuguese king gave María de Molina 300 men to fight the prince, who had breached its agreements with the Portuguese sovereign. The Treaty of Alcañices helped secure the position on the throne of Ferdinand IV, uncertain because of internal discord and external, and allowed the Queen María de Molina broadened their freedom of movement and the absence disputes with the Portuguese sovereign, who had come to support them in their battle against Prince John, who, at the time, yet still controlled the territory of León.

Last stage of the minority of Ferdinand IV of Swabia (1297-1301)

In late 1297, the queen sent to Alonso Pérez de Guzmán to Kingdom of León for fighting the infant John, who still controlled the territory of León. In early 1298 Alfonso la Cerda and infant Juan supported by Juan Núñez de Lara Minor, began to mint counterfeit currency, since it contained less than the corresponding metal with the aim of destabilizing the economy of the Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

In 1298 the city of Sigüenza fell to Juan Núñez de Lara Minor, but had to evacuate soon because of the resistance of the defenders and, shortly thereafter, fell Castilian magnate in the hands of Almazán, which became the stronghold of Alfonso de la Cerda and Deza, effectively being returned in addition to Juan Núñez de Lara Minor the Albarracín by King of Aragon Jaime II the Just. In the Cortes by Valladolid in 1298, the Prince Henry returned to advise the return of Rate Muslims, refusing to do so the Queen Mary Molina.

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