Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG
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SPA
own hand, in refentment of his cruelties; and, though
a baitard, was placed on the throne of Cattile, which he
tranfmitted to his pofterity.
There is little doubt that the charafter of Pedro has
been greatly mifreprefented, and that what is confidered
by moft hiltorians as tyranny and wanton cruelty, was
only an inflexible regard to juftice, neceflary perhaps, in
thofe days of anarchy and rebellion. Perhaps that un¬
fortunate monarch owes to the hatred of thofe he meant
to reduce to order, much of the obloquy which ha? been
fo plentifully beftowed upon him by biftorians, who
have painted him to us as a tyrant fo bloody, fo wicked,
as almoft to exceed the bounds of probability. In An-
dalufia, where he fixed his refidence and feemed moft to
delight, his memory is not held in the fame abhorrence.
Uhe Sevillian writers fpeak of him very differently ;
and inftead of his ufiial appellation of Pedro el cruel,
diftinguifh him by that of eljujliciero. It is certain that
his baftard-brother and murderer, Henry of Traftama-
ra, was guilty of crimes fully as atrocious as any of thofe
imputed to Pon Pedro; but as he deftroyed him,' his
family and adherents, the friends of the new fpurious
race of monarchs were left at full liberty to blacken the
chata&ers of the adverfe party, without the fear of being
called to an account for calumny, .or even contradicted.
Truth is now out of our reach ; and for want of proper
proofs to the contrary, we muft fit down contented with
what hiftory has left us and allow Don Pedro to have
been one of the moft inhuman butchers that ever dif-
graced a throne. ■ • .
After the death of Pedro the Cruel, nothing remark¬
able happened in Spain for almoft a whole century ; but
the debaucheries of Henry IV. of Caftile roufed the re¬
fentment of his nobles, and produced a moft lingular in-
furre&ion, which led to the aggrandizement of the Spa-
nilh monarchy.
This prince, furnamed the Impotent, though conti¬
nually furrounded with women, began his.unhappy reign
in 1450. He was totally enervated by his pleafures ;
and every thing in his court confpired to fet the Cafti-
lians an example of the moft abjeAflattery and moft
abandoned licentioufnefs. The queen, a daughter of
Portugal, lived as openly with her parafites and her gal¬
lants as the king did with his minions and his miftreffes.
Pleafure was the only objetft, and effeminacy the only
recommendation to favour : the affairs of the ftate went
every, day into diforder ; till the nobility, with the
archbiftiop of Toledo at their head, combining againft
the weak and flagitious adminiftration of Henry, arro¬
gated to themfelves, as one of the privileges of their or¬
der, the right.of trying and palling fentence on their
fovereign, which they executed in a manner unprece¬
dented in hiftory.
lie ^ .^ie rna^econtent nobility were fummoned to meet
e!j0' at Avila : a fpacious theatre was eretted in a plain
without the walls of the town : an image, reprefenting
the king, was feated on a throne, clad in royal robes,
with a crown on its head, a fceptre in its hand, and
the fword of juftice by its fide. The accufation againft
Henry was read, and the fentence of depofition pro¬
nounced, in prefence of a numerous affembly. At the
clofe of the firft article of the charge, the archbilhop of
Toledo advanced, and tore the crown from the head of
the image ; at the clofe of the fecond, the Conde de
lacentia fnatched the fword of juftice from its fide j at
[ 503 1
A
tof
if the
bnt.
1S°-
the clofe of the third, the Conde de Benavente 'Wrefted Spain,
the fceptre from his hand j and at the clofe of the laft, '"""’‘"v"" 1
Don Diego Lopez de Stuniga tumbled it headlong
from the throne. At the fame inftant, Don Alphon-
fo, Henry’s brother, a boy of about twelve years of age,
was proclaimed king of Caftile and Leon in his ftead.
This extraordinary proceeding -was followed by a ci¬
vil war, which did not ceale till fome time after the
death of the young prince, on whom the nobles had
beftowed the kingdom. The archbilhop and his party
then continued to carry on war in the name of Ifabella
the king’s filler, to whom they gave the title of Infan¬
ta; and Henry could not extricate bimfelf out of thefe
troubles, nor remain quiet upon his throne till lie had
figned one of the moft humiliating treaties ever extort- 78
ed from a fovereign; he acknowledged his filler Label-Is obliged
la the only lawful heirefs of his kingdom, in prejudice
to the rights of his reputed daughter Joan, whom thefiftfrjp^
malecontents affirmed to be the offspring of an adulter-bella to be
ous commerce between the queen and Don la Cueva.heirefs to
The grand object of the malecontent party now was the kinS'
marriage of the princefs Ifabella, upon which, it wasf °m‘
evident, the fecurity of the crown and the bappinefs of
the people muft in a great meafure depend. The al¬
liance w'as fought by feveral princes : the king of Por¬
tugal offered her his hand ; the king of France de¬
manded her for his brother, and the king of Aragon 79
for his fon Ferdinand. I he malecontents very wifely She is roar-
preferred the Aragonian prince, and Ifabella prudent-ried t(? Fcr-
ly made the fame choice : articles were dratvn up; andd'nail(1 cf
they tvere privately married by the archbiftiop of To-
ledo.
Henry was enraged at this alliance, which he fore-
fawr would utterly ruin his authority, by furnifhing his
rebellious fubje&s with the fupport of a powerful neigh-'
bouring prince. He difinherited his fifter, and efta-'
blidled the rights of his daughter. A furious civil war
defolated the kingdom. The names of Joan and Ifa¬
bella refounded from every quarter, and were every¬
where the fummons to arms. But peace was at length
brought about. Henry was reconciled to his fifter and
Ferdinand ; though it does not appear that lie ever re¬
newed Ifabella’s right to the fucceffion : for he affirmed
in his laft moments, that he believed Joan to be his own
daughter. The queen fwore to the fame effed ; and
Henry left a teftamentary deed, tranfmitting the crown
to this princefs, who was proclaimed queen of Caftile at s0
Placent ia. But the fuperior fortune and fuperior arms Union of
of Ferdinand and Ifabella prevailed : the king of Por-theking-
tugal was obliged to abandon his niece and intendeddoms of A"
bride, after many ineffeaual ftruggles, and feveral years sidh! wifh
of war. Joan retired into a convent ; and the death of Leon and '
Ferdinand’s father, which happened about this time, Caftile.
added the kingdoms of Aragon and Sicily to thofe of An. 1474.
Leon and Caftile.
8l
Ferdinand and Ifabella were per bong of great pru-Adnnm-
dence, and, as fovereigns, highly worthy of imitation :'Uano of
but they do not feem to have merited all the praifes Ferdinan<U
beftowed upon them by the Spanifti hiftorians. Theyff,1^*
did not live like man and wife, having" all things in S a’
common under the diretfion of the huffiand ; but like
two princes in clofe alliance ; they neither loved nor
hated each other ; were feldom in company together •
had each a feparate council ; and were frequently jea¬
lous of one another in the adminiftration. But they
own hand, in refentment of his cruelties; and, though
a baitard, was placed on the throne of Cattile, which he
tranfmitted to his pofterity.
There is little doubt that the charafter of Pedro has
been greatly mifreprefented, and that what is confidered
by moft hiltorians as tyranny and wanton cruelty, was
only an inflexible regard to juftice, neceflary perhaps, in
thofe days of anarchy and rebellion. Perhaps that un¬
fortunate monarch owes to the hatred of thofe he meant
to reduce to order, much of the obloquy which ha? been
fo plentifully beftowed upon him by biftorians, who
have painted him to us as a tyrant fo bloody, fo wicked,
as almoft to exceed the bounds of probability. In An-
dalufia, where he fixed his refidence and feemed moft to
delight, his memory is not held in the fame abhorrence.
Uhe Sevillian writers fpeak of him very differently ;
and inftead of his ufiial appellation of Pedro el cruel,
diftinguifh him by that of eljujliciero. It is certain that
his baftard-brother and murderer, Henry of Traftama-
ra, was guilty of crimes fully as atrocious as any of thofe
imputed to Pon Pedro; but as he deftroyed him,' his
family and adherents, the friends of the new fpurious
race of monarchs were left at full liberty to blacken the
chata&ers of the adverfe party, without the fear of being
called to an account for calumny, .or even contradicted.
Truth is now out of our reach ; and for want of proper
proofs to the contrary, we muft fit down contented with
what hiftory has left us and allow Don Pedro to have
been one of the moft inhuman butchers that ever dif-
graced a throne. ■ • .
After the death of Pedro the Cruel, nothing remark¬
able happened in Spain for almoft a whole century ; but
the debaucheries of Henry IV. of Caftile roufed the re¬
fentment of his nobles, and produced a moft lingular in-
furre&ion, which led to the aggrandizement of the Spa-
nilh monarchy.
This prince, furnamed the Impotent, though conti¬
nually furrounded with women, began his.unhappy reign
in 1450. He was totally enervated by his pleafures ;
and every thing in his court confpired to fet the Cafti-
lians an example of the moft abjeAflattery and moft
abandoned licentioufnefs. The queen, a daughter of
Portugal, lived as openly with her parafites and her gal¬
lants as the king did with his minions and his miftreffes.
Pleafure was the only objetft, and effeminacy the only
recommendation to favour : the affairs of the ftate went
every, day into diforder ; till the nobility, with the
archbiftiop of Toledo at their head, combining againft
the weak and flagitious adminiftration of Henry, arro¬
gated to themfelves, as one of the privileges of their or¬
der, the right.of trying and palling fentence on their
fovereign, which they executed in a manner unprece¬
dented in hiftory.
lie ^ .^ie rna^econtent nobility were fummoned to meet
e!j0' at Avila : a fpacious theatre was eretted in a plain
without the walls of the town : an image, reprefenting
the king, was feated on a throne, clad in royal robes,
with a crown on its head, a fceptre in its hand, and
the fword of juftice by its fide. The accufation againft
Henry was read, and the fentence of depofition pro¬
nounced, in prefence of a numerous affembly. At the
clofe of the firft article of the charge, the archbilhop of
Toledo advanced, and tore the crown from the head of
the image ; at the clofe of the fecond, the Conde de
lacentia fnatched the fword of juftice from its fide j at
[ 503 1
A
tof
if the
bnt.
1S°-
the clofe of the third, the Conde de Benavente 'Wrefted Spain,
the fceptre from his hand j and at the clofe of the laft, '"""’‘"v"" 1
Don Diego Lopez de Stuniga tumbled it headlong
from the throne. At the fame inftant, Don Alphon-
fo, Henry’s brother, a boy of about twelve years of age,
was proclaimed king of Caftile and Leon in his ftead.
This extraordinary proceeding -was followed by a ci¬
vil war, which did not ceale till fome time after the
death of the young prince, on whom the nobles had
beftowed the kingdom. The archbilhop and his party
then continued to carry on war in the name of Ifabella
the king’s filler, to whom they gave the title of Infan¬
ta; and Henry could not extricate bimfelf out of thefe
troubles, nor remain quiet upon his throne till lie had
figned one of the moft humiliating treaties ever extort- 78
ed from a fovereign; he acknowledged his filler Label-Is obliged
la the only lawful heirefs of his kingdom, in prejudice
to the rights of his reputed daughter Joan, whom thefiftfrjp^
malecontents affirmed to be the offspring of an adulter-bella to be
ous commerce between the queen and Don la Cueva.heirefs to
The grand object of the malecontent party now was the kinS'
marriage of the princefs Ifabella, upon which, it wasf °m‘
evident, the fecurity of the crown and the bappinefs of
the people muft in a great meafure depend. The al¬
liance w'as fought by feveral princes : the king of Por¬
tugal offered her his hand ; the king of France de¬
manded her for his brother, and the king of Aragon 79
for his fon Ferdinand. I he malecontents very wifely She is roar-
preferred the Aragonian prince, and Ifabella prudent-ried t(? Fcr-
ly made the fame choice : articles were dratvn up; andd'nail(1 cf
they tvere privately married by the archbiftiop of To-
ledo.
Henry was enraged at this alliance, which he fore-
fawr would utterly ruin his authority, by furnifhing his
rebellious fubje&s with the fupport of a powerful neigh-'
bouring prince. He difinherited his fifter, and efta-'
blidled the rights of his daughter. A furious civil war
defolated the kingdom. The names of Joan and Ifa¬
bella refounded from every quarter, and were every¬
where the fummons to arms. But peace was at length
brought about. Henry was reconciled to his fifter and
Ferdinand ; though it does not appear that lie ever re¬
newed Ifabella’s right to the fucceffion : for he affirmed
in his laft moments, that he believed Joan to be his own
daughter. The queen fwore to the fame effed ; and
Henry left a teftamentary deed, tranfmitting the crown
to this princefs, who was proclaimed queen of Caftile at s0
Placent ia. But the fuperior fortune and fuperior arms Union of
of Ferdinand and Ifabella prevailed : the king of Por-theking-
tugal was obliged to abandon his niece and intendeddoms of A"
bride, after many ineffeaual ftruggles, and feveral years sidh! wifh
of war. Joan retired into a convent ; and the death of Leon and '
Ferdinand’s father, which happened about this time, Caftile.
added the kingdoms of Aragon and Sicily to thofe of An. 1474.
Leon and Caftile.
8l
Ferdinand and Ifabella were per bong of great pru-Adnnm-
dence, and, as fovereigns, highly worthy of imitation :'Uano of
but they do not feem to have merited all the praifes Ferdinan<U
beftowed upon them by the Spanifti hiftorians. Theyff,1^*
did not live like man and wife, having" all things in S a’
common under the diretfion of the huffiand ; but like
two princes in clofe alliance ; they neither loved nor
hated each other ; were feldom in company together •
had each a feparate council ; and were frequently jea¬
lous of one another in the adminiftration. But they
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Description | Ten editions of 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', issued from 1768-1903, in 231 volumes. Originally issued in 100 weekly parts (3 volumes) between 1768 and 1771 by publishers: Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell (Edinburgh); editor: William Smellie: engraver: Andrew Bell. Expanded editions in the 19th century featured more volumes and contributions from leading experts in their fields. Managed and published in Edinburgh up to the 9th edition (25 volumes, from 1875-1889); the 10th edition (1902-1903) re-issued the 9th edition, with 11 supplementary volumes. |
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