Philip of Habsburg and his painful end in Burgos
In the city of Burgos, belonging to the Castilian-Leonese Crown, on September 25, 1506, Philip of Habsburg, known as ‘the Beautiful’, died. This monarch, husband of Queen Juana I of Castile and León, was ending his days after an agonizing period of five days. Officially, his death was listed as due to pneumonia, although the symptoms he displayed were more consistent with poisoning.
The disappearance of Felipe, who acted as de facto king of the Castilian-Leonese Crown, once again opened the doors to the throne of Toledo for his father-in-law, Ferdinand II of Aragon, who had retired to Barcelona after the death of Isabella the Catholic in 1504. This event resurrected the debate about the future of the Hispanic monarchy. Philip’s poisoning, like that of other monarchs of his time, reflected the palace intrigues that were common in that era.
Conflicts and mistrust in the court
Isabel la Católica never placed her trust in Fernando and his Catalan-Valencian environment. As her death approached, she designated Juana, her eldest surviving daughter, as her heir. Joan had been married to Philip of Habsburg since 1496, but she suffered from mental health problems exacerbated by the oppression of her father-in-law Maximilian and venereal diseases transmitted by her husband Philip. Upon Isabel’s death in 1504, Ferdinand unsuccessfully attempted to usurp Juana’s throne. The Castilian-Leonese courts, who deeply distrusted Fernando, managed to remove him with the famous phrase ‘old Catalan, go back to your nation’. Thus, Juana was proclaimed nominal queen, although the one who would really govern would be Felipe as consort.
The circumstances of the death of Philip of Habsburg
Although some historians question the theory of Philip’s poisoning, the facts point in another direction. According to records, in September 1506, Philip moved to Burgos, where on the 16th he played a ball game in a cold place. The next day, he began to feel unwell and developed a fever. On September 20 he began coughing up blood and finally died four days later. His residence during those days was the house of Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, stable count of Castile, and his wife Juana de Aragón-Nicolau, natural daughter of Ferdinand the Catholic. This detail suggests a complex plot of palace intrigues and family relationships.
The enigmatic death of Catherine of Aragon
In the context of the 15th century, the rising merchant class in London and Bristol brought the Tudors to the English throne. Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, sought to strengthen his position through an alliance with a powerful continental family to counter internal dissent and external threats. Thus, in 1501, the marriage was celebrated between Arthur, heir of Henry VII, and Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs. Arturo died a few weeks later due to a strange illness called ‘English sweat’. Catherine was not returned to her home, but rather she was kept at the London court, later marrying Henry VIII in 1509.
Catalina’s death and suspicions
On 7 January 1536, Catherine of Aragon died at Kimbolton, officially from a heart tumour. However, her supporters, especially those in the aristocratic Catholic faction, were quick to point the finger at King Henry VIII and his new wife, Anne Boleyn, as the culprits. Henry and Anne married in 1533, as the Anglican Reformation was advancing unopposed. Catherine’s inflexibility in refusing to accept divorce had become a nuisance. Moreover, Catherine, Charles von Gaunt’s aunt, was seen as the guarantor of a Spanish-English alliance, which in reality represented more of a Spanish tutelage than a true agreement between equals, something that Henry tried to change with his powerful navy.
The rugged end of Francis of Brittany
Just a few months after Catalina’s suspicious death, another illustrious character met a tragic end. On August 10, 1536, in a castle near Lyon, Francis, the Dauphin of France, died under suspicious circumstances. Francis, son of King Francis I of France and Claudia, independent duchess of Brittany, had been proclaimed sovereign of Brittany after the death of his mother in 1532. However, neither his father, interested in usurping his maternal inheritance, nor the Breton establishments , who saw him as an outsider, offered him their support.
Hostilized on various fronts, the young Francis, only 18 years old, entrusted his destiny to his lover, Mademoiselle de l’Estrange, a determined woman who, although twice his age, lacked the power necessary to change his fortunes. The issue intensified when his younger brother Henry married the ambitious Catherine de’ Medici, daughter of the independent duke of Tuscany, in 1533. The young dauphin died vomiting blood, and his father, King Francis I, claimed that Charles of Gant, the Spanish monarch, had bribed someone to cause his death. Meanwhile, the Henri-Catherine couple, both 17 years old, and who would succeed to all the titles and honors, suggested that Francis had died after a night of excesses in the bed of l’Estrange.
Deaths with political impact
All of these sudden and suspicious deaths had repercussions that transcended beyond a great religious service. The death of Philip of Habsburg allowed Ferdinand the Catholic to return to the peninsular political scene, reviving the old Trastámara project of European leadership, although this did not materialize for other reasons. The death of Catherine of Aragon strengthened the ambition of the Tudors to transform England into a naval and colonial power, freed from Spanish control. For its part, the disappearance of Francis of Valois accelerated the process of integration of Brittany into the French kingdom, completing the coastal map that the French kings had always desired and positioning France in direct competition with Spain for European leadership.
