War of the Castilian Succession

A conflict from 1475 to 1479 over the Castilian throne between supporters of Isabella I and Joanna la Beltraneja, drawing in Portugal and ending with Isabella’s succession.

Isabella I of Castile: Queen of Castile from 1474 to 1504, whose succession was contested by Joanna la Beltraneja. Her supporters fought to secure the throne she claimed after Henry IV’s death.
Henry IV of Castile: King of Castile from 1454 to 1474, whose succession arrangements and paternity became central disputes after his death. His death opened the succession crisis, while doubts about Joanna’s parentage weakened her claim.
Catholic Monarchs: The joint rulers Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage united their dynastic interests. Victory secured the Castilian half of the partnership later known as the Catholic Monarchs.
Castilian succession crisis of 1474: The dispute over the Castilian crown after Henry IV’s death, immediately preceding the armed conflict. It marks the succession contest’s political opening before sustained warfare began.
Joanna la Beltraneja: The daughter of Henry IV of Castile, whose disputed legitimacy underpinned her claim to the Castilian throne. Her claim drew Portuguese support and gave the conflict its rival claimant.
Castilian Civil War (1465–1468): A conflict between Henry IV of Castile and rebellious nobles that preceded the later succession struggle. It established the political divisions and contested royal authority that the succession war inherited.
Crown of Castile: A composite monarchy in the Iberian Peninsula that included the kingdoms of Castile and León and their associated territories. The war decided who controlled this major Iberian crown.
War of the Castilian Succession (1366–1369): A fourteenth-century civil war in Castile between Peter I and Henry of Trastámara. Its similar name describes an earlier, separate struggle for the Castilian throne.
Afonso V of Portugal: King of Portugal from 1438 to 1481, who supported Joanna’s claim and married her in 1475. His intervention turned a dynastic dispute into a war involving Portugal.
Treaty of the Toros de Guisando: A 1468 agreement in which Henry IV recognized Isabella as his heir under conditions governing her marriage. Its terms made Isabella’s later marriage and succession a source of competing legal claims.

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Kingdom of CastileRelated: Isabella’s victory secured the succession that enabled the union with Aragon.