In doing some research in Spanish history, Blanche II, Queen of Navarre, appeared with her intriguing and sad life. Her story reminded me of another Iberian queen, a relative of Blanche’s, who came a bit later, creating one of those captivating historical connections. Family discord played a large role in Blanche’s life.

Born on June 9, 1424, in Olite, Navarre, Blanche was the second child and eldest daughter of Juan, Duke of Peñafiel (later Juan II, King of Aragon) and Blanche I, Queen of Navarre of the House of Évreux. We know little about her childhood, but her education befitted her rank. As no Salic law existed in the kingdom of Navarre, Blanche’s mother would become queen upon her father’s death in 1425 in a smooth transition. Blanche’s father Juan claimed the title of King of Navarre by the right of his wife and they ruled co-jointly. Blanche I’s kingdom would be hers to bestow upon her heirs and in 1427, the Cortes of Navarre proclaimed her eldest son Charles, Prince of Viana, her eldest daughter Blanche and second daughter Eleanor, her rightful successors.

Serious conflicts were occurring between Aragon and Castile, with Juan continually interfering in Castilian politics. Queen Blanche labored tirelessly to defend her own realm and broker peace between the warring parties. After many months of negotiations, negotiators completed the Treaty of Toledo on September 22, 1436. To establish harmony on the Iberian Peninsula, the agreement called for the marriage of young Blanche to Henry, Prince of Asturias, son of John II of Castile. Navarre regained its towns and castles after the war.

The Crown confiscated Castilian properties from Blanche’s father, which comprised her dowry; the Castilian king would administer it until her marriage was consummated. A betrothal ceremony took place in Alfaro on March 12, 1437. Queen Blanche accompanied her daughter to Castile for the wedding, which took place at Valladolid on September 16, 1440, once Prince Henry turned fifteen. While visiting Castile, the queen mediated disputes between her husband and Castilian nobles. She died unexpectedly on April 1, 1441. While Blanche lived unhappily in Castile, civil war broke out between her father and her brother Charles, and the situation in Navarre quickly deteriorated.

Juan invoked a codicil in his wife’s will to prevent Charles from acceding to the throne of Navarre, although he permitted Charles to govern the realm as his lieutenant. The conflict created two factions. The Agramonts supported the continuation of Juan’s governance while the Beaumonts upheld the rights of Charles. Unfortunately, these two groups continued the struggle even beyond the deaths of Juan and Charles, and the kingdom would never fully recover.

By 1453, the marriage of Blanche and Henry failed because of various circumstances. Henry sued for divorce on the grounds of non-consummation of the marriage. Blanche had to swear to this in court, which would have been humiliating. To make matters worse, the court judged witchcraft to be the cause of the lack of sexual activity. The conflict between Juan and Charles may have contributed to this state of affairs, along with the administration of the Castilian properties brought to the marriage by the dowry of Blanche.

Blanche returned to Navarre without the assets promised to her and immediately sided with her brother in the family conflict. This enraged their father, and he made the surprising decision to ignore the normal practices of succession, disinheriting Blanche and Charles in favor of his younger daughter Leanor. Leonor was married to Gaston IV, Count of Foix, a competent military commander and peer of France, and together they agreed to recognize Juan as the legitimate king of Navarre, with Leonor not claiming her rights until her father’s death.

Juan also imprisoned Blanche in Olite, where she remained for many years. To complicate matters further, in 1458, Juan had acceded to the throne of Aragon as King Juan II, and he had also married a second time to Juana Enríquez. Juana had ambitions to place her son Ferdinand (the future Ferdinand II, King of Aragon) on the throne of Navarre. Before the death of her brother Charles, Blanche drew up her will, naming her sister Leonor as her heir, ratifying the clauses of her mother’s will of 1437.

Juan proposed a marriage for Blanche to Charles, Duke of Berry, the younger brother of King Louis XI of France. It seems clear Juan sought to get Blanche out of Navarre and away from her Beaumont supporters, who plotted to rescue her from her prison. Blanche stood firm and refused the marriage, enraging her father even further.

Blanche’s brother Charles died on September 23, 1461, under mysterious circumstances, with some blaming his stepmother, Juana Enríquez, of murder. In the spring of 1462, Juan and Gaston de Foix agreed to recognize Leonor as the legitimate successor to the throne of Navarre upon the death of her father. The arrangement called for Blanche to be handed over to Leonor and Gaston. During her journey to Béarn, arguably the domain of her worst enemies, Blanche made a written protest, stating she was being taken against her will, in essence, a kidnapping. She sought divine forgiveness for her father, protesting that any will she had made in his favor, or in favor of her brother-in-law or sister, had been made under duress.

Several days later, on April 30, 1462, fearing for her life, she drew up a will designating her former husband, King Henry IV of Castile, or Bernard VIII, Count of Armagnac, as her heir to the throne of Navarre. Once in Béarn, they imprisoned Blanche in the Moncada Tower in Orthez. Many of Blanche’s Beaumont supporters lobbied for her release from prison and the restoration of her rights.

These supporters and King Juan completed a peace treaty in November. The terms called for Blanche’s release and return to Navarre, where the Cortes would convene to discuss issues such as her freedom, housing and status, as well as the succession. This meeting never happened. Blanche died under suspicious circumstances on December 2, 1464. Her father and sister received the blame for her death.

Leonor became Queen of Navarre upon the death of her father Juan in 1479. The union of Leonor and Gaston would create the unification of the crowns of Navarre and the sizable territories of the Counts of Foix, drawing the area closer politically to France. This story of an imprisoned queen reminds me of the fate of Queen Juana of Castile, whose father, King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and her son, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V kept her imprisoned for many years in Tordesillas, Spain while they ruled in her name. Ferdinand must have learned a valuable lesson from his father, King Juan II of Aragon.

Further reading: “Queenship in Medieval Europe: by Theresa Earenfight, “The She-Wolves of Navarre” by Elena Woodacre, History Today 62(6) (2012); 47-51, entry on Blanche II of Navarre in the Encyclopedia Catalan, entry on Blanche II of Navarre in Historia Hispánica