Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/369

ALLIANCES AND DEATHS. 346 State, and subscribe herself " I the Queen." This chapter empty insult he accompanied with more serious ^ efforts to form such a foreign alliance for the lib- erated princess as should secure her the support of some arm more powerful than his own, and enable her to renew the struggle for her inheritance with better chance of success.^ These flagrant proceed- ings had provoked the admonitions of the Roman see, and had formed the topic, as may be believed, of repeated, though ineffectual remonstrance from the court of Castile/ It seemed probable that the union of the princess Marriage m ^ the ijrincess of the Asturias with the heir of Portugal, as origin- ^^^^^^^^ ally provided by the treaty of Alcantara, would so far identify the interests of the respective parties as to remove all further cause of disquietude. The new bride was received in Portugal in a spirit 14 9 0. which gave cordial assurance of these friendly rela- tions for the future ; and the court of Lisbon cele- brated the auspicious nuptials with the gorgeous magnificence, for which, at this period of its suc- cessful enterprise, it was distinguished above every other court in Christendom. ^ 3 Nine different matches were ^ Instructions relating to this proposed for Joanna in the course matter, written with the queen's of her life ; but they all vanished own hand, still exist in the archives into air, and " the excellent lady," of Simancas. Mem. de la Acad, de as she was usually called by the Hist., ubi supra. Portuguese, died as she had lived, 5 La CMde, Histoire de Portugal, in single blessedness, at the ripe torn. iv. p. 100. age of sixty-eight. In the Mem. The Portuguese historian, Faria de la Acad, de Hist., torn, vi., the y Sousa, expends half a dozen folio 19th Ilustracion is devoted to this pages on these royal revelries, topic, in regard to which father which cost six months' preparation, Florez shows sufficient ignorance, and taxed the wits of the most or inaccuracy. Reynas Catholicas, finished artists and artificers in torn. ii. p. 780. France, England, Flanders, Cas- VOL. II. 44