Henry III of Castile

Henry III
Henry III of Castile on a stained glass window in Alcazar of Segovia, Spain.
King of Castile and León
Reign	9 October 1390–25 December 1406 (&1000000000000001600000016 years, &1000000000000007700000077 days)
Predecessor	John I
Successor	John II
Consort	Catherine of Lancaster
Issue
Maria, Queen of Aragon Infanta Catherine, Duchess of Villena John II of Castile
House	House of Trastámara
Father	John I of Castile
Mother	Eleanor of Aragon
Born	4 August 1379(1379-08-04) Burgos
Died	25 December 1406(1406-12-25) (aged 27) Toledo
Burial	Cathedral of Toledo
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Henry III KG (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), sometimes known as Henry the Sufferer or Henry the Infirm (Spanish: Enrique el Doliente, Galician: Henrique o Doente), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon, and succeeded him as King of the Castilian Crown in 1390.

Henry was born in Burgos, the capital of Castile. Before becoming king, he was known by the title Prince of Asturias, designating him as the heir apparent. After succeeding to the throne at 11, Henry took power at 14. Despite his nickname, he engaged in a vigorous foreign policy and maneuvers during the first few years of the 15th century. He was able to pacify the nobility and restore royal power. During his reign, the Castilian fleet won several victories against the English; Henry sent a naval fleet in 1400 that destroyed Tétouan in North Africa, a pirate base. In 1402, Henry began the colonization of the Canary Islands, sending French explorer Jean de Béthencourt. He deflected a Portuguese invasion with an attack on Badajoz, finally signing a peace treaty with Juan I of Portugal in 1402. He restarted the conflict against the kingdom of Granada, winning a victory at Collejares, near Úbeda in 1406.

He also sent Payo Gómez de Sotomayor and Hernán Sánchez de Palazuelos, and later Ruy González de Clavijo, as ambassadors to Timur.

In 1388, Henry married Catherine of Lancaster (1372–1418), the daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Gaunt's second wife, Constance of Castile, who was the elder daughter of King Peter of Castile. This ended a dynastic conflict and solidified the House of Trastamara. Henry and Catherine's son became John II of Castile, who succeeded Henry when he died in Toledo, Catherine acting as Regent of Castile because John II was then underage.

Ancestry

16. Ferdinand IV of Castile

8. Alfonso XI of Castile

17. Constance of Portugal

4. Henry II of Castile

18. Pedro Núñez de Guzmán

9. Eleanor of Guzman

19. Beatriz Ponce de León

2. John I of Castile

20. Juan Manuel, Lord of Villena

10. Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena

21. Beatrice of Savoy

5. Juana Manuel

22. Ferdinand de la Cerda

11. Blanca de La Cerda y Lara

23. Juana Núñez de Lara

1. Henry III of Castile

24. James II of Aragon

12. Alfonso IV of Aragon

25. Blanche of Anjou

6. Peter IV of Aragon

26. Gombald d'Entença

13. Teresa d'Entença

27. Constance of Antilon

3. Eleanor of Aragon

28. Frederick III of Sicily

14. Peter II of Sicily

29. Eleanor of Anjou

7. Eleanor of Sicily

30. Otto III, Duke of Carinthia

15. Elisabeth of Carinthia

31. Euphemia of Legnica

Children

All of them by his wife Catherine of Lancaster:

• Maria of Castile (1401-1458), married Alfonso V of Aragon
• Catherine of Castile (1402–1439), married Infante Henry, Duke of Villena, son of Ferdinand I of Aragon
• John II of Castile (1405–1454), his successor

Henry III of Castile House of Trastámara Born: 4 October 1379 Died: 25 December 1406
Regnal titles
Preceded by John I	King of Castile 1390–1406	Succeeded by John II
	King of León 1390–1406
Spanish royalty
New title	Prince of Asturias 1388–1390	Succeeded by Infanta Maria