Ancestral Trails 2016 » Juan MANUEL (1282-1348)

Personal data Juan MANUEL 

• He was born on May 5, 1282 in Castle of Escalona, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
• Title: Prince of Villena
• He died on June 13, 1348 in Peñafiel, Valladolid, Castile, Spain, he was 66 years old.
• A child of Juan Manuel de CASTILE and Beatrice de SAVOY

Household of Juan MANUEL

(1) He had a relationship with Constance d'ARAGON.

Child(ren):

1. Constanza Manuel de PENAFIEL  1320-1345 

(2) He had a relationship with Blanca Núñez de la CERDA.

Child(ren):

1. Juana MANUEL  1339-1381 

(3) He had a relationship with Elizabeth d'ARAGON.

Notes about Juan MANUEL

Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (5 May 1282 - 13 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Seigneury of Villena, receiving the titles of Lord, Duke and lastly Prince of Villena.

Juan Manuel was born in the Castle of Escalona, in what is now the province of Toledo, and was a politician and very active soldier. He was son of Manuel of Castile (son of Ferdinand III of Castile) and his second wife Beatrice of Savoy. With the death of his mother Beatrice in 1292, Juan Manuel became duke of Peñafiel. Juan Manuel was trained in arts such as equestrianism, hunting, and fencing, and in addition learned Latin, history, law, and theology. At the age of twelve, he fought to repel the attack of the Moors from Granada to Murcia. He married three times, choosing his wives for political and economic convenience, and worked to match his children with partners associated with royalty. Juan Manuel became one of the richest and most powerful men of his time, coining his own currency as the kings did. During his life, he was criticised for choosing literature as his vocation, an activity thought below a nobleman of such prestige.

Juan Manuel had constant confrontations with his king. At the time, the throne of Castile was occupied by two monarchs, Ferdinand IV and Alfonso XI. Juan Manuel's loyalty was with Alfonso, to whom Juan Manuel gave the hand of his daughter Constance. The wedding was postponed several times, until finally Alfonso XI jailed Constance in the Castle of Toro for unclear reasons. This incident angered Juan Manuel, who decided to turn against Alfonso. He declared war on Alfonso, beginning a confrontation that lasted five years.

Finally the Pope brought about reconciliation between Juan Manuel and Alfonso XI. This reconciliation was not complete until 1340, when Juan Manuel and Alfonso allied against the Muslims in the Battle of Río Salado, taking the city of Algeciras. After these events, Juan Manuel left political life and retired to Murcia, where he spent his last years focused on literature. Proud of his works, he decided to compile them all in a single volume. This compilation was destroyed in a fire, with no known copy preserved.

Juan Manuel died at Peñafiel in 1348, the age of sixty-six. Throughout his life, he wrote approximately thirteen books, of which only eight are preserved today. These works are predominantly didactic.

Children:
His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of James II of Majorca and his wife Esclarmonde of Foix. She died approximately in 1301 and they didn't have any children.

By Constance of Aragon:

Constance of Peñafiel, known as Constance Manuel of Villena in Spain (c 1323-1345), who married Peter I of Portugal.
Beatrice Manuel of Villena, died young.
Manuel of Villena, died young.

By Blanca de La Cerda y Lara:

Fernando Manuel of Villena (d. c. 1350), Lord of Escalona, Peñafiel and Villena, who married 1346 Joan of Ampurias, a daughter of Ramón Berenguer, Count of Ampurias, himself a younger son of James II of Aragón. The couple had a daughter, Blanca Manuel (c 1348-1361), heiress of Villena, Escalona and Penafiel until 1361.
Juana Manuel of Villena (1339-1381), who married 1350 Henry II of Castile (1333-79) and became Queen of Castile.

Illegitimate by Inés de Castañeda:

Sancho Manuel of Villena (1320-1347)
Enrique Manuel of Villena (1340-1390)

Illegitimate by unknown woman:

Guiomar Manuel of Villena (who married Juan Martínez de Leiva, Señor de Baños, Merino Mayor de Castilla)
SOURCE: Wikipedia

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Timeline Juan MANUEL

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