Teeth Gum Feel Swollen

A fucking earth! - The Count of Benavente and "Farce of Avila" Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Chronica Minora

A fucking earth! crying, angry, Count Benavente while cutting down on the ground and trampled the effigy of King Henry IV. Previously, along with the elite of the Castilian nobility rebel, had taken to that puppet makeshift scepter, a symbol of royal power. These grave and momentous events occurred at the foot of the walls of Avila, to the astonishment of the neighbors, a June 5, 1465.

A quick look at the political context of the kingdom on this date shows that this attitude was the product of an outburst of IV Conde de Benavente, Rodrigo Alfonso Pimentel (1451-1499). Several significant events, and concatenated, were produced in the kingdom of Castile in those turbulent months of the reign of Henry IV (1454-1474).

born in 1462 Trastámara Jeanne, daughter of Henry IV of Castile and Juana of Portugal, who is named heir to the throne immediately. But since the king had not had children from her previous marriage to Blanca of Navarre and was considered powerless, ran quickly The rumor in the Court that the real father of Joan was a powerful noble named Beltrán de la Cueva, later first Duke of Alburquerque and character of the highest confidence of the monarch.

Between 1463 and 1468, some of the major lineages of the nobility stage a rebellion against Henry IV. The irresistible political rise of Beltrán de la Cueva and other noble upstart was viewed with suspicion by the families of the old English nobility. In addition, there is the claim of the illegitimacy of Juana, suspecting that the king could not consummate, presumably, their marriages. Such charge was at the time, regardless of the merits, a powerful political weapon.

The king, under pressure and without sufficient support, recognized as heir to his half brother Alfonso, as required by the disaffected. But after Arbitral Medina del Campo (January 16, 1465), unfavorable to the interests of the monarch, Henry IV backtracks on succession plans and decides to deal with the rebellion.

Among the noble lineages from the beginning to show their support for Henry IV are the Osorio, gentlemen Villalobos, whose attitude will reward accomplished immediately. On July 16, 1465 Henry IV granted the town of Astorga with its terms and jurisdiction Alvaro Perez Osorio, Count of Trastámara, lord lieutenant Villalobos and Castroverde and most of the Banner of the Currency, with the title of Marquis.

The establishment of dominion over Astorga leads to immediate reaction of the counts of Benavente and Luna, alarmed by the strengthening of its traditional competitor, both within the Leon as, a general scale in politico-military. On October 21, 1465, from Arévalo, the now proclaimed King Alfonso ago thanks to the Count of Benavente of goods that were Diego de Losada, seizure that is justified by his disloyalty and to follow the party of deposed Henry IV. These goods are referred to the lordship of half the town and fortress of Puebla de Sanabria, with all its terms and other rights that belonged to the Losada.

For the scholar benaventano Ledo del Pozo, always accommodating to the efforts of Pimentel, Count acted in these events instigated by Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villena, head of the mutineers and other large, drawing him with the promise of marriage to his daughter, Maria Pacheco. The powerful Marquis de Villena, well versed in the intrigues of the court, was dissatisfied with the treatment of Henry IV for his rivals: the Mendoza and Beltran de la Cueva valid. So "party took with them containing the rebellion, in the name of King Alonso remained in Castile. "

Rodrigo Alfonso Pimentel

While celebrating their wedding at Peñafiel in 1466 with the de Villena, Marquis of Astorga went on to seize the towns and villages of the count. Many small towns without walls could not resist, “no así esta Villa de Benavente que rechazó con su acostumbrado valor al enemigo”.

Así pues, entre los conjurados figura desde un principio el conde de Benavente, que es señalado por los cronistas como uno de los cabecillas que en aquella peculiar ceremonia deponen en efigie al monarca y entronizan al infante Alfonso, también conocido como Alfonso XII de Castilla o Alfonso de Ávila, con apenas 11 años de edad. Es la llamada “Farsa de Ávila”, el 5 de junio de 1465.

He described the grotesque episode chronicler Diego de Valera in his "Memorial of various exploits"

"The great kingdom of Avila were with the prince gift Alfonso determined to depose King Henry the crown and royal scepter, and I put in work were different opinions, because some said he should be called and the process should be done against him, others said he should be accused before the Holy Father of heresy and other serious crimes and crimes against him could prove slightly Nothing seemed [...] be more convenient, or more wisely could make the deprivation of the tyrant, whom died of heart force and prudence and effort and all the other skills that a good prince agreed. Nothing else was left except the name of king, which he removed was completely lost, which was not something new in the kingdoms of Castile and Leon, the nobles and people of their choice for king and deponello [...] which, in a flat which is near the wall of the city of Avila was a great scaffold [...] and there was a real chair with all the equipment used to make kings and a statue in the saddle , the shape of King Henry, the head crown and royal scepter in hand, and in his presence many complaints that were read to him were given very large excesses, crimes and offenses, and there [...] read all the wrongs done by him in the kingdom, and the causes of their deposition, but with great regret and much against his will. Which read things like that, the archbishop of Toledo, Alonso Carrillo, mounted the scaffold And took off the crown of the head, as primate of Castile, and the Marquis de Villena, Juan Pacheco, took the royal scepter of the labor [...] and the Count of Plasencia, Don Alvaro de Estúñiga, took the sword, as Chief Justice of Castilla, and the Master of Alcántara, Don Gomez Solis [...] and the Count of Benavente, Don Rodrigo Pimentel, and the Conde de Paredes, Rodrigo Manrique, took all the other royal ornaments and down the scaffold toppled him on the ground and said: "To earth, puto!". And all this moaning and crying people who saw it. And then, incontinent Prince Alfonso rose in the same place where all the greats who were thus kissed the hand he was king and natural lord of these realms. "

At the harm inflicted by the nobles, adding Alonso de Palencia, the chronicler enemy of the king and league spokesman said: "allegations of the obstinacy with which increased taxes of the people and the growing corruption scandal, and came to declare the sentence of dethronement and the dire need to obey those who were to run ".
Meanwhile, Diego Enríquez del Castillo, columnist and chaplain to Henry IV, has sent us another story complements the symbolic deposition king

"... sent to a scaffold ... in a great plain, and put a scaffold above the seated statue in a chair, which descend to represent the person of the King, which was covered in black. I had a crown on his head and a sword in front of him, and was a stick in his hand. E and placed in the field, they all went aquesta and accompanied the Prince named Don Alonso to the scaffold ... And then read a letter sent ... more full of vanity than of substantial things, which notably accused the king of four things : That the former Real merescía loss of dignity, and then came Don Alonso Carrillo, Archbishop of Toledo, and he took the crown of the head. In the second, losing merescía administration of justice, so did Don Álvaro de Zúñiga, Count of Plasencia, and he removed the sword before him. For the third, losing the gubernatorial merescía Kingdom, and so was Don Rodrigo Pimentel, Count of Benavente, and took the baton in her hand. In the fourth, which merescía lose the throne and settlement of King, and so was Don Diego López de Zúñiga, and pulled down the statue of the chair he was, saying angry words and dishonest. "

The revolt will run for three years until the death of Alfonso in 1468. However, the question of succession will not be resolved. Alfonso's supporters now provide support for the king's sister, Isabel, Juana against the Beltraneja again. Then our Count and was practicing a double play, with occasional support one side or the other depending on their economic interests. In the same year, 1468 Henry and Elizabeth signed the Treaty Guisando Bulls, which puts a temporary end to the conflict. Henry returns to be king, but accepted as heir to Isabel, and reserves the right to arrange their marriage.
However, the count went wrong benaventano not stopped this process of political crisis and civil war within the normal system of granting favors to supporters and declared confiscated from rebels. The coincidence of the count, continuing the winning side at all times explained that the amount of villas, juros, etc., were much stronger than their predecessors.
Images: 1. Farce of Avila, as the nineteenth century lithograph, 2. Enrique IV de Castilla, 3. Prince Alfonso Avila hailed as king [Recorded nineteenth century popular colored], 4. Coins minted by Henry IV. Obv: DEI GRA CUARTVS ENRICVS around the king seated on the throne with sword in hand. Reverse: ENRICVS REX ET CASTELLE Legionis around a barracks of castles and lions. Currency: ENRIQUE. Mint: Seville. Weight: 4.50 GR. Size: 25 mm. Year of issue: 1454-1474 [maravedis.or], 5. Walls of Ávila and 6. Isabel I of Castile, according to an anonymous Flemish the late fifteenth century.