The political change in the Barcelona chancellery
In the year 1412, in Caspe, Fernando de Trastámara was chosen to succeed Martín I, marking a radical change in Catalan-Aragonese politics. This election put an end to a Catalan dynastic tradition of more than five centuries, introducing a foreign lineage into the government of the Crown.
Origins of Fernando de Trastámara
Fernando de Trastámara was born in 1380 in Medina del Campo, as the second son of King Juan I of Castile and León and Eleanor of Aragon, daughter of King Pedro III of Catalonia and Aragon. His marriage to Leonor de Alburquerque, the richest heiress of the Castilian-Leonese Crown, linked him closely to the politics and finances of the region.
Political rise of Fernando de Trastámara
After the premature death of his father and older brother, Fernando became involved in Castilian-Leonese politics, assuming a relevant role during the regency of his nephew Juan II. His political approach, in contrast to the tradition of the Trastámara house, was aligned with the merchant classes and lower nobility, marking a significant change in the political direction of the region.
Influence on Catalan-Aragonese politics
Fernando de Trastámara became a candidate supported by the merchant classes of Barcelona and Valencia, which led him to win the election of Caspe in 1412. His profile and experience positioned him as a defender of an authoritarian political system, challenging the power of the landowning aristocracy and promoting a project of peninsular dynastic unity.
Origins of the Trastámara dynasty
Fernando de Trastámara’s ancestry dates back to Henry II of Castile and León, the first Trastámara on the throne of Toledo. This lineage was characterized by its rise to power through controversial methods, marking a change in the political direction of the region.
Meaning of the patronymic ‘Trastámara’
The patron name ‘Trastámara’ originated from the title of Count of Trastámara, which the Castilian-Leonese royal family held since the 11th century. This title, linked to a lordly domain in Galicia, became the patron name of one of the most powerful royal lineages in 15th century Europe.