Servicio al rey y diplomacia castellana: Don Juan Manuel de Villena (+ 1462)

Abstract

The Castilian Diplomacy in the era of Henry IV (1454-1474) was driven by a small group of royal councellors and diplomats. Don Juan Manuel de Villena (+ 1462) was one of the most important ambassadors on that time, and he was in charge of dealing with the bilateral affairs between Castile and France. He was part of a very known aristocratic family in Castile, altough with less prestige and wealth than that achieved in the fourteenth century. He tried to recover the previous influence of his family by using his contacts in the world of diplomacy. He managed to obtain a fiefdom in Asturias and a confortable economic position. He maintained a special relationship with the french count Jean V d' Armagnac, a vassal at that time of the king of Castile. He achieved all these goals helped by his family contacts and political relations with the most important royal councellors of his time. His biography helps us to understand several diplomatic customs of the castilian royal court.