General Notes

John II (of Castile and León), in Spanish, Juan II (1405-54), king of
Castile and León (1406-54), the son of Henry III. He reigned under the
regencies of his mother and his uncle, King Ferdinand I of Aragón, until
1419. John entrusted the government to Don Alvaro de Luna (1388?-1453), his
chief counselor. In 1450, after the death of John's wife, Luna arranged the
king's marriage with a Portuguese princess, who promptly broke Luna's power
by encouraging the king to assert his independence. In 1453 John ordered
Luna's execution. John reportedly died of remorse over this treachery.